Alex Cudlin has just finished what can only be described as a “nightmare weekend” racing in France and
undeniably one of the toughest races of his motorcycle racing career thus far.

After leading the Superstock World Endurance Championship all season, hopes were high that Alex
and his Qatari Team, QERT, could perhaps seal the Championship honours at the Bol Dor 24 Hour race,
staged in Magny Cours, France, on the weekend.

The team got the weekend off to a strong start, claiming 2nd position in the Superstock class in
provisional qualifying. Having spent most of the weekend using track time to set the bike up for race
tyres , the team were relatively happy with the package. Then in Superpole, Team QERT were able to
make an even bigger step forward when Frenchman, Anthony Delhalle, managed to qualify the #95
QERT bike in 1st position in the Superstock category and 5th position outright against the faster and
bigger Superbikes.

At the beginning of the race, the team elected Anthony to start the race, with Alex jumping on board
for the 2nd rotor.

Anthony got off to a great start and led the Superstock category on bike #95, one of two bikes in
the Team QERT stable, into the first turn. No such luck was on the side of the QERT teams 2nd bike,
#96, however, which was involved in a nasty crash in the very first turn, causing the safety car to be
deployed. Unfortunately for them, their race was over almost before it had begun. The damage to their
bike made it impossible for Nasser Al Maiki to push the bike back to the pits for repairs. It was now up
to Alex’s team, Superstock Championship leaders, QERT 95, to fly the flag for the team, and put their
heads down and race for the next 24 hours to keep the teams hopes alive.

After an hour racing on the bike, Anthony handed the bike over to Alex for him to begin his rotor.
Things were looking good and Alex managed to increase the lead Anthony had already built up for the
team. Alex finished his rotor, handing the bike over to the 3rd Qatari rider, Sultan Al niami, for his first
rotor of the race. Things were looking good for team QERT, as they had over a 45 second lead after
just 2 hours of racing, but then disaster struck. Sultan crashed the bike whilst riding behind a safety
car which was on the track due to another crash. With huge repairs required to the bike from crash
damage, Sultan managed to get the bike back to the pits and the pit crew went to work, frantically
repairing the bike. After losing some 15 laps or so, they were back in the race, albeit in last position.

Anthony and Alex then pulled out one fast, consistent lap after another, in the hope of catching the
team now leading the Superstock contingent. After their two next rotors regaining some lost ground,
the bike was again handed to Sultan to continue the charge to retain the lead. Sultan, after only being
on the bike for a short time, crashed the bike, once again causing considerable damage to the machine
requiring lengthy repairs in the pits and lost valuable time in the race. The team was now some 30 laps
behind first place in the Superstock category, which would not only ruin their chances for points in the
Bol Dor, but would jeopardize their current lead in the World Championship standings. The team’s new
objective was not to win the Bol Dor, but to finish in the top 15 and claim some much needed points
towards the championship tally.

The bike was repaired, and they were back on track racing hard into the beginning of the night stints,
but their share of bad luck wasn’t over. Whilst Anthony Delhalle was out on the bike, the electrical
system had a major malfunction, causing the bikes motor to stop. Anthony was at the back of the
circuit when this occurred, so it meant a long push for him to get the bike back to the pits for repairs.

After some 20 mins of pushing a bike that was effectively a dead weight, Anthony was back at the
pits and the bike was once again repaired. Alex was sent back out to try and salvage what was left of
the race. After just 10 laps into Alex's rotor, the dreaded electrical problem raised it’s ugly head, and
the bike once again completely stopped, this time causing a lengthy push in for Alex. After 12 hours
of racing, this is when the physical fitness and mental tenacity of the riders comes into play. Alex got
the bike back to the pits, and a complete new wiring harness was fitted to the bike. It was a sobering
experience for the riders, because at this point it looked as though any chances of retaining their lkead
in the Championship were over. They were behind the leading superstock team by over 50 laps and
with only 12 hours remaining to catch them, it would be almost impossible to achieve a good result. But
that’s not the way an endurance racer focuses his energy. Anything can happen in endurance racing,
and so they just put their heads down, as well as their bums, and got on with it.

They were back in the race, and back on track catching the other team when another mechanical
problem occurred. Whilst Alex was on the bike, the oil cooling hose split, dumping engine oil all over
the rear tyre and the track. Alex managed to stay upright and not crash, but once again was back in
the pits for more repairs. With now just 10 hours remaining and the chance of finishing in the points
looking progressively out of reach, the team decided that they would push on and finish the race
regardless of the outcome. The 3 team members then rode hard throughout the night, lapping the
fastest of the Superstock bikes.

When morning came, it was a welcome sight for the team, as there was just 9 hours remaining in the
race. The QERT #95 bike had somehow managed to catch the rest of the Superstock field and were now
in 16th position, only one position from the points contention.

The race was now on to catch the 15th placed team and hopefully gain at least one single point.

The riders all put in a tremendous effort and with just 3 hours to go were running in 15th position
however, the race wasn’t over yet. Anthony was out on the bike and pushing hard when he crashed,
causing slight damage to the bike. He quickly picked the bike up and brought it back to the pits for
repairs and then continued back on his rotor. Unfortunately, in the furious rush of bringing the bike
back in for repairs, Anthony had sped in the pit lane, now resulting in the team being given a Stop and
Go penalty - another loss of over a minute in the pits.

The team was now back in 16th position and out of the points standings. The final hour of the race gave
rise to some of the most desperate measures being played out. Alex was on the bike and was told that
he would have to set some fast times in order to make it back into the points. He then pushed hard for
the remaining hour to cross the line just 15 seconds ahead of the number # 50 Superstock bike, putting
the QERT team back in the points.

As luck would happen for QERT, whilst Alex was racing through the field with his own team’s points

his primal focus, carnage was happening behind him. The 2 Superstock teams that were in front of the
QERT #95 team had crashed. That was a cruel blow for them, with just 2 laps remaining of a 24 hour
race. That placed Team QERT 95 in 11th place at the finish and more importantly a crucial 7 points
towards the championship points, meaning that they have retained the championship lead.

"That was the most extreme race of my life. To have the problems so early on it was a huge
mental blow, and the half way through the race it looked as though our entire year was over. Our
championship was finished but in the words of someone much wiser than me, we decided to “never,
never give up”. We gritted out teeth and just kept going. As it turns out, it was a wise decision. We
now lead the World Championship with just one round remaining. We were clearly the fastest team
here this weekend but maybe not the luckiest. We have to go back to the drawing board and make
sure the final race of the year is problem free. The World Championship Trophy and the Number One
plate is firmly in my sights "said Cudlin.