From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Vallelunga : A great championship “finale”

Suzuki Police Nationale, Yamaha GMT94 and DRE Ducati Rise Above Pressure

The Vallelunga 200 Miles was the race that Suzuki Zongshen 1 had to win to hold onto their World
Endurance Champion status. The pressure began back in August when the team failed to score any points at two consecutive races, allowing Suzuki GB Phase One to take a commanding championship lead. Zongshen 2 rider and Vallelunga circuit specialist Piergiorgio Bontempi was consistently fastest during practice and qualifying, and team manager Michel Marqueton took the decision to pair him with Warwick Nowland on the number 1 bike to make a team which on paper looked unbeatable. Suzuki GB Phase One seemed to have the
title comfortably within their grasp, until a pair of out of character accidents sidelined two of their best riders.

Jason Pridmore broke his leg in an AMA race, and Jimmy Lindstrom broke has collarbone in a Swedish
Supersport Championship race. Junior team rider Andi Notman was brought in at short notice to join brothers James and Dean Ellison on the senior bike, with instructions to ride a safe race.

Piling the pressure on were a handful of teams who felt they deserved the Vallelunga victory. Yamaha GMT94, fresh from their Oschersleben 24 Hour victory, had entered two teams in a determined drive to prove their win wasn’t a flash in the pan. Suzuki Police Nationale were equally confident of a good result at Vallelunga after a fifth place at Suzuka, and DRE Ducati team were racing on home turf in front of top
factory personnel.

The stage was set for an epic end of season show down, with even the weather contributing; torrential rain began to fall just before the bikes were due to form up on the grid. The combination of a slick track and the pressure on the riders claimed its first victims after only half a dozen laps, with first Mertens for Zongshen 2 and then Checa for GMT94 pushing in after crashes. Zongshen 1’s Bontempi also had a minor spill, DRE Ducati incurred a stop/go penalty and a mistimed tyre choice by Phase One badly affected their lap times.

With the second set of compulsory fuel and rider stops out of the way, the race seemed to be coming down to an all out sprint between Giabbani on the Police Nationale Suzuki, Scarnato on the GMT94-96 Yamaha and Mike Edwards on the DRE Ducati. Fate had one more trick to play, with the circuit safety cars being brought out while the track was cleared of an earlier oil spill. This closed the gap between Giabbani and Scarnato, but
left Edwards on the Ducati some thirty seconds adrift behind the second pace car.

Giabbani spent the rest of his session doing everything in his power to stay in front of the faster Scarnato, holding out until the chequered flag to claim the first race win for the French Police Nationale Suzuki team, leaving Yamaha GMT94-96 in second place and DRE Ducati in third. German Suzuki squad KFM Herber claimed a hard-earned but well deserved fourth place, with Zongshen 1 in fifth and Suzuki GB Phase One in
twelfth place; enough to earn them the 2003 World Endurance Championship.

2003, October 9
Final 2003 World Endurance Championship Standing
Team Nat. Bike Total

1. Suzuki GB – Phase One, GBR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 143 points

2. Zongshen 1, CHN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 127 points

3. Yamaha GMT94, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 109 points

4. 22 Police Nationale, FRA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 104 points

5. Zongshen 2, CHN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 91 points

6. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 72 points

7. Yamaha Austria Rac. Team, AUT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 62 points

8. Bolliger Team, SUI, Kawasaki ZX-9R, 56 points

9. Jet Team SUI, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 38 points

10. Ducati DRE 5, ITA, Ducati 998, 37 points

11. TIE, PS Schlesinger Endurance, GER, Suzuki GSX-R1000/Trackdaze 11, GBR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33 points

13. Phase One Junior, GBR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 30 points

14. Team Sakurai Honda 71, JPN, Honda RC51, 25 points

15. KFM Herber End., GER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 21 points

16. GMT96 – 96, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 20 points

17. TIE, Fabi Corse, ITA, Suzuki GSX-R1000/Folch Endurance, SPA, Yamaha YZF-R1/Hofmann Racing Team, GER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 16 points

20. DUCATI D.R.E 101, ITA, Ducati 996, 15 points