From a press release issued by FGSPORT GROUP:

Albacete 12 Horas Nocturnas

Final Qualifying and Grid Positions

As expected, qualifying times were faster this morning than yesterday, with the track and air temperatures lower and perhaps closer to the conditions we can expect in the race.

Oriol Fernandez on the Folch Endurance Yamaha set the pace at the start of the first session, going straight into the 1:33s. Gwen Giabbani on the Police Nationale Suzuki followed suit, leaving Suzuki Zongshen No.1’s Warwick Nowland with a best time of 1:35.9. On the final lap of his session Nowland dropped his time to 1:34.225, but he was definitely not happy: “We’re still having brake problems. Just as I’m starting to turn in it feels as though the brakes are going away. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Police Nationale’s Gwen Giabanni was much more confidant: “The track and the tyres are working much better this morning. For the race, I think we will start with times around 1:34, and then maybe ease off into the 1:35s.”

Yamaha Endurance Moto 38’s Davide Morrillon led the second group’s session, until Piergiorgio Bontempi for Zongshen 2 and then David Tomas for Folch Endurance lowered their times into the 1:34s. Zongshen 1’s Stephane Mertens could not match Bontempi’s times, despite following him for a final flying lap on qualifying tyres. Bontempi set pole positon with a time of 1:33.067, to the applause of his team.

Piergiorgio Bontempi: “The bike is very good, but it’s not perfect. We were working on a compromise all of yesterday. Now maybe we can win.”

The final group’s session saw Ullastres for Police Nationale beat his team mate Giabbani’s time and move ahead of Folch Endurance, but he was not able to improve on Bontempi’s pace.

There was a real contrast between the approaches of Suzuki GB Phase One and Zongshen Team. Phase One are second in the championship – ten points behind their main rivals Zongshen No.1 – but were happy to settle for fifth on the grid based on their performance yesterday. In the next pit to Zongshen, they were treating this morning very differently.

While Zongshen were chasing every tenth of a second, Phase One spent their time meticulously stripping and preparing their Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Team manager Russell Benney explained: “This is the first proper endurance race of the season, so preparation is everything. We’re taking a normal endurance racing approach; a day spent preparing the bikes will be much more important than pole position. I also don’t want to risk the riders; we saw a lot of crashes yesterday – including our own Dean Ellison – and it’s just not worth it.”

Zongshen’s team manager Michel Marqueton takes a different view: “For us, pole position is very important; for the team as well as the riders. It’s big news in China so there is a lot of prestige. I always get very nervous in qualifying. Bontempi is an ex-World Superbike riders and always wants pole whatever it takes.”

With a Spanish rider in second place and Folch Endurance in third everything is set for a classic showdown when the race starts tonight.

2003, June 28
Top Ten Provisional Grip Positions

1st: Zongshen No.2 (Bonhuil – Bontempi – Lerat) CHN – 1:33.067

2nd: Suzuki Police Nationale 22 (Giabbani – Blora – Ullastres) FRA – 1:33.690

3rd: Yamaha Folch Endurance (Fernandez – Tomas – Rodriguez) ESP – 1:33.717

4th: Suzuki Zongshen 1 (Nowland – Mertens – Jerman) CHN – 1:33.825

5th: Suzuki GB Phase One (Lindstrom – Ellison D – Ellison J.) GBR – 1:35.215

6th: Yamaha GMT94 (Scarnato – Holon – Foti) FRA – 1:35.278

7th: Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 (Brian – Morrillon – Cuzin) FRA -1:35.401

8th: Yamaha Austria (Truchsess – Wilding – Saiger) AUT – 1:35.966

9th: Suzuki Phase One Junior (Fincher – Notman – Jessop) GBR – 1:36.852

10th Suzuki KFM Herber (Herber – Bursa – Persson) GER – 1:37.038