Phase One 5th at the Bol d'Or

The team hold GMT94, Bolliger and Folch at bay.

Phase One Endurance entered a team comprising Damian Cudlin, Graeme Gowland and Jorg Teuchert (plus Pavel Szkopek as 4^th man) for the 5^th round of the World Endurance Championship, the Bol d’Or, held at the Magny Cours circuit, on 13^th / 14^th September 2008. The team ended a hard fought 24hrs in a very respectable 5^th position sandwiched between the Team Kawasaki France bike (4^th) and the GMT 94 Yamaha which finished 6^th.

The highlight of the race involved a five way battle for 3^rd place between TKF, GMT94, Phase One, YART and Folch, which raged all night and all of the next day. The battle really hotted up at midnight when Phase One were third, inherited from YART and GMT 94 who had suffered problems. The night was a wet-dry, wet-dry affair but the team held its nerve and with some great riding and good strategy, particularly on tyre calls, came out solidly in 4^th, unable to match the riding and the speed of the YART bike, which possessed an official Yamaha France engine for the first time.

During the second day, the summation of some small problems earlier in the race (a broken front caliper piston magnet, costing 2 laps, two wet tyres that failed to work, costing 3 laps and a small crash with repairs costing 1.5 laps) came home to roost. However, the team held off a spirited challenge by GMT94 in the closing hours, but those lost laps made 3^rd place unobtainable. Rivals Folch and Bolliger were beaten again, but Folch still remain in 5^th place in the WEC, a clear target for the final round at Qatar in 7 weeks time. Again, the team were happy with a very business-like, points scoring performance, one which elevates them to sixth in the WEC, but surely a rostrum position must be on for Qatar.

The team will announce its Qatar line-up in late September.

Thanks to all, team, riders and sponsors alike, your support is invaluable.

Article Date: 22nd September 2008