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Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar EWC ride can match “huge ambition”, says de Puniet

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Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar EWC ride can match “huge ambition”, says de PunietTeam Kawasaki Webike Trickstar EWC ride can match “huge ambition”, says de Puniet

23 February 2023

Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar is the new name for Webike SRC Kawasaki France, which competed with considerable success in the EWC under Gilles Stafler’s guidance prior to the respected team owner taking the decision to retire at the completion of the 2022 season and put his operation up for sale.

Ryuji Tsuruta completed the takeover of Stafler’s SRC team in partnership with the Japanese River Crane (Webike) and Motohouse Co organisations earlier this year.

With increased backing from Kawasaki Motors Japan, Tsuruta has entered the 2023 EWC under the Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar banner but has kept the familiar #11 as well as continuing to count on the services of de Puniet, a member of the SRC rider squad in 2022, plus Japan’s Kazuki Watanabe and French rising talent Christophe Ponsson.

“First of all, I’m so happy and honoured to receive this opportunity to continue my adventure with Kawasaki and the EWC for another year,” said the 42-year-old de Puniet. “As I have a long history with Kawasaki through MotoGP and EWC, it’s very special for me that I can stay with them again.

“To be honest I was so shocked when we heard that SRC will terminate their EWC project, but so glad that it has been taken over by Tsuruta-san and launched the new team.”

While de Puniet remains at the peak of his powers, he concedes that time is not on his side in terms of achieving more success in the EWC.

“Concerning my age, it can be also my last challenge in my career,” he said. “I have a huge ambition even more than before to win every single race and to win the EWC title, and I’m really excited about it.

“The team is new, but the advantage is that Tsuruta-san keeps the structure, continues the same direction and same aim as SRC, while trying to add what was missing. It has to be also noted that we will be fully supported by Kawasaki Europe and Kawasaki Japan, which is of course another strong point of the team.

“I’m sure that the team will be very competitive and I’m confident that we have a good potential so cannot wait for the opening round in Le Mans in April.”

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28 March 2024

On-a-mission Team 202 lays down the law with its EWC three

Team 202 will fly the flag of the National Police Motorcycle of Club of France during the upcoming FIM Endurance World Championship season.Florent Parret’s Superstock outfit, which has raced in the EWC since 1998, once again features serving police officers Sofian Lhuillier and Gilles Minutello – along with Parret – in its line-up.And after placing 31st overall and 19th among the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category contenders in last year’s 24 Heures Motos, the Yamaha-powered outfit is hoping to make more progress when the Le Mans event opens the 2024 EWC season next month.“Sofian and Gilles had never participated in the 24 Heures Motos and their knowledge of motorcycle racing was limited,” Parret told 24h-motos.com. “The goal was for them to gain experience. During the race, we had three crashes. Despite this, we consider that the result of the race is satisfactory, because we wanted to take the chequered flag.“We are more relaxed than last year because Sofian and Gilles know what to do and know their limits. Thanks to the experience gained, they will gain speed. They will again approach the race with great caution because endurance is a demanding discipline. If we do not experience hazards, by definition, we should gain places in the ranking. Our goal is to do better than in 2023 by getting closer to the top 20 in the general ranking.”Team 202 has prepared for the 2024 season with tests in Spain and France. It will also take part in the Pre-Test for the 24 Heures Motos from 2-3 April. 

27 March 2024

From #7 to #1: YART’s 2023 EWC title success clear for all to see in 2024

Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team will defend its FIM Endurance World Championship crown carrying the number one on its R1.Although championship-winning teams usually use the number one during their title defence, it wasn’t previously an official requirement in the EWC – until the rules were updated for 2024.According to the regulations from EWC governing body Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, “the world champion of the previous season will wear number 1 during the current season”.However, in the event of YART being unable to defend its EWC title in 2024, it can revert to its traditional number seven in 2025 as “its former racing number will be protected during the period it wears the 1”, in line with the regulations.Marvin Fritz, who partnered Niccolò Canepa and Karel Hanika to the 2023 EWC title, said: “This is something we were dreaming of for a long time and we can’t wait to start the new season with the number one on our bike.”The 24 Heures Motos opens the 2024 EWC season at Le Mans in France from 18-21 April. Click HERE for ticket information. Photo: Facebook.com/MarvinFritz.2

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