[EWC] Kawasaki Webike Trickstar finishes the Bol d'Or 24 Hours in 5th place overall! Secures 4th in the annual ranking

From September 17 to 20, 2026, the Bol d'Or 24-hour endurance road race, the final round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), was held. Despite facing numerous troubles, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar finished the race in 5th place overall and ended the season ranked 4th in the annual series standings.

Overcoming a 40-minute pit stop to finish 5th overall

From September 17 to 20, 2026, the Bol d'Or 24-hour endurance road race, the final round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), was held. Kawasaki Webike Trickstar used three machines for setup from the pre-qualifying sessions, with each rider putting in laps while finalizing the machines for the 24-hour race. In qualifying, Roman Ramos, Christian Gamarino, and Gregory Leblanc made their attacks, resulting in an 8th place overall starting position.

The final race started from the 8th grid, with Ramos serving as the first rider. He dropped to 11th on the opening lap, and after contact with another vehicle in the ensuing scramble, the cowl was damaged, causing him to drop to 14th. Furthermore, a slow puncture occurred toward the end of the first stint, forcing an early pit stop, marking a series of accidents from the start. However, the team adjusted their strategy according to the situation and climbed up the rankings with reliable pit work.

By the 3-hour mark, they had climbed to 6th, and by the 5-hour mark, they were in 5th, maintaining that position at the 8-hour mark to earn intermediate points. They were running in the top group after sunset, but in the middle of the night, a machine trouble occurred while Ramos was riding, causing the bike to stop on the course. After the machine was recovered to the pits, the mechanics performed rapid repairs, and the bike returned to the course after a time loss of about 22 minutes. Later in the race, Leblanc reported an abnormality with the machine, leading to extensive repair work to replace parts suspected of being the cause.

Although they dropped to 9th due to a time loss of about 14 minutes and 40 seconds, the machine regained its original performance, and the three riders chased hard at a pace faster than the top group. Ultimately, they completed 718 laps and took the checkered flag in 5th place overall. As a result, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar completed all four rounds with the new Ninja ZX-10RR introduced this season. By accumulating points throughout the year, including a 3rd place finish at Spa-Francorchamps and a 13th place finish at the weather-affected Suzuka 8 Hours, they ended the season in 4th place in the annual series ranking, just as they did last year.

Comments from riders and the manager who overcame troubles and finished every race

After the race, Roman Ramos commented that despite various events and troubles during the long race, he is grateful for the wonderful work of the mechanics. He reflected that while he is not completely satisfied with this result, he fought with all his might until the very end. Christian Gamarino said that compared to last year, they were able to improve many things and had a good race this year. He expressed regret over the technical troubles but stated that finishing the race was the most important thing, and he is proud to have finished in 5th place.

Gregory Leblanc analyzed that the time spent in the pits investigating the cause of the troubles affected the result. However, he expressed his gratitude to the staff and mechanics for working hard to return the bike to a safe condition. Considering the difficult situation, he views the 5th place result positively and says he is proud of the team for always giving their maximum effort throughout the season.

Team Manager Ryuji Tsuruta revealed that the team entered the event with high expectations for a win or a podium finish, based on the positive feedback from the season opener and successful pre-race tests. The final was a very tough race, requiring nearly 40 minutes of pit stops due to early contact and a slow puncture, as well as a broken throttle body and electrical issues in the middle of the race. However, he summarized that overcoming the engine troubles at Bol d'Or that had plagued them for the past two years, and being able to chase down the leaders at a faster pace after resolving the issues, was a major achievement.

He stated that this season, having completed every race, was a year where they felt the overall improvement of the team and solid evolution alongside the new machine. He intends to use this frustration and these achievements to build a structure that can compete for the championship and the series title next season.

TRICK STAR Racing:https://www.facebook.com/teamTRICKSTARracing

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