FIM Supersport World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 20, 2008 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR600RR), 18 laps, 37:35.093 2. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), -0.020 second 3. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR600RR), -1.433 seconds 4. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1.853 5. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), -2.237 6. Gianluca NANNELLI (Honda CBR600RR), -12.032 7. Russel HOLLAND (Honda CBR600RR), -12.221 8. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), -12.787 9. Vesa KALLIO (Honda CBR600RR), -15.334 10. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), -15.780 11. Chris WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -23.645 12. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR), -23.758 13. Ivan CLEMENTI (Triumph Daytona 675), -24.074 14. Didier VAN KEYMEULEBNEL (Suzuki GSX-R600), -24.621 15. David SALOM (Yamaha YZF-R6), -26.866 16. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -26.891 17. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), -29.566 18. Joan LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR), -34.218 19. Balazs NEMETH (Honda CBR600RR), -44.347 20. Denis SACCHETTI (Honda CBR600RR), -44.650 22. Mark AITCHISON (Triumph Daytona 675), -54.336, crash 25. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), -1 lap, DNF, mechanical 26. Craig JONES (Honda CBR600RR), -2 laps, DNF, mechanical World Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 13 races): 1. Pitt, 133 points 2. Brookes, 101 3. Parkes, 100 4. Foret, 97 5. Rea, 92 6. Lascorz, 81 7. Jones, 80 8. Harms, 50 9. Roccoli, 40 10. Veneman, 38 More, from a press release issued before the race by Scuderia Triumph-SC: GARRY McCOY SITUATION UPGRADING (Brno Czech Republic 2008, July 20) By telephone from Wien we have been informed that Garry McCoy had a quiet night in the hospital. The first control made when he arrived did confirm the diagnosis made in Brno by Clinica Mobile medical staff: six broken ribs, T06 vertebra fractured and strong compression to left lung. For the afternoon have been scheduled a new series of controls by the Austrian medical staff. Garry will be out of racing for not less as a couple of months. However Garry is calm and well conscious. He did relate his accident: “When I tried to overtook Pitt his Honda slowed suddenly and I’ve non been able to spare to touch him behind. When my front wheel did touch his rear one it did stop immediately, like a strong front braking, and I’ve been throw away hurting with violence the protections, while the bike went on side to side to me. I was riding quite well and the bike was hard pushing. I’m actually unhappy also for the team guys, who did work hardly late in the night to give me a very good bike after the niggling faults of Friday.” Andy Pitt, who joined quickly after the practice the Triumph-SC pit to collect information about the conditions of his friend Garry, did confirm that his bike suddenly slowed owing a gasoline fault and that caused the accident. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Rea rockets to first ever Supersport win, Pitt claims second place Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea impressively turned from novice to the Brno track on Friday, to race winner on Sunday. The young British rider claimed his first ever World Supersport victory in another tight battle at the Czech track today. Having started from seventh position on the grid, Rea started well and came through the first round in third position behind team-mate Andrew Pitt and race leader Broc Parkes. Rea and Pitt swapped places on their Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR’s while chasing their way to the front of the field, with Pitt taking the lead in lap four. Due to an error in his braking, Rea was set back to sixth place while Craig Jones took the lead from championship leader Pitt. A determined Rea managed to regain the lost ground and ready to fight for his maiden World Supersport win. Despite Pitt setting a new lap record in the penultimate lap of the race, Rea maintained station and brought his bike to the highest place on the rostrum for the first time in his World Supersport career. After the Brno round Andrew Pitt has increased his lead in the standings with 32 points over nearest rival Joshua Brookes while Rea sits fifth. Jonathan Rea, 1st; “I am really happy, to come to a new circuit and to win is a really good result. I wasn’t expecting to win here and was putting all my expectations on Brands Hatch. We knew from yesterday morning’s free practice that we had the pace to run up front and fight for a win.” “I want to thanks Andrew, we have worked hard together as a team to find a set of tyres that worked for both of us over a race distance. While all the others were going out on a one-lap mission, Andrew and me put a race set-up together.” “The championship is not all but lost for me now, I just need to start building some momentum with Brands Hatch and Donington coming up. Two tracks I know well and am really looking forward to.” “I want to thank my crew who have done such a good job this weekend. The bikes were pretty good and we had a good set-up. We are as strong as other bikes and can beat the other machines any weekend.” Andrew Pitt, 2nd; “I am pretty happy with my results today. It’s good for the championship and a great result for the team. Another one-two again for the Ten Kate machines, like we managed before in Assen.” “For most of the race I tried to stay out of trouble and safe the tires to the end. I got caught out a little bit on the second last lap but pushed back to third. I feel like I was able to get Johnny somewhere but he put a pretty good last lap together.” “I’m happy enough finishing second. We tested a lot of long runs in the qualifying sessions and knew what tyres to use. It’s a good result for the team and congratulations to Johnny.” Ronald ten Kate, Team manager; “It was great to see another fantastic race today. It is clearly showing off the hard work we have put in through the qualifying sessions this weekend. We continuously worked on getting our race tyres to perform on the new surface of the Brno track.” “It is great to see Jonathan claim his first ever Supersport victory here today ahead of the Brand Hatch round. He made a big step forward in the championship, as has Andrew Pitt, who has extended his lead to thirty-two points.” “Both guys deserve a big compliment for their riding here today, they have shown their true pace in the last round in which Andrew managed to set a new