From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Suzuki Zongshen 1 Lead after a really close Race 1

Race 2 Begins at 13:00 on Sunday

The Suzuki Zongshen No.1 of Warwick Nowland and Stephane Mertens finished the first three hour leg of the A1-Ring 6 Hour race in first place after Suzuki GB Phase One’s refuelling gamble failed to pay off. The British team had hoped to make only two stops in the three hour race, knowing that both Zongshen bikes would need to make three stops.

Unfortunately, their bike ran dry on the final lap allowing Zongshen 1, Zongshen 2 and Yamaha GMT94 through to take first, second and third place. GMT94 was the only other team to make only two fuel stops, rider Serafino Foti receiving the applause of his team after conserving enough fuel to finish the final lap.

The first hour of the race was run at a very fast pace with Giabbani for Suzuki Police Naitonale, Pridmore for Suzuki GB Phase One and Notman for Phase One Juniors all holding the lead in succession. Zongshen No.2’s Bontempi fluffed the traditional endurance start but set the fastest lap of the race in pursuit of the leaders. Local favourites Yamaha Austria suffered overheating problems in the first hour, dropping them down the running to the disappointment of their large and vocal band of supporters crowding the grandstand at the Castrol Kurve.

At the end of the second hour Suzuki GB Phase One were a mere 0.3 seconds in front of the number 2 Zongshen bike, and 14 seconds in front of Zongshen No.1. Both Zongshen machines had pitted at the same time, delaying the number 1 machine’s restart but giving the spectators the chance to see a great battle between Stephane Mertens on the Zongshen 1 bike and Mike Edwards on the DRE Ducati.

The Phase One Junior team had been going very well, running comfortably in the top five, but were forced to retire after a crash at the Grosser Kurve. KFM Herber and the X-One Mondial were the only other teams to retire during the race.

Police Nationale eventually finished in fifth place, DRE Ducati in sixth and Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 in seventh place after a steady race. The Hoffman Racing Suzuki ran a very good first of the race to finish in eighth place, a lap ahead of PS Schlesinger and two laps in front of Rookie Racing team.

After all their first lap problems Yamaha Austria had clawed their way back to thirteenth place at the end of the first race. Less lucky were the two Trackdaze machines, the number 11 bike suffering fuel problems after Cudlin went very well in the first hour, and the number 10 machine being the first faller of the race after Brasher fell at the Gerhard Berger Kurve.

The second half of the six hour race will begin at one o’clock on Sunday afternoon, with the starting grid determined by the finishing order of Race 1. Until then the bikes are being held in a parc fermé, with the teams unable to work on them until five minutes before they must assemble on the start line. Some tough decisions must be made by the leading teams overnight, with the podium positions looking to be decided by both rider performance and fuel strategy.

There are still three hours of racing to come before that point, and anything can happen…

2003, July 19

Result of Race part 1

1st Suzuki Zongshen No.1(CHN) – Nowland / Mertens – 112 laps

2nd Suzuki Zongshen No.2 (CHN) – Jerman / Bonhuil / Bontempi – 112 laps

3rd Yamaha GMT94 (FRA) – Guyot / Scarnato / Foti – 112 laps

4th Suzuki GB Phase One (GBR) – Ellison / Pridmore – 112 laps

5th Suzuki Police Nationale (FRA) – Giabbani / Blora – 111 laps

6th DRE Ducati (ITA) – Marchetti / Garcia / Endwards – 111 laps

7th Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 (FRA) – Brian / Morillon / Cuzin – 110 laps

8th Suzuki Hofmann Racing (GER) – Spenner / Schmassmann / Albrecht – 108 laps

9th Suzuki PS Schlesinger Endurance (GER) – Meyer / Meyer – 107 laps

10th Suzuki Rookie Racing Team(GER) – Roth / Plantius