From a press release issued by FG Sport Group:

200 Miglia di Vallelunga

Championship Introduction

The FIM World Endurance Championship visits six international circuits over eight months, featuring six different race formats with a truly diverse range of machinery all competing for overall championship honours. Seven manufacturers are represented in the twenty one permanent teams who are contesting the full championship, with riders and teams from more than fifteen nations competing.

After five rounds, Yamaha GMT94 lead the World Endurance Championship points table with an unassailable fifty eight point lead over nearest rivals Yamaha Austria. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 have finished third at every round they have contested this year, and are currently lying third in the championship standings, while Suzuki Castrol are holding fourth place despite having lead the title race for much of the season and having won the same number of races as GMT94.

Only six points separate second, third and fourth place, a situation repeated throughout the championship table; the Valleunga 200 will be crucial in settling the final championship positions of many teams. Twenty five points are available to the winner of this 200 mile sprint race, enough to move any of the thirty seven teams who have scored championship points this year into the top ten by the end of the final race of 2004.

The Valleunga 200 Race

Although the 2004 World Endurance Championship has already been decided, the result of the last race of the season – the Vallelunga 200 – is far from certain.

Championship winners Yamaha GMT94 will be out to prove that they can beat their closest rivals in a straight race on the track as well as on points over a season long campaign. Suzuki Castrol have even more to prove; they have won two out of the five races held so far this season, but now find themselves in fourth place in the championship standings. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 have finished every race they have entered this year in third place; consistent results, but not good enough for the hard working French team.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the race could from Yamaha Austria, currently holding second place in the championship. They have yet to win a World Endurance Race, but Vallelunga could be their big break. With a two bike team which sees British Superbike stars Steve Plater and Dean Thomas teamed up with Endurance guru Mike Edwards on one of the team’s Superbike specification Yamaha R1s and team regulars Horst Saiger and Thomas Hinterreiter on the other, the Austrians might just be the ones to watch.

Vallelunga is the Italian round of the championship, so of course local interest is high. Alongside the permanent entries from Suzuki No Limits, Ducati Team Spring, Benelli X-One and Suzuki Fabi Corse, 2003 podium finisher Dario Marchetti will be making a comeback with his DRE Ducati team, sharing the riding of the Ducati 999 with Marc Garcia. An entry has also been received from a team of journalists celebrating Italian magazine Motocicclismo’s 90th anniversary.

Vallelunga Curiosity

The 2004 Valleunga 200 race will see four Italian motorcycle marques go head-to-head on track for the first time in many years. Two Benelli 900 Tornados have been entered by X-One Team, a pair of Ducati 999Rs will be raced by Ducati DRE and Ducati Team Spring, Aprilia RSV1000s have been entered by both TRD Racing and Scuderia Motociclismo Test Team, and an MV Agusta 1000F4 will be run by the Burger King Lust team.

Last Year’s Race

The 2003 Vallelunga 200 mile race was won by Suzuki Police Nationale 22, with GMT94-96 in second place and Ducati DRE 5 in third place. Heavy rain as the bikes formed up on the grid made tyre choice difficult, and the conditions brought down Zongshen’s Stephane Mertens after he had led the opening laps of the race. A lap later GMT94’s David Checa fell at the same corner, leaving the French team’s second bike – GMT94-96 – leading the race with Police Nationale in second place and DRE Ducati in third.

The pace car was called out after an incident on lap 77, separating DRE Ducati from the chase for first and second place. The race closed with an enthralling twenty lap sprint to the finish which saw Police Nationale’s Gwen Giabanni fighting to stay in front of GMT94-96. The pair eventually crossed the line just 0.068 seconds apart, with Police Nationale taking their first out-right World Endurance Championship win, GMT94-96 finishing second and DRE Ducati third. Phase One Endurance finished in a safe twelfth place to take their third World Endurance Championship title by sixteen points after a season long battle with 2002 World Endurance Champions Zongshen.

2004 Championship Standings – Top Ten

Top ten teams in the World Endurance Championship standings after five rounds:

1. 94, Yamaha GMT 94, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 149 points
2. 7, Yamaha Austria, AUT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 91 points
3. 38, Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 88 points
4. 3, Suzuki Castrol Team, FRA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 85 points
5. 4, Suzuki Jet Team, SUI, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 56 points
6. 7, Seven Stars Honda, JPN, Honda CBR1000RRW, 38 points
7. 47, Bridgestone Bikers Profi, GER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33 points
8. TIE, 12, Yoshimura Suzuki, JPN, Suzuki GSX-R1000/8, Kawasaki Bolliger, SUI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 30 points
10. 5, WRT-Honda Austria, AUT, Honda CBR1000RR, 28 points