What a dramatic race under the Qatari sun! On the Losail racetrack is a frantic battle for the lead involving Maco Moto Racing and Yamaha Austria Racing Team. One lap behind, Bolliger Team Switzerland, Diablo 666 Bolliger and Yamaha Folch Endurance are also fighting for the third place. All these teams are aiming for the runner-up position behind 2008 Qtel FIM Endurance World Champion Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. The second place is still open for Yamaha Austria Racing Team and Bolliger Switzerland. YART seems to be in better shape at the moment. Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Steve Plater are a very homogenous team. Their target is to consolidate YART second place at the championship, a second place that they closely missed last year. But Maco Moto Racing is also taking benefits from their pair of riders, Jason Pridmore and Jakub Smrz. The Honda RMT 21, Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers and Suzuki RT Racing Team Moto Virus are all in a good rhythm and are within the top-10. The usual hierarchy was overturned from the beginning of the 8 Hours of Doha. With Matthieu Lagrive on board, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team went back to the end of the grid after only thirtheen laps. A radiator leak and a consequently wet front tyre took the Suzuki over the limits. After a pit stop, Julien Da Costa came back to with a broken engine, due to some overheating. End of story for the SERT. A few other leading teams had to face some misfortune. Yamaha Folch Endurance lost some ground at the beginning of the race with a rear wheel bearing problem. Phase One Endurance lost more when Glen Richards, one of the main contender during the beginning of the race, had a serious crash during his first shift. The British Yamaha lost approximately 25 laps before getting back on the track. After a good start, La Fortezza Amadeus X One lost some track by running out of fuel, while Raffin Motos broke the transmission chain. For Endurance Moto 38, the crash of Anthony Dos Santos was disqualifying. The second machine of the team, Endurance Moto 74, had exactly the same problem. In the Superstock class, the race is also full of dramas. Already crowned by the FIM Superstock World Cup, Qatar Endurance Racing Team IJT leads the class with an overall sixth position. Stronger than ever, Yamaha LTG 57 is second in the Superstock class and ninth overall. For the third place, Endurance Moto 45 has to check carefully ABG performance.