While the SRC Kawasaki team occupies first place in the provisional ranking of the World Endurance Championship, a wave of panic blew in Oschersleben when the presence of Gilles Stafler's team was not guaranteed to participate in the Suzuka 8H. A leader who doesn't make the grand final is absurd.
The problem for the French team is its financing, because Kawasaki France subsidizes its team to promote the brand in France, but is not intended to provide the entire budget for the world championship. Kawasaki Japan, for its part, has been entering a machine in the colors of Team Green for years, which for example finished brilliantly third last year, on the podium alongside the famous Yamaha n°21 and the Honda n°33.
During the recent 8 Hours of Oschersleben, already winner in 2018, FCC TSR Honda France won with Josh Hook, Freddy Foray et Mike Di Meglio ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki France Gilles Stafler. Kawasaki riders, Jeremy Guarnoni, David Checa et Erwan Nigon, took 2nd place on the podium but above all lifted the official Kawasaki team to the top of the provisional world ranking on the eve of the grand final in Suzuka.
Not going to Suzuka would have been very unpleasant for the SRC Kawasaki team, but also for the organizer of the World Championship and for the FIM, without forgetting the organizer of the 8 Hours (which is Honda, on the Suzuka circuit which belongs to him).
Kawasaki Heavy Industries therefore put its hand in its pocket to transport the French team, without the company risking immediate ruin with its more than 20 billion euros in turnover per year.
For the SRC team, the hardest part remains to be done: Offer the supreme title to Kawasaki to thank the company for its support. Jérémy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon are motivated, as is the whole team.
Gilles Stafler : " I am very enthusiastic and delighted with this decision which we have been looking forward to. I can assure you that we will do everything we can to win a new World Champion title for Kawasaki. I warmly thank Patrick Marchal, the general manager of Kawasaki France who greatly contributed to this excellent news which I hope will delight all fans of the 11. The whole team is mobilized for this big end-of-season meeting, looking forward to 'be there ».
The Kawasaki Racing Team will also enter an official machine for its three riders from the World Superbike Championship, the British Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam and the Turkish Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
Suzuka 8H on July 28
