Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team will field an all-new rider line-up for 2016, with Clement Desalle joining Jordi Tixier on the brand new KX450F-SR for the next two years.

With 19 GP wins and five top three finishes in the standings during his career, Desalle is currently recovering from a shoulder injury ahead of his return next season.

“I have been in touch with Thierry (team owner) and François (team manager), who was my mechanic in 2009, for several years now and finally they convinced me to join them for the next two seasons,” Desalle said. “It was a great feeling to see that they wanted to work with me so much, and that was important for me when it was time to make my decision.

“I have spent great years with my previous team, but I think that it was the right moment to change colours, bike and environment. It’s never easy to change, but I’m very happy with my decision and I’m impatient to start testing the new Kawasaki.

“At the moment I’m still recovering from my shoulder injury. After Lommel I took the decision to undergo surgery to repair it and two weeks ago I got permission from my doctor to start working with my physiotherapist. Everything is going well so far, and at the end of this month I will have a further check-up to know if I can start riding a bike.”

Desalle’s teammate Tixier is also recovering from a wrist injury, set to commence testing with the team in the coming weeks in preparation for next season.