The 2016 season had got off to the best possible start for Team Kawasaki SRC, with a win at the 24 Heures Motos in April. The squad swept the maximum number of points at Le Mans – 40 points for the race win, plus the 20 bonus points awarded to the team in the lead 8 and 16 hours into the race. But Team Kawasaki SRC was unable to finish any of the races after that one, despite consistently good performances in qualifying.
At the FIM EWC championship final in Germany, where Team Kawasaki SRC still had a shot at the world title, Gregory Leblanc, Matthieu Lagrive and Fabien Foret had put the ZX-10R #11 in 5th place on the starting grid. The tests had provided an opportunity to find the right solutions and setup to give the team a genuine crack at the title. Gregory Leblanc got off to a great start as soon as the lights turned green, but was forced to slow his pace a short time later because of engine problems.
Back in the pits after only five laps, the Kawasaki SRC did not return to the track after the grim verdict was pronounced: a snapped con-rod.
Team Kawasaki SRC finished fifth in the final standings of the FIM EWC 2016 championship, thanks to the 60 points it picked up at Le Mans.
 
Team Kawasaki SRC is already focusing on the first round of the next endurance world championship season, which gets underway on 17 and 18 September with the Bol d’Or race at the Castellet circuit in France.