FIM Supersport World Championship Phillip Island, Australia February 27, 2011 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), 21 laps, 33:34.739 2. Broc PARKES, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -0.009 second 3. Sam LOWES, Great Britain (Honda CBR600RR), -0.033 second 4. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -0.272 second 5. Robbin HARMS, Denmark (Honda CBR600RR), -16.969 6. James ELLISON, Great Britain (Honda CBR600RR), -23.943 7. Florian MARINO, France (Honda CBR600RR), -31.788 8. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -31.837 9. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (Honda CBR600RR), -31.870 10. Danilo DELL’OMO, Italy (Triumph Daytona 675), -32.817 11. Ronan QUARMBY, South Africa (Triumph Daytona 675), -43.799 12. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Honda CBR600RR), -56.116 13. Bastien CHESAUX, Switzerland (Honda CBR600RR), -60.055 14. Balasz NEMETH, Hungary (Honda CBR600RR), -65.999 15. Imre TOTH, Hungary (Honda CBR600RR), -66.318 16. Vladimir IVANOV, Ukraine (Honda CBR600RR), -74.472, crash 17. Marko JERMAN, Slovakia (Triumph Daytona 675), -84.183 18. Chaz DAVIES, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap, pitted 19. Luca MARCONI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 20. Roberto TAMBURINI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap, pitted 21. Fabien FORET, France (Honda CBR600RR), -6 laps, DNF, retired 22. Massimo ROCCOLI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 23. Miguel PRAIA, Portugal (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, retired 24. Pawel SZKOPEK, Poland (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, retired 25. Gino REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR600RR), -16 laps, DNF, retired 26. Mitchell PIROTTA, Australia (Honda CBR600RR), -20 laps, DNF, retired World Championshiop Point Standings (after 1 of 13 races): 1. Scassa, 25 points 2. Parkes, 20 3. Lowes, 16 4. Salom, 13 5. Harms, 11 6. Ellison, 10 7. Marino, 9 8. Iannuzzo, 8 9. Lundh, 7 10. Dell’Omo, 6 11. Quarmby, 5 12. Jezek, 4 13. Chesaux, 3 14. Nemeth, 2 15. Toth, 1 More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Brilliant podium on debut for Lowes PARKALGAR HONDA’S Sam Lowes finished his first World Supersport race for Parkalgar Honda in a thrilling third place, just 0.033seconds behind race winner Luca Scassa at Phillip Island in Australia. Lowes led for several laps and was in the lead coming out of the last corner before being drafted to the finish line. Miguel Praia failed to finish due to clutch problems while fighting inside the top 10. The next round of the Championship is at the team’s home track of Donington Park in the UK. Sam: “It was a really good race for me – my first time in the Championship with Parkalgar Honda. I was a bit nervous but I got a decent start and then made some moves on the riders around me. I knew it was a long race and was thinking about tyre wear. I passed Luca on the last lap but did not get a mega run on to the start/finish straight. Third in my first race is great; I am loving my team and my bike, I am enjoying myself.” Miguel: “It is not the best start for us as I had to retire from the race when I think seventh place may have been possible. My rhythm and pace from a good start were fast, especially when you consider my qualifying position. Initially I settled behind Roccoli and Ellison before Iannuzzo got past me on the first sector. I was leading the group in 10th position when I retired and this is just bad luck. Otherwise my Parkalgar Honda is strong and competitive and I am looking forward to racing again soon.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “What a superb ride by Sam to finish third on his debut for the Parkalgar Honda team. He went into the last corner a little too hot in the lead and lost some drive and the other two were able to get past him on the run to the line – but that takes nothing away from his achievement; this is his first time at the track and in our team. Sam’s bike was strong everywhere, the package was good and no one can be disappointed with the result. “Miguel was unlucky to suffer a retirement and the Parkalgar Honda team will look into the reasons for this to make sure it doesn’t happen again he would have scored a strong top 10 position otherwise. “A quick mention on a good sixth place result for James Ellison on the Parkalgar Honda’s sister team Bogdanka PTR Honda that’s very encouraging given he underwent surgery just five days ago. Now it is back to the team workshops to continue development of the bike in time for our first home round of the year at Donington Park in one month’s time.” More, from a press release issued by Bogdanka PTR Honda: Super sixth for Ellison BOGDANKA PTR Honda’s James Ellison finished the opening World Supersport race in Australia in a superb sixth position just five days after surgery to his left knee. Second in the morning warm-up and starting from 11th on the grid, Ellison made his way up to eighth by lap six and eventually came