lap record and Jonathan followed closely. My compliments to both riders and their crew for their result this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Parkes fourth in tight Brno race Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) fought hard for a podium finish at Brno but had to settle for a fourth place, and third in the championship standings overall. Parkes did not get his customary strong start from pole position, dropping back to 7th in the pack at the start of the race. He then had to expend energy in the early laps making up places to make sure he was in contention near the end. Parkes was unable to jump out of corners with the same sharpness that had helped him to his fifth pole position in a row after qualifying on Saturday, and was unable to attack in the final few laps. The race was won by Jonathan Rea, from Andrew Pitt and Josh Brookes. In the championship standings Broc is now third, on 100 points with Pitt on 133, Brookes 101 and Broc’s injured team-mate, Fabien Foret, on 97. Parkes’ team-mate Fabien Foret remains in Hospital under observation following a crash on Friday which left him with cracks in his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He is due to be released shortly but will be out of action for up to three months.The Yamaha World Supersport Team are currently considering alternative riders whilst Foret is recovering. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) got into the top ten after a disappointing qualifying session yesterday and now sits inside the top ten in the championship standings, ninth on 40 points. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) held on for the race to score the final point on offer for 15th position. Broc Parkes (4th – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I’m not too happy really. I felt I couldn’t battle with other riders today, in the exits of the corners the other riders pulled a bit on me. My start wasn’t too good either but I was with the front guys anyway after a few laps. When I got back right to the front group I couldn’t fight for the win. I was hoping for a podium on the last lap but I was on the limit, so I was done.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) “We had some problems with the rear tyre during the warm-up, but we solved those and we decided to stay with the gearing we had because it helped the tyre wear. But after the race it is always easy to say we should have done something different. The pace was OK but on braking Broc could not pass. It was our plan to follow the top group anyway but then you have to be able to pass at the end of the race.” Massimo Roccoli (10th – Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) “Today it was a very good race because the bike was very fast, the settings were OK the grip was good. For me qualifying was terrible and I am sorry for the team because they had to work really hard over these three days. Next Sunday in Misano there will be some Italian championship races, and that will let me prepare my mind for Brands Hatch.” More, from a press release issued by Triumph Italia Be1 Racing: Triumph Italia Be1 Racing grabs three points at Brno thanks to Ivan Clementi’s race. The Italian rider was author of a great recovery which took him from the 5th line on the starting grid to the final 13th position. Clementi passed the first lap in 21st place then he started an overtaking series which allowed him to fight against Walker, Viziello and Van Keymeullen during the final part of the race. Just the duel against Van Keymeullen forced him to lose the touch with the other two riders who were reached by Clementi only some meters before the chequered flag. On the other hand Mark Aitchison lost the opportunity to take a great result due to a crash when he was coming across the leading pack. The Aussie rider took back to the track but he passed the final line in 22nd place. MARK AITCHISON | Triumph 675 | 22nd classified: “I fell on the ground without realizing how it has happened. I was in the middle of the corner and the rear lost all the grip unexpectedly. I’m so sorry because I would have had the chance to take a good result and to capitalize the excellent work done by the team during the qualifying, thanks to which I could start from the second row”. IVAN CLEMENTI | Triumph 675 | 13th classified: “I ran a good race but I know I have a lot of work to do still. I have lost the feeling with the front which I had during the season first rounds. I got back some feeling during the race but I feel confident I can make further improvements with a view to the next race. I know I must focus my work on this issue which might allow me to be back starting from the top positions”. GIULIANO ROVELLI | Team Manager: “We have done a good work during the week-end although we were not able to reach our goal. Clementi paid for the start in the middle of the grid, and he ended in a funnel of slower riders although he had a top-10 pace. Aitchison would have finished a lot forward, repeating Misano, but he slid when he was 8th. We hope he can do that in fifteen days at Brands Hatch which he particularly likes”. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: Barry Veneman managed to a great fifth place on the Automotodrome Brno track in today’s World Supersport race. This result brought him into the top 10 of the championship. Also Didier Van Keymeulen ended the race weekend in the Czech Republic with World Championship points, crossing the finish line 14th. Marc Hoegee – Team owner, RES Software Hoegee Suzuki: “We really had a great weekend and I am very happy with the results. Our point of departure on the grid was promising and I think we have done a very good job with the whole team. We proved that we belong at the front of the field and what Barry showed today is fantastic! Didier also did a good job: He took some points back home and that is good for the team. The performance this weekend was just good and we will go on with this during the next races.” Barry Veneman: “This is terrific! I started the race with lots of confidence because I qualified at the front. I also made a plan for the race: I didn’t want to give all I had immediately from the start, just to follow the front guys. But this group was actually riding a little bit to slow. When Rea fell back for a moment, we had to make more pace, but I was also not able to do this on my own. I had to let Brookes pass by and at the end I was making a little mistake by myself so Parkes came over. Despite this I felt very strong during the whole race and I am very satisfied with the result.” Didier Van Keymeulen: “I can look back on a good weekend. I was constantly riding with the top 15, which is my goal at this moment and that is good. I didn’t really peak this weekend but I was improving myself. During the race I managed a good start but after three laps I had some problems to keep the pace. I’ve made progress over the last few weeks but I still wanted to improve myself so I would be able to stay with the front group. At the end I lost a little bit of my rhythm and gave some places away, but it’s getting better every race and 14th place is again a step into the right direction.