12 Dec 2011 2011 ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Endurance Race qualifying

2011 ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Endurance Race's qualifying session was held at 2:20pm on 11 December. There are 12 teams entered for this race.

The race is run to slightly different rules to the Circuit Hero 500 km race. 1. The race is limited to 3 hours and the time limit will not be affected by any safety car periods or adverse weather. The teams will have to be more flexible in their pit strategies. 2. When a rider finish a stint, both rider and bike can be changed. Whether this aspect is positive or negative will need to be seen.

This is the first time the race is held in Zhuhai and among the 12 teams entered, some of them feature 3 riders. Considering that each team must have at least 2 bikes, a least 24 bikes have actually entered the race.

CSBK champion Yes! Yamaha Tianjian Racing have entered the race. The two factory riders Huang Shi-Zhao and Xiao Jin are on the entry list. Huang Shi-Zhao states that this type of race is a lot of fun, too and is a good test of a rider's consistency. He expects just two rider changes in the race will be sufficient.

During the qualifying session, the sky is clear and air temperature is about 15 degrees C. But with the warm sunshine, the track temperature should be reaching 20 degree C or higher. All the riders try hard to get the most advantageous starting position.

In the end, BG Performance's Dan Kruger and Alan Viches Alejes managed the fastest time. Yes! Yamaha Tianjian Racing's Huang Shi-Zhao and Xiao Jin are second. Yuji Okabayashi/Mikiya Kimura/Guan Ying-Hao of Team J. P are third.

The ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Endurance race will start at 9am on Sunday (11 December) morning.