MOTUL KAWASAKI TEAM WINS SPEED HERO 3 HOUR ENDURANCE RACE IN ZHUHAI, CHINA
25 teams, 65 riders, and just one winner after 3 hours of extremely tight racing. The Motul Kawasaki Superbike Team took the victory against all odds on January 21 at Zhuhai International Circuit, in China. Lead rider Dan Kruger made his racing return after a lengthy recovery that most people didn’t think was possible. He was teamed up with Japanese rider Shinjo Massa and a brand new Kawasaki ZX10RR. Just a day earlier, Shinjo had a nasty crash in Qualifying and the team worked through the night to rebuild the race bike. With one of the few teams with no reserve rider and only a two rider team, Shinjo was forced to race with a neck injury but only rode for about 30% of the race while Dan took on the majority of the riding duties. During the race, luck was on the team’s side with the safety car coming out on 2 of the 3 stints while Shinjo was riding which gave him much needed rest and also worked in the team’s favor with pit stop strategies. The team ran out of fuel on the victory lap.
A ride through penalty for the team as a result of passing during a waved yellow flag kept the action tight between the top 3 teams but in the end, the Motul Kawasaki Team came out on top. “I am really pleased to be back riding competitively and it was great to take the first win of the season. I have been training really hard and was really hoping this day would come. I forgot how challenging endurance racing was but also how much fun it is being part of such a team event.” Says Kruger.
The Motul Kawasaki Team has 2 Superbikes entered in the 2018 Pan Delta China Championship with one of those being ridden by a very popular Japanese Superbike regular whose name will be announced shortly once the contract has been signed. The 2nd seat has yet to be filled with a few names circulating including 2 x World Endurance Champion – Alex Cudlin from Australia, Shinjo Massa from Japan and possibly even Canadian Dan Kruger making a full return to the series.
The team would like to thank their sponsors Titanic Kawasaki, Motul, RK, BG, Mototron, Hindle, Ktech, Brembo, Nature Power, and NGK. To stay updated on all team news check out www.facebook.com/dankrugerracingteam