World Endurance Champions SERT has set the fastest time in today’s qualifying session at Le Mans in France at the opening round of the 2008 Endurance world Championship. Team riders Julien Da Costa and Mathieu Lagrive set the top two times aboard their Suzuki GSX-R1000, recording an average time of 1:38.482. Second was Yamaha GMT94 on 1:39.802, Kawasaki France third on 1:38.208 and SERT’s second team third on 1:39.211. Said Lagrive: “It is easy to do a fast lap with a qualifying tyre, but it will be harder tomorrow on race tyres”. Friday Qualifying: 1: SERT: PHILIPPE V. 1:38.562/ LAGRIVE M. -1:39.211 / DA COSTA J. -1:38.571 – 1:38.781. 2: Yamaha GMT 94: GIMBERT S. -1:38.382/ CHECA D. -1:39.422/ PLATER S. -1:39.211 1:39.005 – 0:00.224 l. 3: Team Kawasaki France: GIABBANI G. -1:39.523/ MAZUECOS J. -1:39.836 /NIGON E. -1:39.398/ 1:39.586 – 0:00.805. 4: SERT 2: COSTES W. -1:38.773/ DIETRICH G. -1:40.851/ VENEMAN B. -1:40.195/ 1:39.940 – 0:01.159. 5: MV Agusta: SCARNATO S. -1:41.750/ MONGE J. -1:41.101/ 1:41.091 – 0:02.310 . More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: 2008 Endurance World Championship Le Mans 24 hours, France Final qualifying, Friday 18 April Conditions: Overcast, damp, cold, some rain. Conditions were once again mixed during final qualifying at Le Mans today and although Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport did not finish as high up the grid as they would’ve liked, they were satisfied with the set-ups of their bikes for the race ahead. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team ended final qualifying with pole position, followed by Yamaha France GMT and Team Kawasaki France. Sebastian Le Grelle – 1:44.235 The weather has not been all that helpful, but it’s the same for everybody and we just have to get on with it. I’m happy with my lap time and I know Stéphane, Rico and I can all run good consistent laps and that’s important in a twenty-four hour race. The weather reports are mixed for the weekend, but I think our bike will work well round here, whatever the conditions. Brian Parriot – 1:44.781 I am enjoying being here at Le Mans and I think it’s a great event. Mertens and I were out on the track at the same time and he helped me sort out some lines and I was able to get used to the track more easily. It’s going to be a long, long race and although our grid positions are not so good, I don’t think that really matters, when you think we’ve got twenty-four hours to do. Berti Hauser (Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Once again a difficult day, with regard to the conditions, but I’m happy that all our riders kept safe and made sure that everything would be OK for the race. I’m sure that this year will be tougher then last year, but we are looking forward to a good race and finishing as strongly as possible. I’m sure the weather will play some part in the weekend, but we’ll just have to be ready for whatever happens and respond in our usual quick way. I have confidence in our whole team and know we’ll do the very best job we can. More, from a press release issued by QTEL FIM Endurance Press Office: The SERT in pole position ahead of Yamaha GMT 94 and Kawasaki France Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will start from pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, first event of the 2008 FIM Qtel Endurance World Championship. The average time of the three riders, which determines the position of the starting grid, put the Suzuki number 1 of Matthieu Lagrive, Vincent Philippe and Julien da Costa ahead of the Yamaha GMT 94 by less than half a second. Like yesterday during the first qualifying session, the team Kawasaki France took third position, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 2 being fourth. Several teams did improve their qualifying time during the second session, as a wet track at the beginning of practice started to dry towards the end. Only Suzuki number 1 rider to improve his own individual lap time, Matthieu Lagrive now hold the best one in 1’38.313. Lagrive, however, remains cool: “It is easy to do a fast lap with a qualifying tyre, but it will be harder tomorrow on race tyres”. David Checa, on the Yamaha GMT 94, second on the starting grid, also improved his own lap time this morning. The official French team is rather confident and proud of the psychological advantage taken over the team Kawasaki France, third on the starting grid after a significant improvement of Julian Mazuecos times. Kawasaki France stays ahead the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 2 by a slight margin. The second official Suzuki also improved their average lap time, with Guillaume Dietrich and Barry Veneman, latest SERT recruit, getting along with the Le Mans track. Yamaha Austria Racing Team and Kawasaki Bolliger Switzerland did well, by taking respectively fifth and sixth places on the starting grid. They relegate the Junior Team Suzuki LMS, first in the Superstock class, in the seventh position. Midi Pyrénées MV Agusta Racing did not do any better this morning and they will finally start from eight position, unlike YMES Folch Endurance, moving up to eleventh position after their riders got more familiar with the Bugatti track. Endurance Moto 45 is sixteenth and second Superstock, and is surrounded by several permanent teams in Formula EWC, such as RT Racing Moto Virus, Endurance Moto 38, Phase One Endurance, and Maco Moto Racing. Team LTG 57, third in the Superstock class, will start from the eighteenth position. National Moto achieved a performance below expectations. The Honda team is still battling with chassis and suspensions set-up on the CBR 1000 RR and Denis Bouan crashed during the second qualifying session this morning. Engaged in Formula EWC, the Honda 55 National Moto will start from forty-fifth position, behind the Honda National Superstock. Endurance Moto 74 had also some hard time, as they have to find another rider after Damien Chêne broke his collarbone after a crash during yesterday’s qualifying session. The final starting grid will be announced tomorrow, after the warm-up session, which will start at 10:30 am. This afternoon, the pit lane will be traditionally open to the spectators from 5 pm; teams and machines will be accessible for eye-sighting.