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Rea Secures First Win On All Honda Podium Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) beat his team-mate Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) by only 0.020 seconds at Brno to record his first ever World Supersport race win, after Rea had qualified sixth and Pitt fourth on the grid. Pitt also secured the new lap record at this resurfaced circuit, with a new best of 2’04.062 coming on the 18th and very last lap, as he tried to overhaul Rea on the run to the finishing line. The competitiveness of this year’s Brno race was underlined by the fact that Pitt’s new lap record is over two seconds faster than the previous best, set last year by Kenan Sofuoglu. The final podium slot on offer at Brno was taken by Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) who was a fixture in the leading group from his third place slot on the grid. He was 1.4 seconds from the win. Any one of five Honda riders could have won this particular race, with a leading group of ten riders disputing the podium places for half race distance, before the leading contenders started to pull clear. Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) was another potential podium finisher until he was forced out with technical problems, on the penultimate lap, while third in the running order. Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR), who led for eight laps before he was forced out, was showing great mastery of the 5.403km circuit and attempted to continue running despite a misfire, but had to pull in eventually. Jones is now seventh overall, on 80 points. Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) and Russell Holland (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) ran in the top group for a time but slipped back to finish sixth and seventh respectively. In the overall championship standings, Pitt is a clear leader with 133 points to Brookes’ 101 and Broc Parkes’ 100. Fabien Foret is fourth on 97 points, despite missing this race after cracking two vertebrae in a Friday qualifying crash, escaping with no neurological damage despite his double fracture. In winning today’s race, Rea is now fifth on 92 points. Honda has a 52 point lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship as the series heads for the next round at Brands Hatch on August 3. Rea said: “I am really happy to come to a new circuit and to win is a really good result. I wasn’t expecting to win here and was putting all my expectations on Brands Hatch. We knew from yesterday morning’s free practice that we had the pace to run up front and fight for a win. I want to thank Andrew; we have worked hard together as a team to find a set of tyres that worked for both of us over a race distance. While all the others were going out on a one-lap mission, Andrew and me put a race set-up together. I want to thank my crew who have done such a good job this weekend. The bikes were pretty good and we had a good set-up.” Pitt said: “I am pretty happy with my results today. It’s good for the championship and a great result for the team. Another one-two for the Ten Kate machines, just like we managed before, in Assen. For most of the race I tried to stay out of trouble and save the tyres to the end. I got caught out a little bit on the second last lap but pushed back to third. I feel like I was able to get past Johnny somewhere but he put a pretty good last lap together. I’m happy enough finishing second. We tested a lot of long runs in the qualifying sessions and knew what tyres to use. It’s a good result and congratulations to Johnny.” Brookes said: “I got a good start and took the lead for the first two laps, but the bike felt a bit heavy and difficult in the corners. I think the full tank just made the bike hard to handle and I couldn’t keep up with the leaders. I dropped to seventh, but the pace wasn’t so fast and that allowed me to take a few laps getting comfortable. The race became more competitive towards the end, but I felt good enough to start challenging the front-runners again. I pushed really hard in the final laps and was able to finish the race in third and take my fourth podium of the season.” Harms said: “This was one of my best races in a long time. The bike was working extremely well and although I had problems with my rear tyre sliding too much at the start of the race, it improved after a while. As the grip level increased, I could work my way up the field. Towards the end of the race I was having a big fight with the Ten Kate boys and even took the lead for a while – and that was a lot of fun! I was in third, going into the last lap, and my plan was to overtake them both just before the hill but, before I could make my move, something went wrong with my bike.” Jones said: “I am gutted. I was enjoying the race and knew I had the pace to go for the win. I was focused on keeping my lead and building a gap when I came out of a corner and immediately felt a loss of power. I had to pull across or the riders behind me would have hit me; and then I tried to keep going but it got worse and I was forced to retire. I am also gutted for the whole Parkalgar Honda team, everyone worked real hard to get me to the front and the result does not do the team justice.” Nannelli said: “I’m pretty happy with my sixth position even though I’d have liked to have done better today. But when Aitchison crashed in front of me I lost the first group of riders. My race pace was very strong and I was having a good dice with Russell. Unfortunately, I chose a soft rear tyre and starting from the middle of the race wasn’t able to ride my bike as I would have liked and I couldn’t really chase the riders in front of me.” Holland said: “My start was not so bad and in the first laps my pace was fast and I was able to make two or three passes. I stayed behind Gianluca for a few laps because I did not have enough confidence with my front tyre to pass him and the other riders of our group. During the last laps I pushed very hard trying to maintain my position.”