Canadian ex-pat roadracer Dan Kruger is done his year’s racing in China, ending on a very positive note. Kruger grabbed a second overall in the season-ending endurance race in Zhuhai.
Kruger had some bad luck at the Macau GP, breaking his ankle when he ended up tangled up in the race’s second multi-bike crash. But even with his ankle patched together, and then a ride-through penalty on top of that (speeding in ha pitlane), Kruger’s Motul Kawasaki Superbike Team managed second after leading the Zhuhai endurance race for the first three laps. Kruger’s team basically battled with the Kawasaki factory team for P2 during the whole race, and prevailed in the end.
Mostly good news for Kruger, and even better when you consider it was his first race on the new Kawi ZX-10R race bike he’ll be using for 2020. More deets in the press release below!
Press release
MOTUL KAWASAKI TAKE SOLID 2ND OVERALL IN SPEED HERO 3 HOUR ENDURANCE RACE IN ZHUHAI, CHINA
17c, sunny and very windy conditions
23 teams, 57 riders, and 3 hours of extremely tight racing. The final race in China for 2019 had plenty of drama including a pace car late in the race and one of the top teams retiring with just 3 laps to go. The Motul Kawasaki Superbike Team took overcame a ride-through penalty as a result of speeding in pitlane as well as Canadian Dan Kruger riding with a double fracture in his ankle from a nasty crash exactly 3 weeks earlier at the Macau Grand Prix. The team qualified on the front row and led the 3 Hour Endurance Race at Zhuhai International Circuit for the first 3 laps before settling into 2nd place. The Official Kawasaki Team would trade P2 and P3 throughout the race and would end the race about a minute 30 seconds behind the winner and would have to settle for 2nd this time around.
It was Kruger’s first ride on what will eventually be his “A” Bike for the 2020 China Superbike Championship. “Although we wanted to keep our unbeaten streak alive at this event, it simply wasn’t to be this year. It is crazy that I was even riding as my fractured ankle is still fresh with surgery to plate it planned for December 11th in Atlanta. My teammate got a ride-through penalty for exceeding pit lane speeds but in the end, that would not have changed the final results for us. I am happy with 2nd and looking forward to getting my surgery so I can prepare for the 2020 Season and get back in the gym.”
The Team is set for a busy 2020 between testing, the China Superbike Championship, Wildcards in the ARRC, EWC, and IRRC and of course The International “Roads” are always on the table as is the Macau GP. The Canadian has also been invited to race in the ASBK Races at Phillip island this February in Australia. The races run alongside the World Superbike Championship and bring out some strong competitors. Dan must first get back to full fitness and the team will then get their testing schedule finalized and take it from there.
Dan Kruger Racing would like to thank their sponsors for an incredible 2019 Season, none of it could have happened without their support. Titanic Kawasaki, Motul, RK, BG, Mototron, Hindle, Ktech, Brembo, Kinetik, Zero Gravity, Fenice, Dainese, X-Lite, EBC, Pirelli, and Nature Power. To stay updated on all team news check out www.facebook.com/dankrugerracingteam
Congrats to Dan Kruger. Nice to see Canadians mixing it up in international competitions.
Its too bad Dan Kruger, Alex Dumas and others had to go elsewhere to race.
It would be terrific to see them mix it up with current CSBKers.