An intense battle in Albacete

It is 10 pm in Albacete and the five official favourites are still engaged in an intense battle for victory. From the start of the race, the BMW Motorrad France 99, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, the Honda TT Legends and the Monster Yamaha YART are fighting to get access onto the podium. For now, it’s difficult to say who is the favourite, but the BMW Motorrad France 99 seems to be, so far, the strongest of this impressive battle. Hence, the gap between all of them remains very small and positions are constantly changing with the pit stops for refuelling. Although the Honda TT Legends is not the fastest on track, they managed to lead the race once due to their clever fuelling strategy, which allows them longer shifts on track. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has been delayed from their working program around 9:30 pm, with a stop and go penalty for a non-extinction of the bike’s lights during a pit stop. Behind the group of the five official machines, three other bikes have a great pace since the beginning of the race: the Slovakian Yamaha of Maco Moto Racing, the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance and the French Honda of National Motos. In the Superstock class, the Suzuki of Team AM Moto Racing Compétition was leading for a long time but was then delayed with a faulty gearshift. The class leadership then went to the BMW Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz13 RT, who leads the Suzuki of Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT and No Limits Motor Team. In both classes, two challengers have already had to retire from the race. In Formula EWC, the Kawasaki of Bolliger Team Switzerland had to give up with a broken gearbox, after their chassis setup problems had been solved. In the Superstock class, the Suzuki of Qatar Endurance Racing Team suffered a broken engine. To follow the race live, log on to <link http: www.fim-live.com>www.fim-live.com