From a press release issued by FGSport Group:
Vincent Phillipe has taken provisional pole position for Suzuki Castrol with a lap time of 1:32.084. Phillipe dominated the first session, lapping over a second faster than his nearest rival, Yamaha GMT94’s David Checa. Third place on the grid will go to Yamaha Endurance Moto 38; Gwen Giabbani closed to within a tenth of a second of Checa but could not match his best lap. The continually improving Honda Fireblade of WRT Honda Austria has moved up to fourth place, with Spanish wildcard entry Yamaha Folch endurance in fifth place.
The second riders’ session saw Endurance Moto 38 and GMT94 fighting for the fastest lap, until Suzuki Castrol’s Oiliver Four put in a 1:33.140 lap five minutes before the end of the session. The story was the same for the third riders’ group, with Matthieu Lagrive lapping almost a third of a second faster than anyone else.
As soon as his qualifying session was over Phillipe’s thoughts were on the race: “I think we can do 1:34s in the race, and I did a very good lap last night on a race tyre – a 1:33. The Dunlop tyres are good at night when it’s cooler, but I’m not so sure how they will last over a 45 lap stint. I am not too worried about this but I don’t know about my team mates. I am going to eat some pasta now, and try and get some sleep.”
Top Ten Qualifying Positions
1st 3: Suzuki Castrol – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – V.Phillipe 1:32.084
2nd 94: Yamaha GMT94 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Checa 1:33.372
3 rd 38: Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – G.Giabbani 1:33.444
4th 5: WRT Honda Austria – AUT – Honda CBR1000RR – E.Wilding 1:33.738
5th 20: Yamaha Folch Endurance – SPA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Tomas 1:33.755
6th 8: Kawasaki Bolliger Team – SUI – Kawasaki ZX10R – F.Moreira 1:34.723
7th 1: Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – Yamaha YZF-R1 – S.Scarnato 1:34.828
8th 7: Yamaha Austria Racing Team – AUT– Yamaha YZF-R1 – I.Jerman 1:35.434
9th 44: Suzuki No Limits – ITA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – R.Ruozi 1:36.228
10th 2: Benelli X-One Team – ITA – Benelli Tornado – P.Tessari 1:36.245
Castrol Suzuki Takes World Endurance Pole At Albacete
Castrol Suzuki Takes World Endurance Pole At Albacete
© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
