With only two events remaining in the Superbike World Championship in Argentina and then in Qatar, Kawasaki has just announced that Leon Haslam will no longer be part of the official team next year. It's not really a surprise, Haslam being sixth in the Championship with 239 points, compared to 544 for his teammate Johnny Rea, and especially 260 for satellite driver Toprak Razgatlioglu.
There was strong talk that the Turk would replace the Englishman within the KRT, but a disagreement led to the signing Soil at Yamaha. Haslam could then hope to keep his place, especially since Kawasaki had been looking for him in the British Championship after he won the BSB title in 2018 for the Greens.
In exclusive interview, Biel Roda in charge of marketing and communications for the Kawasaki Racing Team, declared at the end of August when asked "Do you already know who will be your second rider with Rea next year, instead of Leon Haslam ? ", that " No, we obviously have our priorities (KRT & KHI) and Guim Roda, who is responsible for the driver strategy in accordance with KHI's priorities and limits, is working on them. That said, Leon does a great job and is very committed. He has just won at Suzuka, which is an important variable for KHI in its driver strategy. »
But that was not enough for Leon to keep his place in WSBK within KRT.
For Kawasaki, “ After winning the BSB Champion title in 2018, Leon was brought into KRT WorldSBK to join forces with the Champion Jonathan Rea.
“He made an immediate positive impact within KRT which culminated with victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours partnered with Jonathan Rea on the Ninja ZX-10RRR. »
“The six podiums won by Leon during his comeback year prove that his adventure in 2019 was another positive step in his incredible career, spanning the WorldSBK, BSB, MotoGP and EWC series, always very competitive when he had machines competitive. »
“In a career that spans more than 20 years of top-level international competition, Leon has an enviable record in WorldSBK, both with Kawasaki and no fewer than five other manufacturers. »
“All the staff at Kawasaki and KRT wish Léon the best of luck in his future career. »
Guim Roda, director of the KRT team, said:
“KRT and KHI welcomed Leon to the team after a nine-year spell with Tom Sykes. It was an ideal opportunity for him to regain experience in the WorldSBK paddock and encouragement after winning the British Superbike title and already winning the Suzuka 8 Hours. »
“One of the main goals for 2019 was for Leon to experience the KRT way of working and take his race pace and performance to a new level with goals like competing at Suzuka a tempting prospect. Winning the 8 2019 Hour race with Jonathan Rea after 25 years apart for Kawasaki was certainly an incredible achievement. »
“I hope Leon can remain part of the Kawasaki family for 2020. Everyone at KRT wishes Leon good luck for the future. »
Steve Guttridge, Director of Kawasaki Europe Racing, added:
“It is entirely fitting that the 2018 British Superbike champion has followed this success with a season in KRT. We at Kawasaki are proud of his achievements on Ninja machines and wish him the best for the next phase of an incredible career. »
Leon Haslam's 2019 KRT stats so far:
2019: Races: 31, Victories 0, Podiums 6, Superpole 0
Leon's successor has not yet been announced, but there is talk of Alex Lowes.
Photos © Kawasaki
