Supersport World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 3, 2006 First Qualifying: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.869 2. Broc PARKES, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.758 3. Kevin CURTAIN, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.772 4. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.586 5. Yoann TIBERIO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.691 6. Mauro SANCHINI, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.865 7. Robin HARMS, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.997 8. Dean THOMAS, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:38.241 9. Javier FORES, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.380 10. Christian ZAISER, Ducati 749R, 1:38.428 11. Barry VENEMAN, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:38.452 12. Anthony GOBERT, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.499 13. Didier VAN KEYMEULEN, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.559 14. Maxime BERGER, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:38.730 15. Tatu LAUSLEHTO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.779 16. William DE ANGELIS, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.836 17. Gregory LEBLANC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.884 18. Josh BROOKES, Ducati 749R, 1:39.010 19. Sebastien LE GRELLE, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.039 20. Gianluca NANNELLI, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:39.239 26. Chris PERIS, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.276 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER LEADS QUALIFYING ON FIRST DAY AT PHILLIP ISLAND Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) needed only 12 laps to set the fastest time in the first qualifying session at Phillip Island, his 1’35.869 almost one second ahead of his nearest challenger after two session on the classic Australian circuit. Charpentier experimented with two different chassis configurations in the morning’s unofficial session, before concentrating on setting a fast time this afternoon, with one more chance to improve on Saturday. In temperatures of 36°C, and with track temperatures of 50°C in today’s qualifying session, Charpentier was fully 0.889 seconds up on his closest challenger, Broc Parkes. Charpentier’s team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) belied his rookie status in the team by securing fourth spot on the provisional grid, an immense achievement for any first-timer at this fast and challenging circuit. With more work to do in his set-up, to better handle the faster corners, Sofuoglu predicts that he should go even faster on the second day of qualifying. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “A very good start again for our weekend. We expected things to be a bit harder because the Yamaha guys, Curtain and Parkes, had already tested here in January, clocking fast times. Sebastien worked very well and we had two very different bike set-ups for him to test today, in the morning. Now he is very clear which set-up he wants, so we will build two identical bikes tomorrow and see if he can get the times down even more. We should be able to do low 1’35s to get pole. Big compliments to Kenan again, as he is the only rider in the top four who has never been to Phillip Island before and he is eating away at his times lap by lap. His riding will be even better when he learns the track even better. We are looking forward to tomorrow and there is definitely a little bit more to come from us.” Sébastien Charpentier WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (1st position 1’35.869) “I think that times can come down some more. Tomorrow I will try a new engine and I have many tyres left to use to stay at the front. The bike is OK, the grip in some corners is not perfect but we are OK because the Yamaha guys tested at this track one month ago. Considering that, out pace today is not too bad. I am ready for tomorrow and the race, for sure. I only did 12 laps today, keeping my energy, as I only had a few hours sleep last night.” Kenan Sofuoglu WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (4th position 1’37.586) “It’s the first time at this circuit for me and it is a very special circuit for corner speed. At the moment I do not quite have the speed I need on the faster corners but today I learned a lot and tomorrow we will try something else. I had some problems in some corners so if we can find even more for the set-up tomorrow, we can go even faster. To come here for the first time in the world championship has not been easy but we are working hard.” More, from a press release issued by SC Scuderia Caracchi: Problems In Supersport For Josh Brookes And Luka Nedog Luka Nedog made a great jump of performance here in Australia compared to Qatar’s debut. The young Slovenian’s bike, very powerful, is not still ready as suspensions, a difficult work for a small experienced rider on WSBK circuits. Despite that, with a bike hardly sliding on the rear in the fast corners, Luka improved in the afternoon his morning’s lap time, and for tomorrow he’s confident to ride better and better. “I spent the morning free practice session to find a better relationship with the track.” has been the Luka’s comment at the end of first qualifying “This is a very demanding circuit, which doesn’t forget any mistake. My greatest difficulties are most of all in the final part of the circuit as well in the hairpin, but actually I feel more comfortable riding here as in Qatar. The engine is very fast, now we have to look at the general package and for tomorrow I’m confident I’ll be able to get a better result and gain some position.” On his home track Joshua Brookes was looking for a very good result from the first practice day. The morning’s session has been totally spent for the best set up of the package, to avoid the problems found during Qatar round, but the improvement have been too slow for the impatient Brookes, that at the end of qualifying session recorded only the 18th fastest. “A cannot absolutely be happy of this result on this track that I know perfectly.” said a disappointed Brookes at the end of today’s qualifying “We worked all the day on the suspensions, but I’m not been able to find a good set up to manage the corners as I like to do. I’m just able to gain something in the straight, because as used, the engine made by Franco Farné is one of the fastest as top speed. During the afternoon the bike had some improvement, but not enough and my rivals are more and more competitive as me. I believe we are following the right way, but we are proceeding too slow. Now we’ll see, after the practice me and the team we’ll made an evaluation of the job to do and I hope that for tomorrow we’ll be able to find some good solution.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Germany riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain go into tomorrow’s final qualifying session on the provisional front row after ending today’s opening session second and third respectively. The Australian pair have been consistently at the top of the timesheets during the day’s two 45-minute practice sessions, bested only by qualifying king Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) in the afternoon’s qualifying practice. Having tested at the circuit in January, the Yamaha Motor Germany squad came to Phillip Island with a good base setting for their new-for-2006 R6s. Having found a set-up that they believe can help them challenge for honours on Sunday, the team will try to further improve their race set-up and maintain the crucial front row starts during tomorrow’s grid-deciding qualifying session. In a good day for Yamaha runners, Italian privateer Mauro Sanchini finished sixth, with Spaniard Xavi Fores ninth. Local hero Anthony Gobert, a winner here in the superbike class, came 12th in his second ride for the Yamaha GMT94 team, while FIM Superstock 1000 champion Didier van Keymeulen ended the day 13th on his R6. Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello of the Yamaha Team Italia squad ended 21st and 23rd respectively as they looked to find a good set-up for their machines.