FIM Supersport World Championship Imola, Italy September 27, 2009 Race Results (on aggregate time, all on Pirelli tires): 1. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR600RR), 19 laps, 35:51.342 2. Eugene LAVERTY (Honda CBR600RR), -5.372 seconds 3. Fabien FORET (Yamaha YZF-R6), -6.450 4. Chaz DAVIES (Triumph Daytona 675), -15.847 5. Garry MCCOY (Triumph Daytona 675), -15.944 6. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), -16.001 7. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -27.097 8. Anthony WEST (Honda CBR600RR), -27.835 9. Miguel PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR), -32.846 10. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), -33.315 11. Michele PIRRO (Yamaha YZF-R6), -33.576 12. Cristiano MIGLIORATI (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -44.958 13. Olivier FOUR (Honda CBR600RR), -59.645 14. Barry VENEMAN (Honda CBR600RR), -66.270 15. Flavio GENTILE (Honda CBR600RR), -74.735 16. Arie VOS (Honda CBR600RR), -78.933 17. Emanuele RUSSO (Yamaha YZF-R6), -85.012 18. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Yamaha YZF-R6), -3 laps, DNF, crash 19. Joan LASCORZ (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -9 laps, DNF, mechanical 20. Tata PRADITA (Yamaha YZF-R6), -9 laps, DNF, crash 21. Luca PEDERSOLI (Triumph Daytona 675), -11 laps, DNF, retired 22. Massimo ROCCOLI (Honda CBR600RR), -13 laps, DNF, crash 23. Robert Andrei MURESAN (Triumph Daytona 675), -15 laps, DNF, retired 24. Sam LOWES (Honda CBR600RR), -17 laps, DNF, crash 25. Michael LAVERTY (Honda CBR600RR), -18 laps, DNF, crash 26. Mark AITCHISON (Honda CBR600RR), -19 laps, DNF, crash 27. Jesco GÃœNTHER (Honda CBR600RR), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 14 races): 1. Crutchlow, 210 points 2. Laverty, 208 3. Sofuoglu, 153 4. Lascorz, 138 5. Foret, 115 6. TIE, West/Pitt, 104 8. McCoy, 82 9. Aitchison, 71 10. Roccoli, 62 More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Eugene closes in on Championship lead PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty is only two points behind the World Supersport Championship lead after finishing a brilliant second in today’s 12th round of the World Championship at Imola in Italy; while Parkalgar Honda racer Miguel Praia finished a career best ninth. Oil on the track forced a two-part aggregate race and then with just three laps to go Championship leader Cal Crutchlow crashed out of the race, leaving Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu to win. There are only 50-points and two races left in the Championship, meaning Laverty is assured of second place in the title race or better. The penultimate round of the series is at Magny Cours in France next Sunday, October 4th. Eugene: “I wasn’t able to show the Parkalgar Honda or my own true potential this weekend because of arm and leg pains that stemmed back to Friday’s delayed timings. I have an old injury in my left arm and a problem with my leg that means I have to stretch a lot on Thursday and Friday but this weekend the sessions on Friday were so interrupted I didn’t get a chance. The result was a lot of pain and this morning I had 10-injections in my arm and leg each I was worried about even finishing the race so to get second when I could have been much stronger is excellent. I can’t believe I am back in the fight for the title, this is the closest I’ve been all year and I’ll be going to Magny Cours and then Portimao doing my best to win the World Championship at our home track.” Miguel: “I am happy, ninth is my best ever result and the racing is getting closer to Portimao which is just as we planned. I actually crashed on the oil on the circuit when the first part of the race was red-flagged but got back on and to the garage. The second part of the race was good and my lap times were only a little bit behind the leaders. I was lapping faster than the group in front and if I had made a better start who knows what could have happened. My bike is good and the Parkalgar Honda team has done a great job.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Eugene was so much better in the race than practice and qualifying, his head was in the right place and he got the reward he cannot be beaten for second in the Championship and has a real chance at winning it. There are only two rounds left with two points in it; that just goes to show the pressure of fighting for a World Championship, today it was Crutchlow that made an unforced error and scored no points. It’s now a two round Championship and the final round is at our circuit in Portugal which gives us a lot of encouragement. It was a good job by Miguel to finish in ninth. Honestly, I have never seen him ride better than he is right now; he’s stepped up a level. Well done to the whole team, it’s been a fantastic effort from absolutely everyone.” More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Crash for Doni Tata Pradita It was a very difficult weekend on the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari at Imola for the young Indonesian rider. On a track where he never raced before, he could only manage the 21st position on the starting grid during the qualifying practice. He crashed during the second part of the race. Sofuoglu was the fastest at the start, in front of Lascorz, Laverty and Roccoli. Doni was then in 22nd position. He came to the 19th place, when the race was stopped with a red flag when the leader Lascorz blew up his engine and put some oil on the track. When the event was restarted, Doni immediately crashed in the first lap. Cal Crutchlow, the leader of the championship crashed also and he is now only 2 points in front of Eugene Laverty. Kenan Sofuoglu won brilliantly the race. Doni Tata Pradita: “I am really disappointed. The first part of the race was difficult. Then on the red flag I changed bike because the first one was hit by a stone in the radiator. Then I tried to do my best but I lost the front tyre in a downhill corner. I wanted to continue, but it was not possible. I hope a good result at Magny-Cours and Portimão. I am sorry for everybody. I have no injury. A little pain in my shoulder, but it’s OK. I hope to do better with the support of the Indonesian people.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “Since his crash and his operation, Doni seems like he has a psychological problem and he is not back yet to his Misano level. I think the crash at Imola (the second one) should be the end of this dark time. He will be soon on tracks that he knows already and he should be back to his best level.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu today became the most successful rider in World Supersport championship history by taking his 14th victory his third of the 2009 campaign at round 12 of the series at Imola in Italy. