Team Kawasaki SRC Makes a Clean Sweep at 24 Hour of Le Mans

The Ninja ZX-10R gets Team Kawasaki off to a flying start in the FIM EWC world endurance championship.

24,h,Du,Mans,Moto,2016,Ambiances,Stand

Kawasaki Team Ninja ZX-10R©Motorcyclist

After leading the race for 680 laps, Team Kawasaki completed a clean sweep. Gilles Stafler's squad picked up the winner's 40 points plus the 20 bonus points awarded to the leader in the standings at the 8-hour and 16-hour mark. The win spotlights the qualities of the new Ninja ZX-10R, and has got the team off to a flying start in the FIM EWC world endurance championship.

After some tricky test sessions in the rain, the #11 ZX-10R started the race with a minor crash involving Gregory Leblanc on a still-damp and treacherous track, but that was Kawasaki SRC’s only scare. During the first two hours, Gregory Leblanc beat the lap record 12 times. “I really want to thank Pirelli, because they gave us the tires we needed to tackle very cold track conditions. We had grip even at night,” said Leblanc.

Throughout the night, despite the freezing cold weather, the Kawasaki SRC was the quickest bike on the track, and the handovers w like clockwork. As the hours slipped by, Gregory Leblanc, Matthieu Lagrive and Fabien Foret established a comfortable lead, and were nine laps ahead by the early hours. “Our Pirelli tires work particularly well on a cold track,” says Gilles Stafler by way of explanation.

24,h,Du,Mans,Moto,2016,Pavillon,Filles

Team Kawasaki at 24 Hours of Le Mans©Motorcyclist

Lagrive said, “I’m obviously feeling emotional because after racing a few seasons, it’s my first win at the 24 Heures.”

This is Gregory Leblanc’s fifth win at the 24 Heures Motos equaling the record held by Alex Viera. AndKawasaki has now notched a record number of wins at the 24 Heures Motos. Two other Kawasaki bikes finished in the Top 10: AM Moto Racing Compétition finished 7th, and Racing Team Sarazin was 9th at t finish line.

Bolliger Switzerland Team was also a key player in the race. After starting out 9th from the grid, Horst Saiger, Michael Savary and Gianluca Vizzielo ran a superb race up to 2nd position in the early hours. Mechanical failure forced them to withdraw around 9.30a Kawasaki Louit Moto 33 Traqueur was in the running for a Superstock win, but was forced to retire during the night due to electrical problems.

Gilles Stafler, team manager of Kawasaki SRC said, “We couldn’t have hoped for a better start with the new ZX-10R. Now we’ll have to get back to work. We still need to fine-tune the electronics; we’re only using 75 to 80%.”

Slot: div-gpt-ad-leaderboard_sticky
Slot: div-gpt-ad-leaderboard_middle1
Slot: div-gpt-ad-leaderboard_middle2
Slot: div-gpt-ad-leaderboard_middle3
Slot: div-gpt-ad-leaderboard_bottom