home in sixth to collect 10 Championship points. Polish Bogdanka PTR Honda racer Pawel Szkopek was 15th and closing on the group fighting for 10th position before retiring from the race on lap 11 with an engine problem. Italian Luca Scassa won at Phillip Island ahead of Broc Parkes after both out-drafted Bogdanka supported Parkalgar Honda’s Sam Lowes just meters from the flag. The second race of the season will take place at Donington Park on the 27th of March. James Ellison: “Considering what we’ve came through in Australia this week I’m quite happy with sixth. Because of the injury I couldn’t steer the bike with my legs and had to work harder with my shoulders – and they got quite tired in the end. I’m a bit disappointed about that because my training and fitness are very important to me and are normally my strong points – but we have a month off now before our home race and I’ll be ready for Donington.” Pawel Szkopek: “The team did a great job finding the right setup for me for the race and I was feeling really good on the bike. I had to ride past Florian Marino who stalled at the start but quickly made my way up and had just caught up with a group fighting for 10th position when I was forced to retire with an engine problem. It’s a pity, but knowing I could fight for 10th position gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the next race.” Simon Buckmaster: “After the surgery, sixth place is a fantastic result and I’m very proud of James and the whole team. Pawel was having a really good race too and was going for a very solid finish before retiring, which shows great promise ahead of Donington Park next month.” More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: Hannspreee Ten Kate Honda riders Fabien Foret and Florian Marino endured tough starts to the 2011 World Supersport championship season at Phillip Island in Australia earlier today. After qualifying on the front row for the 21-lap race, Foret crashed during a wet warm-up this morning, sustaining injuries to his left hand and a fractured L3 vertebra. The French rider opted to start the race and was in contention in the early stages, breaking the four-year-old lap record of compatriot and former Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider, Sébastien Charpentier. However, on lap 16 Foret was forced to retire from sixth place when his rear tyre went flat a fate that befell at least two other top ten riders in the race. Marino, meanwhile, had an eventful start to his first race at Phillip Island, bogging the start and then running wide at turn four on the first lap, which he finished in last place. The plucky 17-year-old fought his way b ack through the field for an impressive seventh place finished. Florian Marino P7 The bike just bogged at the start and I was very lucky because nobody bumped into me. When I got going again I arrived at turn four too fast with some slower riders and I had to go straight. When I rejoined the race I was in last place so then I had to come back. The rhythm was not bad compared to the top five riders so that’s why I’m so disappointed. I passed rider after rider and then I came to a group of five riders, which I passed one by one and finished the race the best that I could. I took some points, which is a good thing but I’m disappointed that all the work we put in this weekend did not get a better result. It’s still the first race and we’ll try better for the next round at Donington, which I’ve ridden on a 125 but it’ll be different on a 600. I want to improve again and, for sure, I’ll make a better sta rt. Fabien Foret DNF When I saw my fingers after the warm-up crash this morning, I thought my weekend was over. But I got patched up and thought I’d jump on the bike and get some points. Then my back was hurting so I went back to the medical centre and asked them to x-ray it and that’s when they discovered the fracture. They said it was up to me whether I rode or not so I decided to try. I was pretty stiff on the bike and made some mistakes changing the way I rode, like braking with four fingers. I was OK for a while but started to get tired and I got some arm pump because of how I was riding. I felt the tyre dropping but I was surprised how fast it was going off and turned up the traction control to stop it spinning. I just tried to stay on the bike and finish the race. Tomorrow I’ll have surgery on my finger because the tendon is cracked and I need a skin graft, too. The back just needs rest. Ronald ten Kate ; team manager We’ve done six days here now, so we know what we were getting from the tyres and we knew we had the distance. So, the tyre problem is a big surprise even more since Fabien’s injuries are quite big from his warm-up crash. There was quite a bit of blood in his gloves and on the bike when he came in. He was in quite a lot of discomfort during the race but he managed to hang in there with the leading bunch. Even then he broke the lap record, so set-up was not a problem. Then the tyre went flat and there’s not much to say about that. We’ve done six days of testing, done the long runs and even kept the tyre temperatures about 20% cooler than last year with the set-up we’ve been running. I don’t know what caused it but we’ll speak with Pirelli later to get their opinion. Florian’s start was messed up but to come from last to seventh in your first World Supersport race at Phillip Island is really great . It shows the kind of spirit that’s inside him, so we’re really happy with that. It’s a starting point for him but from here we have to step up a bit. I’m looking forward to taking the team back to Europe because we have the speed on both side of the garage and we’ll be fighting strongly at the next round. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: World Supersport On its return to World Supersport Yamaha scored a fantastic slipstreaming win as Luca Scassa took the chequered flag on the ParkinGO machine, by just 0.009 seconds from Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com). Third over the stripe as the top 3 flashed across the line was Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda), who scored a great podium in the debut race of his first full championship season. He had led out of the final turn but was overhauled by the two lead riders, and Sam was only 0.033 seconds from the winner’s time. Fourth was pole man David Salom on the second Motocard.com Kawasaki, posting an impressive result in a race in which he was frequently the leader. Fifth went to top true privateer Robbin Harms, on his Harms Benjan Honda, while a rider who had an operation on his left knee only a few days ago, James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda), was a fighting sixth. New boy Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) made a good recovery from a terrible start to record a top seven placing, while Vittorio Iannuzzo recovered from the disadvantage of a fifth row grid spot to take eighth. Alex Lundh and Danilo Dell’Omo rounded out the top ten. Chaz Davies and Fabien Foret failed to finish with deflated rear tyres, and Foret was riding with finger and back injuries suffered in a warm-up crash. Results: 1. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 33’34.739 (166,792 kph); 2. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.009; 3. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 0.033; 4. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.272; 5. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 16.969; 6. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 23.943; 7. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 31.788; 8. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 31.837; etc. Points (after 1 round of 13): 1. Scassa 25; 2. Parkes 20; 3. Lowes 16; 4. Salom 13; 5. Harms 11; 6. Ellison 10; 7. Marino 9; 8. Iannuzzo 8; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha 25; 2. Kawasaki 20; 3. Honda 16; 4. Triumph 6. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Parkes On The Podium At First Time Of Asking A spectacularly exciting Supersport World Championship race saw Broc Parkes only 0.009 seconds from his first Kawasaki WSS race win, after 21 laps of intense competition. The 4.445km Phillip Island circuit specialises in delivering astounding spectacles in this class, and from first to last Parkes and pole position man David Salom were vying for the lead on their Ninja ZX-6R machines, along with several other riders. Salom was a convincing leader at one point, but he faded towards the end as his front tyre had given its best and he had to settle for fourth, only 0.272 seconds from the win. Parkes had his own issues to overcome as his brake fluid reservoir came loose and he had to drop back to readjust it, before rejoining the fight for what would have been a popular home town win for the Provec Motocard.com team’s Aussie rider. On balance it was a great start to the championship campaign for the entire team, and the 2011 series promises many more opportunities for both Parkes and Salom to shine. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) had a great debut for his new squad, finishing eighth and scoring good championship points in the process. Broc Parkes: “We were in with a chance right to the very end, and took a podium. I felt very good on the bike and I was trying to get into a rhythm. I had a little problem when my brake reservoir came loose and I had to tuck it into the fairing, so I dropped back to seventh for a bit. From there I decided to go with it and I picked the boys off at the front one by one. When it is that close you know the season is going to be good!” David Salom: “I had a good race but then a lot of slides from my front tyre, so it was not possible to enter the corners properly. For ten laps it was good, but after that the bike started to slide a bit and it was not possible to go as fast in the corner entries. I am pleased to have been right there but I think we could have had challenged for the race win, and we could easily have had two Kawasaki riders on the podium.