Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar has recruited Grégory Leblanc for its FIM Endurance World Championship attack because he represents a big force for the Japanese squad, according to its Team Manager Ryuji Tsuruta.
The multiple EWC race-winning Frenchman replaces Christophe Ponsson for the remainder of the season having switched over from TATI Team Beringer Racing.
His first event with the France-based outfit, restructured for 2023, will be next month’s 24H SPA EWC Motos, in which he was a podium finisher last season riding a TATI-run Kawasaki.
We are pleased to announce Grégory Leblanc joins our team, Tsuruta said. He participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours with our team in the past and is a very much experienced rider in EWC with high potential. We are all happy and excited to welcome him to Team KWT from round two at Spa-Francorchamps. His high potential and knowledge of EWC will be a big force for the team, and he will be a great asset for our aim of winning the EWC championship title.
Leblanc, 37, is set to partner Randy de Puniet and Kazuki Watanabe on the #11 Kawasaki ZX10RR. He said: It’s a real pleasure to have this [#11] machine back with which I have a long history and many victories in the past. A big thank you to the whole team of KWT as well as Kawasaki Japan, Europe and France for giving me this opportunity. I would also like to thank the Tati team for these races spent together and I also wish them a good season for the rest of the championship. For me, the story continues at #11. When you don't give up anything you work hard you are always rewarded.
TATI Team Beringer Racing has yet to announce who will replace Leblanc alongside new-for-2023 signings Baptiste Guittet and Hugo Clere.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium hosts the second running of the 24H SPA EWC Motos from 16-18 June. Ticket information is available here: https://www.24hspamotos.com/en/ticketing/
Photo: Facebook.com/GregoryLeblancOfficiel
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