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider and 2007 world champion had been tied on 13 wins with double Ten Kate Honda champion, Sébastien Charpentier, but his victory today sets the Turkish rider clear as the outright number one. Starting today’s 19-lap race from second on the grid, Sofuoglu started well and led before the red flags came out following Joan Lascorz’s engine failure on lap 11, which left oil on the 4.93km Imola circuit. In the second part, Sofuoglu also got away well but had just been passed by current championship leader, Cal Crutchlow, when the British rider crashed out. It left Sofuoglu with a relatively straightforward run to the chequered flag while fellow Honda rider Eugene Laverty took second, narrowing Crutchlow’s lead to just two points with two races remaining. Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Andrew Pitt, had been struggling for pace in the first part of the race but the red flag allowed his team to make a modification to the front end of his Honda CBR600RR. The resulting improvement gave the Australian the confidence to push in the second half of the race, which he finished in fourth place on the road, but sixth on aggregate times. Kenan Sofuoglu 1st It’s really nice to have 14 wins but it’s been a really hard season with a lot of problems. But we’ve improved the bike a lot over the last two races, especially this weekend our tuners have worked very hard for this race and our bike is fast again! Now, every time I go on the track, I think I can win the race. I was strong this weekend and, although Cal’s crash helped me to win today, I will try to win the last two races as well and try to keep third in the championship. I’d like to thank the team again it’s nice to be able to win again. Andrew Pitt 6th The second part of that race felt really good like the bike and me are finally back again. We made a big call during the break for the red flags and put a bit more weight on the front of the bike. It transformed it and my lap times just kept getting better. I was held up a bit by Fabien Foret but it felt fantastic to be running near the front again. Now I can’t wait for the next two races to get up there again. Ronald ten Kate team manager After our mid-season blues, this win is really well-deserved for everyone who has worked so hard to renew the development of the Honda CBR600RR. I know it’s usual to thank everyone involved but I have seen the effort from right up close and I know how hard everyone has worked. I would therefore like to thank the tuning guys, both here and at the workshop especially Fritz Jaspers the Andreani Group for their work on the suspension, and every individual in the whole Supersport team for standing up once again. Of course, we are all delighted for Kenan and his win today, but I am almost as delighted with Andrew’s riding in the second part of the race. Now we cannot wait to go to Magny-Cours! More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Fujiwara Moves Closer To Championship Top Ten WSS, Imola, Italy, 27 September 2009 The combination of Katsuaki Fujiwara and the Ninja ZX-6R moved up from 12th on the grid to seventh in the race at Imola, leaving Katsuaki only one point from a top ten championship ranking. His team-mate Joan Lascorz was not so lucky, and scored no points at Imola despite a strong front-running ride. Having just taken the lead in the race Lascorz’s machine developed an oil leak and Joan was not allowed to restart the aggregate two-part race. Joan is now fourth in the championship rankings, 15 points behind today’s race winner Kenan Sofuoglu, with two rounds left to run. Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I was 12th on the grid and now seventh in the race so that is good for my position in the world championship. In the last couple of races I had no points. We did not have testing here so this race weekend was hard. We have slightly different set-ups on our bikes, between, Joan, and me so I had to gear mine differently. We made a lot of changes on the bike this weekend but we improved in the race.” Joan Lascorz: “When I passed Sofuoglu I felt I could have made a break from him but then we had a problem. The set-up was improved compared to yesterday, but we needed a little more time today to make it even better. It was a shame to lose a leading position but these things happen in racing.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: It was a bitter sweet Supersport race for the Yamaha team at Imola today, a hotly contested first ten laps were brought to an abrupt halt when Kawasaki rider Lascorz developed an engine fault, spraying oil across the track and across the front of Crutchlow’s bike as he followed close behind in second place. The restart with just nine laps to go saw Crutchlow move quickly up to take Laverty and then Sofuoglu for the lead before a false neutral going into a fast right hander caused him to crash out, ending his race. Team mate Foret was on form, grabbing fifth off the line from the restart then quickly passing Gary McCoy for fourth on the second lap. The French rider then kept up a fast consistent pace for the remaining laps, holding onto his position then getting an automatic move to third and a podium finish after team mate Crutchlow crashed out. With two races remaining, Crutchlow heads to Magny Cours next week still leading the championship with a two point advantage over rival Eugene Laverty. Team mate Foret remains in fifth position, 23 points behind fourth position rider Joan Lascorz. Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team (3rd) “I’m really happy to be on the podium again. It’s great to be back up near the front and taking points, it’s really good for my head. I’m enjoying the racing and looking forward to racing at home next week. The team worked really hard this weekend so I want to thank them for everything.” Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (DNF) “I’m really disappointed, we’ve lost 50 points over the year for two DNFs. It’s nobody’s fault, I hit a false neutral and went in way too fast and just couldn’t stop. I couldn’t get it round the corner and crashed. We still have a small lead though so we’ll take it to Magny Cours and give it everything we’ve got.” Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager “Cal found four false neutrals after the restart so we need to check exactly what happened. Normally it can be ridden round but if you’re in the wrong place and can’t shift back then you run in too hot and are going to crash which is what happened. The championship is open again, he’s leading by two points so he really has to fight for it at Magny Cours and Portimao. I was very happy for Fabien to get third and be on the podium, a great result for him. A disappointing result for us today but we haven’t lost yet, well put our heads together this week before Magny Cours, Cal is still fast so we will work it out.”