Beschreibung:

‘Kawasaki’s endurance racers have always been fabulous beasts. From the Z1000-engined Godier-Genoud machines of the mid-1970s, through to the Kool Kawasakis of the early 1980s, right up to what you are looking at here, the ZXR-7 works endurance racer of the early 1990s. What you are not looking at is a Superbike racer (note capital S) with lights on. You are looking at a full-house factory racer that used the main engine castings from the ZXR750 and nothing else. The old F1 rules applied to the world endurance championship until 1994, so this is the real deal. Until this year, the nearest we saw to a four-stroke GP bike.’ - Julian Ryder, Bike magazine, 2002. Kawasaki’s ZXR-7 racer debuted in 1988 at a time when the premier endurance series was run to liberal TT F1 regulations that permitted race engineers almost unlimited freedom as long as they retained the basic engine castings of the homologated road bike. Ridden by Alex Vieira, the works Kawasaki France ZXR-7 won the Endurance World Championship in 1991, including the prestigious Bol d’Or, and earned a place in the affections of British race enthusiasts by providing Carl Fogarty and Terry Rymer with the means to claim the world title the following year. The machine we offer is one of two survivors of the three ZXR-7s sent to France by Kawasaki for use by the works team in the FIM Endurance Cup in 1990 (the series regained ‘World’ status the following year). Ridden by Thiery Crine/Pierre Bolle/Jean-Louis Battistini and Adrien Morillas/Eric Delcamp/Christian Laveille, the works Kawasakis finished 2nd and 3rd respectively at that year’s Bol d’Or, although which position this machine occupied is not known. Kawasaki France’s line-up for 1991 teamed the experienced Vieira with - variously - Miguel DuHamel, Jean-Louis Battistini, Thierry Crine, Brian Morrison and Richard Moore. This ZXR-7 raced on into 1991 and was one of two works Kawasakis that completed the Le Mans 24 Hours World Championship round. Ridden by Alex Viera/Miguel DuHamel/Jean-Louis Battistini, it finished in 3rd place behind the sister bike of Thiery Crine/Brian Morrison/Richard Moore. It subsequently recorded a ‘DNF’ at the Spa Francorchamps round (riders not known). Vieira went on to win the 1991 World Endurance Championship for Kawasaki. Finished in Kawasaki’s classic team livery of green/white, the machine is offered with a detailed and illustrated Rapport d’Expertise (appraisal) prepared in November 2000 by Conseil Auto, of Eaubonne for Kawasaki Motors France, authenticating the machine and its competition record, and stating that it has been rebuilt to original specification by KMF technicians. We are advised that the machine was serviced by Kawasaki Motors France mechanics immediately prior to sale in March 2002. A rare opportunity to acquire an ex-works, World Endurance Championship-winning factory prototype rebuilt to ‘as raced’ specification.