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10th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
10th May 2008: Endurance FIM World Championship and World Cup Points and Standings
10th May 2008: The Race24 Trophy
Race Notes
Race Result - Sixth Hour
The Albacete 6 Hour round of the Q-Tel Endurance FIM World Championship has been won by SERT Suzuki. Second place went to Spanish wild-card entry Suzuki Catala after a final hour battle with third placed and ultra-experienced Kawasaki Bolliger. The Spanish team held the Swiss at bay by just 23 seconds after six hours of torrential rain. 
First and Second; SERT Suzuki (right) and Suzuki Catala (left)
Fourth went to Yamaha Austria, fifth to Yamaha Endurance Moto38, sixth to QERT Suzuki and seventh to Yamaha Maco Moto who fought back after several crashes and despite only running with two riders. Team Kawasaki France finished in eighth place after numerous setbacks. Full results are available via the links above. With heavy rain from start to finish, numerous minor crashes and several pace car sessions, this has been one of the most incident packed races for some time. Congratulations to all who took part. 
First Place: SERT Suzuki team manager Dominique Meliand
Third Place by just 22 seconds: Bolliger Team Switzerland team manager Hanspeter Bolliger
Fifth Hour - One To Go
SERT Suzuki are two laps clear of Bolliger Kawasaki, who are themselves just 38 seconds in front of wildcard Spanish team Suzuki Catala. 27th on the gird of 29 starters Raffin Motos Kawasaki are in fourth place, almost a lap ahead of Yamaha Austria. Endurance Moto38 are sixth, while Maco Moto have recovered to seventh place. Kawasaki France are currently dropping down the field; more news to come… Conditions remain grim. Updated Update Yamaha Phase One are out of the race after another crash by James Haydon. The team are very disappointed after running as high as second and holding a comfortable third place, but after suffering so many crashes and having dropped to 22nd place with no chance of scoring any points, team manager Russell Benny reluctantly took the decision to retire from the race. 
Phase One, back in the pits just twenty minutes later. Game over.
Update Yamaha Phase One have had another off; James Haydon highsided coming onto the start-finish straight. The bike required work and the team dropped to 21st place before Haydon went back out. He is currently the fastest man on the track, lapping in 1:49s compared to the leader's 1:54s and Kawasaki France's 1:51s. Howver, there is a lot of ground to make up in the remaining 90 minutes… 
Fourth Hour - Two To Go
SERT are still leading, but Suzuki Catala have moved up to second lace, just a couple of seconds ahead of Kawasaki Bolliger and Yamaha Austria. Team Kawasaki France have fought their way back to sixth place, behind the MV Agusta; a brilliant achievement given the conditions. Three and a half hours into the race, Raffin Motos had made only one fuel stop and had climbed to sixth place; they have slipped to seventh position since refuelling. The only other team to last as long is RTE Moto Virus in 13th place. Both Phase One and Maco Moto have lost time due to minor crashes, Phase One's by Haydon and Maco Moto's by Pridmore. Neither rider was seriously hurt; Pridmore went straight back out and Cudlin is now out on the Phase One bike. Maco Moto quite a lot of time, dropping to 18th place, while Phase One only slipped to 8th. 
Maco Moto's Warwick Nowland, wrapped in blankets and sitting in front of an electric heater, tries to warm up...
Third Hour - Halfway Through the Race
SERT Suzuki are still leading. Yamaha Austria had slipped down to fourth but are now back up to second. Yamaha Phase One are third, Bolliger - who have just refuelled - are fourth, and Suzuki Catala are fifth. YART, Phase One, Bolliger and Catala are all on the same lap. Folch Yamaha had a "small crash" but the rider was unhurt and the team have are back in the race. Kawasaki Diablo were less lucky, crashing out of the race after less than three hours. Rider Michael Weynand was unhurt but the bike was too badly damaged to rejoin the race. 
Early bath for Diablo Kawasaki...
Kawasaki France have climbed back to tenth place and are lapping faster than most of the teams ahead of them. Second Hour
All of the leading teams have now pitted. SERT Suzuki were the last to come in, having stayed out for 1 hour and 55 minutes. 
SERT Suzuki wait... and wait... and wait for their first stop.
The rain is still falling heavily, with a stiff cold breeze. It's grim out there. Maco Moto and Phase One are on the same lap, just seconds apart. Haydon on the Phase One bike is catching Maco Moto's Nowland, and is having the gap signalled to him via a put board. 
Cudlin points out the slippery bits of the circuit to Hayden; "I'ts all of it, mate"
The pace car was brought out due to oil on the track after No Limits crashed, bringing down Kawasaki France and at least one other team. The heavy rain made it difficult to clear the spillage. First Hour
Kawasaki France have crashed, bringing out the pace car after fifty minutes of racing. Yamaha Austria had already taken the lead, but the first hour has been characterised by Maco Moto and Phase One slowly catching up with the leading pack. So far we have hardly seen any scheduled fuel stops; the poor conditions mean that fuel consumption has dramatically improved for most teams. 
Amadeus X One are one of the first casualties of the poor condtions...
Start and Opening Laps
For the first time in our memory - and perhaps for the first time ever- a round of the World Endurance Championship has began behind the pace car with a "rolling start" rather than the traditional Le Mans style sprint-across-the-track. The pace car pulled off the track to mark the start of the race after two formation laps, and Folch Yamaha took the lead, ahead of Kawasaki France, SERT Suzuki and Suzuki Catala. Within a few laps Kawasaki France regained the lead, with Yamaha Austria, Folch, and SERT close behind. The leading four are now five seconds clear of the rest of the field. 
Rolling Start for the Albacete 6 Hour race. The pace car (top left) pulls into pitlane and the race is on...
10th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
10th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
9th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
9th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
9th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
8th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
6th May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
2nd May 2008: World Endurance: Albacete 6H
16th May 2007: Albacete 6H Race Review
10th May 2007: Albacete 6H Race Review
5th May 2007: Albacete 6H Race Report
30th April 2007: Albacete 6H Race Preview
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Albacete 6 Hour Race Results in Full
FIM Points and Standings
Race24 Trophy Points and Standings
Albacete 6H: Combined Qualifying - Dry!
Albacete 6H: Night Practice Sessions - Wet and Wet
Albacete 6H: Provisional Pole for Maco Moto
Albacete 6H: First Qualifying - Dry, Damp, Wet
Albacete 6H: Free Practice 1 and 2 - Dryish
Albacete 6H: Last Year's Race - Reminder
Albacete 6H: Weather Forecast – Musical Chairs
Le Mans Review, Albacete Preview
Albacete Competitor Quotes|
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