The Oschersleben 24 Hours is shaping up to be a decisive encounter in the race for the QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship. With 35 points on offer for the winner, the overall classifications could be turned on their head at this the fourth leg of the Championship, next weekend in Germany .
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who are leading the QMMF World Championship, 25 points ahead of closest rivals Team Kawasaki France, will have an important part to play at Oschersleben. The Suzuki riders Vincent Phillipe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa, will be joined by Guillaume Dietrich, the newly-crowned 2007 French Superbike Champion and replacing rider on the n° 1 Suzuki. Lining-up to take on the Suzuki trio, Kawasaki will field its victorious team from Albacete of Steve Plater and Julian Mazuecos alongside Gwen Giabbani who is also in top form following the final round of the French Championship. Giabbani finished in second place behind Dietrich in the final race of the French Championship at Magny Cours at the end of July. Thomas Metro is the pilot who has made way on the Kawasaki ZX10R.
Yamaha Austria Racing Team will welcome back Sébastien Scarnato, who was injured at the beginning of the season, to team-up with Igor Jerman and Damian Cudlin. Yamaha Phase One Endurance have recruited Jakub Smrz, the former 125 and 250cc rider, to partner Warwick Nowland and Stefan Nebel. Last year in Germany Damian Cudlin and Warwick Nowland, then team-mates at Yamaha Phase One, finished in second place at Oschersleben. Jakub Smrz finished in seventh position in the Superbike class at the Suzuka 8 Hours, riding for Honda RMT 21 Racing. In Germany this weekend RMT 21 Racing will field a 100% German team with, among others, Matti Seidel and Henrik Meyer who finished in seventh last year at Oschersleben.
Bolliger Team Switzerland will line-up with its regular trio of riders David Morillon, Patric Muff and Horst Saiger, with Eric Mizera as the replacement. Diablo 666 Bolliger Kawasaki also keep its regular pairing of James Hutchins and Alexander Cudlin, and have brought back Olivier Ulmnann for this German race. Also riding a Kawasaki are the Qatar Endurance Racing Team who have added a Spanish flavour to the race with Ivan Silva partnering the Spanish Supersport rider Jordi Almeda, alongside Mishal Al Naimi. Suzuki Sweden will start in Germany with a 100% Swedish team of Tobias Anderson, Mikael Nilsson and Lars Carlbark.
There is uncertainty for the FCC TSR Eurosport Benelux team. After their third place in the Superbike class at Suzuka courtesy of two Japanese riders, Honda FCC TSR have announced that Arno Visscher and Heinz Platacis will be at the controls of the Honda at Oschersleben. Amadeus X-One welcomes back its American rider Will Gruy who has recovered from his injuries and will join Italian riders Paolo Tessari and Riccardo Ricci in their starting line-up.
The other teams taking part in Germany are the same as lined-up at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Endurance Moto 38 will rely on Erwan Nigon, Julien Millet and Joao Contente Fernandes on the Yamaha Superproduction. RT Racing Team Moto Virus will have Frédéric Jond, Eric Monet and Jean-Louis Devoyon on the Suzuki. Maco Moto Racing Yamaha will start with Tomas Miksovsky, Damian Rowley and Leroy Verboven.
The best-placed of the Superstock teams, LTG 57 – 13th in the overall classifications, will be looking to consolidate its lead with Amaury Baratin, Anthony Dos Santos and Louis-Alexandre Tachon at the controls.
The first testing session for the 10th ever Oschersleben 24 Hours takes place on Thursday. The race itself begins on Saturday at 15:00.
