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Aspar boss Jorge Martinez has been ruled out of a rescue deal for MotoGP squad Kawasaki 2009 while the leader of the troubled team has flown to Japan for crunch talks.

Spaniard Martinez, who manages teams in the 125 and 250cc classes, had earlier said that although he was interested in branching into MotoGP, he doubted that a deal could be done with Kawasaki on terms acceptable to him.

Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has now revealed that Martinez is out of the running to save the former factory team following the Japanese manufacturer's decision to pull out of the sport.

"I think Aspar is not interested in this matter with Kawasaki," he told MCN.

"If it is possible, the team must be run by the same people that were running the project before they took the decision to withdraw."

The sticking points for Martinez were his desire for a minimum three-year deal, the power to nominate one of the team's riders - with John Hopkins and Marco Melandri already in possession of contracts for 2009 - and guaranteed factory support.

Ezpeleta also said that Kawasaki boss Michael Bartholemy was in Japan to find out whether he had backing to run a private team with Kawasaki bikes.

"Kawasaki team boss Michael Bartholemy flew to Japan yesterday (Tuesday) for crunch meetings with senior management," he said.

"He is expected to find out whether Kawasaki will provide bikes for a privately-run team later this week."

Should Kawasaki drop out, they could be hit with a fine of more than £15 million from governing body Dorna after signing a contract to supply bikes until the end of 2011.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport