FIM ENDURANCE:

The 2009 Qtel FIM Endurance World Champions ended up the season in the best possible way by taking another victory at the 8 Hours of Doha, the last round of the championship. Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani took victory with one lap gap over the Yamaha Phase One Endurance.

The British Yamaha of James Ellison, Pedro Vallcaneras and Glen Richards did a faultless race. Starting from pole position, Phase One Endurance had always been in YART’s tail for eight hours and signed in Doha their best result of the season.

The same applies for Bolliger Team Switzerland. The Kawasaki ridden by Horst Saiger, Eric Mizera and Patric Muff had been holding tight to this third place and managed to hold back the pressure from Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers. The stake was big between these two teams: a spot onto the third place of the podium
was synonym of a place of 2009 Endurance World Vice-champion!

On the Suzuki 18 Sapeurs Pompiers, Stéphane Molinier, David Brière and Jérôme Tangre finished in fourth place and gave for two points only the 2009 Qtel FIM Endurance World vice-champion title to Bolliger Switzerland.

The Suzuki Qatar Endurance Racing Team of Mashel Al Naimi, Rashid Al Mannai and Anthony Delhalle also accomplished their mission. The QERT finished in fifth place and took Superstock victory. The Qatar also took it all, as the two machines of QERT Junior are also on the Superstock podium. The Suzuki Endurance Moto 45 of Alexandre Lagrive, Adrien Ganfornina and Nicolas Jaulneau did all their best but could not access to a podium. However, Endurance Moto 45 keeps their second place at the Superstock FIM World Cup. With their Doha result, the Suzuki QERT Junior 1 finished the season at the third place of the FIM World Cup.

The Suzuki No Limits finished in sixth place. That’s a very well deserved result, as Ivan Goi and Emiliano Bellucci had to do all the shifts on their own, since Victor Casas was injured at his hand from the qualifying sessions.

Sixth on the starting grid, RT Racing Team Moto Virus finished in tenth place and sixth in EWC. The Franco-Italian Suzuki had to come back into the pits from the first lap as a brake master-cylinder was damaged after a collision with the Suzuki Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers, their direct competitor for a final vice-champion position. RT Racing Team finished the season at the fourth place of the world championship.

For the Michelin Power Research Team, the season was definitely difficult. After being one of the race leaders with YART and Phase One Endurance, the Honda Michelin had to move back into the classification as they lost eight laps to replace a crankshaft screw. Just after mid-race, some overheating problems brougth them more delay. Michelin Power Research finished in twelfth place and sixth in EWC.

Some other teams could not make it to the end. BK Maco Moto Racing did very well during the qualifications and the beginning of the race, but had to give up prematurely. First delayed by some rear wheel axle problems, the Slovak Yamaha had then to give up after one and half hour of race as Jason Pridmore crashed
heavily. With a broken collarbone, he could not bring back to the pits a bike that was too much damage to carry on racing.

In the retirement club was also AM Moto Racing, after some mechanical problems; the Suzuki started the race in the top 5, however. Amadeus X-One also retired with an overheating engine, just two hours from the end of the race. The Italian Yamaha managed to keep a spot in the top 10 from the beginning of the race. Early race contender Honda RMT 21 Racing Germany was also delayed at mid-race by a back wheel problem. The Honda, ridden by Olivier Depoorter and Arie Vos won’t make it under the chequered flag, as the Kawasaki Cordoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

The 8 Hours of Doha are closing the race season. The price giving ceremony of the 2009 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship will take place tomorrow Sunday at Doha.