Race Preview
The 8 Hours of Doha, the final Superstock race of the hotly contested 2010 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship, will be decisive for the attribution of the 2010 crown and the FIM Superstock World Cup. The Superstock final will be held on the Losail racetrack on Saturday November 13.
Two motorcycle racing teams could be crowned the Qtel FIM Endurance World Champions: the Kawasaki Bolliger Team Switzerland, who has been leading the standings since the second race of the season in Albacete, and the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team.
Winner at Albacete and Bol d’Or but absent in Suzuka and forced to retire at Le Mans, the SERT is nine points behind Bolliger, regularly in the points and second in Albacete and Bol d’Or.
For this duel with the Swiss private team, the French official team is consolidating its motorcycle racers line-up.
Sylvain Guintoli, Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider in the Superbike World Championship, will be with Vincent Philippe and Freddy Foray on SERT Suzuki replacing William Dietrich, considered not recovered 100% after his serious crash in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Bolliger is defending his chances with his usual trio of Horst Saiger, Patric Muff and Roman Stamm.
Behind them, the podium places will be hotly contested. In order of standings after four events, we find the Suzuki RT Moto Virus and RAC 41 – City Bike and the Yamaha Folch Endurance YMES.
But there is also the 2009 Qtel FIM Endurance World Champion, Yamaha Austria Racing Team and 2004 Endurance World Champion, Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone. The GMT is also building its crew for the 8 Hours of Doha.
Matthieu Lagrive, BMP Elf 99 former rider, will be riding the Yamaha 94 at Doha and for the next season. The BMP BMW Elf 99 will ride with Sébastien Gimbert Qatar, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin.
Superstock has many many contenders for the FIM World Cup. The Suzuki of Qatar Endurance Racing Team I is leading the provisional rankings but will have to be wary of Andalucia BMW only eleven points behind. Team Motors Events (Suzuki), the LTG 57 (Yamaha), Team X-One (Yamaha), Team Endurance Moto 45 (Suzuki) and MCS Ipone Racing (Suzuki) could still mathematically win the 2010 FIM World Cup.
The first qualifying session will take place on Thursday November 11. The start of the race, played semi night, will be given on Saturday November 13 at 1pm (GMT +3).
