GSR Kawasaki leads ahead of YART and National Motos as SERT retired After four hours of race, the GSR Kawasaki of Julien da Costa, Olivier Four and Grégory Leblanc, is leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after a start from pole position, ahead of the 2009 Qtel FIM Endurance World Champion Yamaha Austria Racing Team of Gwen Giabbani, Igor Jerman and Steve Martin. Behind them are, very close from each other, the Honda National Motos of Sébastien Scarnato, Emeric Jonchière and Sylvain Barrier, keeping a very high pace from the start, and the BMP Elf 99 of Matthieu Lagrive, Damian Cudlin and Werner Daemen, who was delayed as some trouble occurred during a refuelling pit stop. The Suzuki RAC 41 City Bike of Gregory Junod, Greg Black and Olivier Depoorter confirms its good qualifying performance and are in fifth place, in front of the Suzuki of Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers (Stéphane Molinier, David Brière and Cédric Tangre), which celebrates this year, ten years of racing in Endurance, and the Kawasaki from Bolliger Team Switzerland (Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Frédéric Chabosseau), which managed to come back in the top 10 from 6 pm, after an average start. The first Superstock machine is doing great: the Suzuki Motor Events of Vincent Bocquet, Emilien Humeau and Gérald Muteau is in eighth position. The Superstock podium is completed by the Select Machines Honda with Yann Sotter, Emmanuel Parisse and David Le Bail and the Suzuki of Qatar Endurance Racing Team with Anthony Delhalle, Alex Cudlin and Rachid Al Mannai. The Junior Team Suzuki LMS lost some time as they had to deal with a fuel alimentation problem and are only the sixth Superstock machine. The Yamaha LTG 57 had retired, as a stone broke the radiator. The rhythm was very fast during the first four hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the holeshot of Vincent Philippe on the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, the SERT seemed to be in good position to lead the race. However, the crash of Guillaume Dietrich around 4:30 pm was the beginning of a very bad luck for the team. Back on track twelve minutes later at a much slower pace, the Yamaha BK Maco Moto Racing Team of Victor Carrasco could not avoid him and the two machines were completely destroyed in the crash. The BMW Michelin of Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Bertrand Stey, in fifth place at 6 pm, was delayed by a faulty water hose. After a pit stop to repair, the BMW Michelin was back on track in twentieth position. Highly motivated, Sébastien Gimbert signed a new race record in 1’38.425 just before 7 pm while the BMW 17 pointed in fifteenth position. The crash of Josep Monge in the first hour in addition to some front brake problems also delayed the Honda Michelin Power Research Team of William Costes, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge. After a start in the leading pack, the Honda Michelin was thirty-fifth at 7 pm. In the top 5 at 6 pm, the Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone was really unlucky after its exhaust collector broke, the Yamaha of David Checa, Gregorio Lavilla and Kenny Foray was in fortieth position at 7 pm.