Michelin Power Research Team remains the leader ahead of Yamaha Austria Racing Team after the first qualifying session of the 8 Horas Nocturnas of Albacete, third round of the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship. On the provisional starting grid, determinated by the average time of the three riders, the Honda Michelin leads by a very small gap the Yamaha Austria, despite a spectacular crash of Josep Monge in the middle of the session on the French Honda. Behind are the Yamaha BK Maco Moto Racing Team, the Yamaha Folch Endurance, the Suzuki RT Racing Team, the Kawasaki Bolliger Switzerland, the Yamaha Amadeus X-One and the Suzuki Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers. In tenth place on this provisional starting grid, the Suzuki Qatar Endurance Racing Team keeps the lead of the Superstock class, ahead of the Spanish Kawasaki Cordoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad, very fast at Albacete. They lead over the Yamaha LTG 57 Zone Rouge, the Suzuki Endurance Moto 45 and the Kawasaki Atomic MotoSport in this class. The sun, the heat and a temperature track of 50 °C made some riders to cool down a bit their eagerness. In the beginning of the afternoon, the best time of 1’32.679 was signed on the Honda Michelin by Spanish rider Ivan Silva, who is replacing Hugo Marchand, who’ll be busy in doing some intensive tyre testing for the French supplier in the coming days. Ivan Silva and Yamaha Austria rider Steve Martin were the only two riders to clock a lap below the 1’33 bar during this first qualifying session. The second qualifying session will start today at 6:30 pm and this very long day still has to accommodate the night session, scheduled later at 10:30 pm.