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World Endurance racer, Alex Cudlin, has just returned to his home in England after a disappointing 24 hour race.
Alex was competing in Round 5 of the World Endurance Championship, at the famous Bol Dor 24 Hour in France. Riding for Diablo 666 Kawasaki, Alex’s points haul from the previous 3 rounds ended when the team bowed out with a mechanical failure.
Alex was asked by his Diablo team principal to start the race. At 3pm on Saturday, the French flag was raised and the race was underway, but after just 3 laps, Alex started to experience problems going down through the gears. After the first stint Alex spoke with his team about the problem.
"When I went down the gears, it didn’t select them straight away. A few times it just wouldn’t go down at all." said Alex.
After just 4 hours into the race, the team had to call it quits, after some very scary moments.
"James was out on the bike for his stint and he was heading down the back straight at around 270kph, when all of a sudden it jumped out of gear. It just wasn’t safe to continue. We were only 4 hours in and still had 20 to go. It really was the safest option to park the bike. It’s a disappointment for myself and the team. We were making a strong surge back up the championship ladder and really needed to finish this race to cement our position, But things happen for a reason and now we just have to look towards the final round for a good showing" said Cudlin. 
Alex will compete in the final round of the Championship on the 10th of November, in Losail Qatar, a circuit the World Endurance paddock hasn’t been to before. Being an 8 hour, the final race of the 2007 World Championship is sure to be a challenging prospect, with not only a new track to learn, but the soaring heat of the middle east
"Qatar is going to be great. It will be hard because of the heat, but my fitness is good and I’m ready for the race. I really want a podium before the season ends, so Qatar will have to be the place" smiled Alex.
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