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha R6 returns with instant victory as Scassa Takes First World Supersport Victory Yamaha ParkinGo rider Luca Scassa made it a day to remember this afternoon, enjoying an adrenalin filled battle in the top five for the duration of the World Supersport race. The Italian World Supersport rookie made good use of the R6’s superior performance to charge through the pack, leading for some laps before dropping back again. He then passed Sam Lowes on the final straight for a photo finish, claiming victory by just 0.009 seconds. Scassa’s teammate Chas Davies had a less fortunate afternoon. Having found a perfect setup for the Phillip Island circuit, Davies had been in contention for the podium for the majority of the race, fighting alternate for second and third position until a flat tyre forced early retirement on lap 18. Scassa heads to the next round at Donington in the UK leading the championship with a full 25 points, teammate Davies goes keen to get off the points mark and catch up to his Italian stablemate. Today’s victory marks the first race for the officially supported Yamaha R6 since it won the World championship in 2009 with Cal Crutchlow. An impressive result for the Yamaha ParkinGO Team considering the collaboration with Yamaha was started just six weeks ago. More, from a press release issued by Honda: LOWES TAKE DEBUT PODIUM IN THRILLING SUPERSPORT SEASON OPENER Sam Lowes came within 0.033 seconds of winning his first FIM Supersport World Championship race in Parkalgar Honda colours after 21 frantic laps of the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. Lowes led out of the final corner, after being a perennial contender in practice and qualifying, and having made good use of his front row starting position of third. He was never lower than fourth in what was only his seventh career WSS race and third earned the status of top Honda finisher. The race, held on a dry track, was won by Luca Scassa (Yamaha) who headed off Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) by only 0.009 seconds. All three leading riders crossed the line almost as one, riding handlebar-to-handlebar. Five Honda riders made it into the top nine places, with Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team Honda) fighting deteriorating rear tyre performance to take an eventually lonely fifth when Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was forced out with a deflated rear tyre. Foret, the second fastest man in qualifying, fell in morning warm up, damaging two of his fingers and suffering a vertebrae fracture. In a tough and physically demanding weekend for many riders, James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) had his own medical issues to overcome to take sixth place. He had damaged the meniscus ligament in his left knee in a crash during official testing last Monday, and underwent keyhole surgery to remove a section of it, to allow him more movement when riding. He had qualified 11th, improving five places during the race. Despite a terrible start from his seventh place grid slot, a factor that left him 22nd after one lap, Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) made up several places and ended up seventh. Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda) made forward progress from his 20th place on the grid, taking a strong ninth spot. Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) and Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) each experienced technical difficulties with clutch slip and retired. Honda rider comments: Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) CBR600RR Race result: 3rd. Championship position: 3rd “I was fast going into the final corner, but slow coming out. I think if had come out of the final corner behind Scassa I would not have been able to pass him before the line. The only way to win was to pass him into turn nine and then push hard, and it nearly worked. I am satisfied to make my mark in the class at the start and it is a confidence booster for me to finish on the podium. I have massive boots to fill with Eugene Laverty having been in this team and the squad are used to winning and being up there, so I have no excuses. I have already learned that is a long season and any top five in this race would have been a result at this stage.” Robbin Harms (Benjan Racing Team Honda) CBR600RR Race result: 5th. Championship position: 5th “It was a good and tough race, but after ten laps my tyre was destroyed and that was a shame. I passed Foret and settled in sixth and then I saw Chaz Davies had a problem and I was fifth. I would have liked to been able to go the last ten laps with the leading group but it was not possible. A good start for our team, because we make everything by ourselves and we got fifth place, so it was a nice start to the year.” James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) CBR600RR Race result: 6th. Championship position: 6th “I had to use my upper body to push the bike around instead of using my injured leg, and it is so physical here at the best of times. I am really annoyed because I normally don’t get tired in races. I had to cling on the straights and my arms started to get tired. But that is all down to the injury from testing a few days ago. But we still got solid points and now we can get on with the rest of the season.” Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) CBR600RR Race result: 7th. Championship position: 7th “I am actually disappointed because I bogged-down at the start and I was lucky that no one bumped me. I arrived at turn four too fast compared to the slower riders, so I ran on straight again and lost time yet again. I was way down on lap one. My rhythm ended up like the top five riders, so I came back a bit and passed rider after rider, and then a big group of five. At the end I finished the best I could, seventh, and took some points. For sure we could do better, but this is the first race.” Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) CBR600RR Race result: DNF Championship position: No score “When I saw my fingers after the warm-up crash this morning, I thought my weekend was over. But I got patched up and thought I’d jump on the bike and get some points. Then my back was hurting so I went back to the medical centre and asked them to x-ray it and that’s when they discovered the fracture. They said it was up to me whether I rode or not so I decided to try. I was pretty stiff on the bike and made some mistakes changing the way I rode, like braking with four fingers. I was OK for a while but started to get tired and I got some arm pump because of how I was riding. I felt the tyre dropping but I was surprised how fast it was going off and turned up the traction control to stop it spinning. I just tried to stay on the bike and finish the race. Tomorrow I’ll have surgery on my finger because the tendon is cracked and I need a skin graft, too. The back just needs rest.” Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) Race result: DNF Championship position: No score “My clutch started to gradually go after a few laps and that was that. I just had to sit there and ride as smoothly as I could and not try and aggravate my front tyre either, but the clutch gradually started going. It has been a hard week with a few problems to overcome, so hopefully our teething problems are out of the way now and we can improve.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha ParkinGO Team: Luca Scassa wins in Phillip Island Luca Scassa open the season in the best way: winning the opening round of the Supersport World Championship at the end of a round run in a magistral way. The Yamaha ParkinGO team’s rider has a key-role since the beginning of the round, entering the head-group together with Fabien Foret, Broc Parkes, Sam Lowes and his team-mate Chaz Davies, that suffered an puncture when there were only three laps left. During the first laps Chaz Davies shaking up the fight for the head of the race, that during that moments belong first to Parkes, then to Salom and then to Lowes. Davies remains in second place till the eighth lap, while Scassa spent the first part of the race quite hidden, between the sixth and fourth position. Then, during the ninth lap he doesn’t linger on and bring himself on the third place to get the leadership of the race four laps later. A leadership that won’t leave till the last, defending himself with great ability from Lowes and Parkes attacks On the finish line the party is on, for this first victory in the team’s history. There is only the regret for Chaz Davies, since he was in third position when there were only three laps left but he had to go back at the box to change his tyre due to a puncture. Luca Scassa Yamaha YZF R6 #9 “I couldn’t ask more for this first round with the Yamaha ParkinGO team. This achievement is born from a great work done by the team since the Portimao tests. We managed to keep concentrate and to use every single minute to learn about the bike and we got a good response. The round was really great and challenging. During the lastlap Lowes and Parkes overtook me but I knew I was able to go faster at the last curve and so I did, anticipating them in a last-breathing finish.” Chaz Davies Yamaha YZF R6 #7 – “I’m really sorry for my result. I’m sure that if I could finish the race I would have been able to end on the podium. Unfortunately I was victim of an unlucky and imponderable accident. I’m leaving with the awareness to possibly be a protagonist for the left 11 rounds of this season.” Giuliano Rovelli team owner ” I was waiting for this day since I debut my own team in 2008 in the Supersport World Championship. This result means that everythink is possible if you really believe in a project. Luca was awesome, managing the round at his best showing great strategy-intelligence and coolness during the crowning moments. His masterpiece was the last lap, when he masterfully fight back to Lowes and Parkes’ attack preceding them on the finishing line in a split second. It’s been so excited. I’m sorry for Chaz Davies but I’m sure he’ll be able to make it up the next race when he’ll be home-running on the Donington track.”