Oschersleben 24 Hours Suzuki Endurance Racing Team alone at the front after four hours The two-way tussle, which began during qualifying, continued on the race track today at Oschersleben, but the race changed dramatically just after 19:00. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now finds itself alone at the front after over four hours of racing side by side with Kawasaki France. A fall for Gwen Giabbani saw the official Kawasaki lose contact with the leader. The battle between Gwen Giabbani of Kawasaki France and Vincent Phillipe of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team started as soon as the green light signalled the start of the race at 15:00. Making the most of a small error by Vincent Phillipe on the first lap, Gwen Giabbani led for the first half-hour of the race. SERT then reclaimed the lead and were closely followed by the official Kawasaki. After four hours of racing, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and Kawasaki France were at the front in the same order, separated by about 30 seconds. Kawasaki, however, now have everything to do to catch the leader. Slightly behind the front two during qualifying, Yamaha Phase One Endurance made a great start to the race. The permanent English team is currently in third place. A drying track at the start of the race and a tricky choice of tyres meant that a few surprises were likely. The Suzuki Superproduction of AM Moto Racing Compétition, found itself in the top three for a while along with one of the R1200Ss of BMW Motorrad. At 19:00 they were in fourth and seventh position respectively. Delayed at the start by a bad choice of tyres, Endurance Moto 38 mounted a brave comeback and have been battling with AM Moto Racing for fourth place. Several falls sent some of the pre-race favourites to the back of the race within the first hour. Bolliger Switzerland were in the top three before a fall by Patric Muff wiped-out their good start. There was also a fall for Olivier Depoorter on the Yamaha Zone Rouge, who went from fifth place to the back of the pack. A further fall came the way of Kawasaki Qatar Endurance Racing Team just after the two hour mark. QERT, who had been in fifth, dropped to last place. Finally, riding for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team, Igor Jerman also fell. YART, however, are the only team to have mounted a serious comeback, and are now in eighth place going into the night. Many of the permanent teams were grouped together in the top 12 at 19:00. Diablo 666 Bolliger, who have consistently been going well, are in sixth. RMT 21 Racing are in ninth, while Maco Moto Racing is battling with Jadoul Motosport for tenth, ahead of Amadeus X-One. The return of the rain, which has been predicted for the coming hours, could make racing tricky during the night. More, from a press release issued by Amadeus X-one: SERT Suzuki Lead Kawasaki France by 30 Seconds Amadeus X One 10th After Four Hours Four Hours into the 10th Oschersleben 24 Hour race, SERT Suzuki are ahead of second placed Kawasaki France by just 30 seconds; a gap which has stayed constant pitstops apart for the last three hours. The race started with a wet track but no rain, and many teams found themselves with the wrong tyres on their bikes as the conditions quickly improved. The leaders were quickly able to stretch out a lead over the rest of the field as bikes that had started the race on “wet” rain tyres were forced to pit for rubber more suited to the conditions. La Fortezza Amadeus X One were in exactly this position and pitted for slick tyres just 20 minutes into the race. With that setback out of the way, Amadeus X One’s riders Paolo Tessari, Riccardo Ricci and Mauro Lucchiari have been able to climb steadily through the field and are currently lying in 10th place. The Oschersleben round of the QMMF FIM Endurance World Championship continues through the night, finishing at 15:00 CET tomorrow.