Britain’s Graeme Gowland debut in the World Endurance Championship nearly ended with the perfect result of a podium on the Phase One Yamaha but less than a minute denied the British team that final podium place.
When the chequered flag came out at the end of the 8 hours at the German Oschersleben circuit the Phase One team took fourth, just 56 seconds off third place finishers SERT Suzuki, in the race which was won by Kawasaki France with Yamaha Austria taking second.
Satisfied Team manager Russell Benney:
“Obviously I’m very pleased with the result. The revelation of the meeting for me was Graeme Gowland. Sebastien Scarnato delivered exactly what we expect from a veteran of his calibre, and Damian Cudlin continues his form at an extremely high level. Graeme came in and actually posted the fastest lap of the team, so I’m extremely keen on working with him again, and we’re currently talking about the Bol d’Or.
"We did as much as we could in this race; with the equipment we had, and with the time we had. We couldn’t realistically have beaten any of the teams in front of us, so I’m happy with this result."
Graeme Gowland: "I am really pleased to have been giving the opportunity by Phase One to ride this weekend as it was a chance to ride a Superbike which is what I want to ride in the future.
"The Phase One team made me feel very welcome, they are a very good team and it was a pleasure to work with them. We came very close to a podium but I am still obviously really happy with fourth, especially for the team.
"I was also really happy with the way I adapted to the faster bike, which really suits my style, and the lap times that I did against experienced Superbike riders."
For more information about the World Endurance Championship visit the official Championship website,
fimendurance.com.
