After the unlucky result of the Lemans 24 Hour race just 2 weeks ago, when Cudlin’s teammate crashed in the race, Cudlin regained his good spirits for Round 2 of the World Endurance Championships, and hoped for a much stronger run in the race.

Round 2 was to be a 6 hour event in the south east of Spain in Albacete, 278 km southeast of Madrid. With normal Spanish weather the week prior to the race, everyone in the Endurance paddock expected a warm, dry race, and after the tough wet Lemans race, everyone was hoping for better weather; but unfortunately this wasn’t the case.

From the time Alex and the Diablo 666 race team landed at the Alacante airport, the weather didn’t look promising. After final rounds of qualifying, the Diablo 666 team were in 12th position on the grid. Alex was elected to start the 6 hour race, after running a fast pace in the wet warm up just 2 hours prior. “The clouds had opened up, and it was extremely wet.

I had my team briefings with the crew before the race, and I was told I would start the race. To be honest I was pretty nervous. I hadn’t done an endurance start in the rain before, so it was going to be an experience” said Cudlin with a grin. Just before 6pm, the announcement was made by race control; that the race would start under the safety car. Because the weather was coming down so extremely hard, the officials thought that for the first 2 laps, a start under the safety car would be a safer decision. At 6pm, the riders rode off in formation, and the 2008 Albacete 6 hour was under way.After 1 hour and 10 minutes, a safety car was again deployed, after the factory Kawasaki France bike had crashed and dropped oil on the circuit. Alex was forced to circulate behind the safety car for 35 minutes, before the first pit stop was performed. “That was different! The race started by safety car. I then had to race in freezing cold conditions for 70 minutes; then another safety car, and I was behind it for 35 minutes. To concentrate for 1:45 minutes in freezing conditions was pretty tough.

I knew it was wet when I was behind the safety car, and through the chicane the car span off the track”, laughed Cudlin. After the first round of pit stops, the bike was handed over to Alex’s team mate, Michael Weynand, for his hour stint. It was then that Diablo’s luck ended. Michael crashed heavily. just 20 minutes into his stint, and the Diablo 666 team were out of the race. “What a shame. I had done almost a third of the race in one go, and I was lying down in the back of the race truck having a rest, when my team boss came in to inform me that the race was all over for us. We really needed the points after the first round, but the conditions in Spain were absolutely terrible, so Michael’s crash could have happened to anyone” mused Cudlin. Alex will now continue his hard training program in preparation for the biggest race of the year, the Suzuka 8 hour in Japan.