FIM Supersport World Championship Portimao, Portugal March 28, 2010 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR600RR), 20 laps 2. Joan LASCORZ (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -0.031 second 3. Michele PIRRO (Honda CBR600RR), -8.879 seconds 4. Chaz DAVIES (Triumph Daytona 675), -15.270 5. Fabien FORET (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -22.096 6. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -23.041 7. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), -30.830 8. Gino REA (Honda CBR600RR), -35.171 9. Massimo ROCCOLI (Honda CBR600RR), -35.225 10. David SALOM (Triumph Daytona 675), -35.239 11. Eugene LAVERTY (Honda CBR600RR), -49.540, crash 12. Jason DISALVO (Triumph Daytona 675), -49.628 13. Alexander LUNDH (Honda CBR600RR), -68.602 14. Bastien CHESAUX (Honda CBR600RR), -73.455 15. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), -90.738 16. Paola CAZZOLA (Honda CBR600RR), -90.852 17. Max HUNT (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 18. Eduard BLOKHIN (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 19. Miguel PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR), -4 laps, DNF, retired 20. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Triumph Daytona 675), -20 laps, DNF, crash Supersport World Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 13 races): 1. Sofuoglu, 41 points 2. Lascorz, 40 3. Laverty, 30 4. Foret, 22 5. Salom, 19 6. Harms, 18 7. TIE, Davies/Roccoli, 17 9. Pirro, 16 10. Fujiwara, 15 11. Rea, 14 12. DiSalvo, 12 13. Praia, 7 14. TIE, Lundh/Sebastien Charpentier, 3 More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Parkalgar Honda frustrated at home PARKALGAR HONDA racers Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia left the team’s home track of Portimao frustrated with an 11th and DNF to show for their efforts but confident that they will do better at the next round of the World Supersport Championship. Laverty led for the first 15-laps of the race before dicing with rivals Kenan Sofuoglu on a Honda and Joan Lascorz on a Kawasaki. He crashed out of third on lap 17 but remounted to take 11th on a severely damaged bike. Praia was enjoying the best race of his career, fighting for seventh place when his bike lost power suddenly on the same lap as his team mate crashed. The third round of the World Championship is at Valencia in Spain in two-week’s time on Sunday 11th April. For more details on Parkalgar Honda visit www.parkalgarhonda.com. Miguel: “I was comfortable riding with Fujiwara and Foret and was preparing to make a big effort on the last laps to go for the places in front fifth was possible I think when my bike lost power suddenly and unexpectedly. The good news is that I made a strong start, I think running fifth in the first corners. I was then able to ride with the group fighting for fifth to eighth and our race pace was better than qualifying so we have some big positives to take with us for the rest of the season; it shows what we can achieve. For the fans that came here to support us thank you very much.” Eugene: “That didn’t go to plan and at the start I struggled a little with a full tank of fuel. I had the lead so I pushed hard and used the best part of the tyre trying to get away but Lazcorz and Sofuoglu came back at me. When they passed me I was trying hard to stay with them and drove hard out of turn three up to the blind turn four. I just touched the kerb slightly but that was enough to lose the front end. I picked my Parkalgar Honda up and thankfully we operate a strategy that uses the very best parts to survive any crashes and it was rideable. I was losing brake pressure as the master cylinder had emptied so I was lucky the race finish was only a couple of laps later and glad to take 11th. Thanks to all the Portuguese fans and my team for their support, these points could make a big difference at the end of the season in the title race.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Miguel was riding his best race and competing further up the field than ever before so we are sorry that he was not able to finish. Eugene was fighting at the front of the race for the win and crashed out while pushing hard. We expect him to push hard and go for the win every weekend. He did well to pick up a much damaged bike and race to 11th place. We didn’t get the results we wanted or deserved this weekend but the attitude from the riders and the team is to never give up and we will learn from this and be stronger at Valencia. Thank you to the circuit and the fans for making us so welcome here.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu won today’s thrilling second round World Supersport race at Portimao in Portugal by the slender margin of three hundredths of a second from Spain’s Joan Lascorz. Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, was third. Sofuoglu, who finished third at the season opener in Australia, started the 20-lap race around the undulating 4.592km Portimao circuit in relatively conservative fashion, circulating the early laps in fourth place; this despite setting a new circuit best lap during the morning warm-up. The 25-year-old Turk, began his move to the front in the second half of the race, passing first his team-mate, and then Lascorz and finally race leader, Eugene Laverty, on successive laps into Portimao’s first corner. After Laverty crashed out of third place, Sofuoglu held off a determined challenge from Lascorz, extending his record tally of World Supersport wins to 15 and taking a one-point championship lead as Pirro took a lonely third place, nine seconds back. It was the 23-year-old Italian’s first World Supersport podium in his debut year with the Hannspree Ten Kate team, and Pirro underlined his winning potential by setting a new Portimao lap record early in the race. Kenan Sofuoglu winner I’m so happy to win this race because the competition is so tight this year, but the good thing is that my bike is really strong this year, too! Yesterday in qualifying, my crew asked me how was the bike and I replied that there was only one problem: I was not good enough for it! I promised them that today I would show the potential of the CBR600RR and already in warm-up this morning I set a new best lap. I took it a bit easy in the beginning of the race, and then pushed in the last part to take the lead. Lascorz was very strong in the last laps but I held on because I really wanted this win. I was disappointed after Phillip Island, so this victory is really important and I want to give big, big thanks to the team. Michele Pirro third It’s my first podium in Supersport so I am really, really happy! The team has worked really hard all weekend to give me a bike with so much potential and, after the two disappointments of the race in Australia, I am also very happy for the team. I want to thank them for all their work and the next time we will try even more for a better result in maybe first or second position. So, I look forward very much to Valencia and the next race. Ronald ten Kate team manager We are very happy with this result! The win for Kenan, with Michele joining him for his first Supersport podium in third was underlined by a new best lap for Kenan in warm-up and a new lap record for Michele in the race. There was a great fight between Kenan and Joan Lascorz in the last laps and it was a small margin in the end. But it’s doesn’t really matter about the margin it’s just good to see that the whole team and both riders have winning potential, and we’re looking forward to Valencia already. More, from a press release issued by ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing: Chaz Davies finished fourth in the second round of World Supersport, while David Salom made it in the top 10 as well. American Jason Di Salvo finished twelfth, while Matthieu Lagrive crashed and had to retire from the race. After these results, David Salom remained fifth in the stadings, while Chaz Davies is now seventh. The team will head to Italy to analyse the data gathered this weekend in order to better prepare round three, held at the Valencia circuit in two weeks time. CHAZ DAVIES | Triumph Daytona 675 | 4th : “I lost a few positions at the start, so I tried to return in the leading pack for a few laps. Unfortunately, the top 3 riders had already built a big gap and it was impossible to catch up. I’ll however try my best at Valencia”. DAVID SALOM | Triumph Daytona 675 | 10th : “I couldn’t work properly on the setup in the first two days because of the flu and the fever. As a consequence, I had some issues on the front wheel and so I couldn’t hold trajectory. I did however grab six points which keep me in the top 5 in the stadings”. JASON DI SALVO | Triumph Daytona 675 | 12th : ” After crashing in practice yesterday, I couldn’t get the same feeling with the bike. Up to that moment, everything seemed easy, today instead I was slower by over a second. I’ll look into the telemetry data and see what happened”. MATTHIEU LAGRIVE | Triumph Daytona 675 | retired : ” Unfortunately my race ended after two corners. My front wheel crashed into the back wheel of an opponent and I slipped to the ground, fortunately without consequences. It’s really a pity! The race would’ve come in handy as I’m trying to get used to the Triumph Daytona”.