FIM Supersport World Championship Donington Park, England September 6, 2008 Final Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), 1:43.075 2. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR600RR), 1:43.773 3. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), 1:44.236 4. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR600RR), 1:44.251 5. Didier VAN KEYMEULEN (Suzuki GSX-R600), 1:44.475 6. Russel HOLLAND (Honda CBR600RR), 1:44.683 7. Vesa KALLIO (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.483 8. Hudson KENNAUGH (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:45.652 9. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.654 10. Joan LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.799 11. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:45.850 12. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), 1:45.878 13. Pawel SZKOPEK (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:45.943 14. Chris MARTIN (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:46.156 15. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), 1:46.230 16. Gianluca NANNELLI (Honda CBR600RR), 1:46.493 17. Mark AITCHISON (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:46.519 18. Jesco GÃœNTHER (Honda CBR600RR), 1:46.538 19. Rob FROST (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:46.565 20. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:46.885 21. Eugene LAVERTY (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:47.909 22. Ivan CLEMENTI (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:47.936 23. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Honda CBR600RR), 1:47.938 24. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR), 1:48.159 25. Balaza NEMETH (Honda CBR600RR), 1:48.366 26. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:48.409 27. Miguel PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR), 1:48.737 28. Midge SMART (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.291 29. Denis SACCHETTI (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.383 30. Bryan STARING (Honda CBR600RR), 1:49.424 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s tenth round World Supersport race at Donington Park from the front row of the grid after setting the second fastest time in today’s final qualifying session. In constantly changing conditions, the Irish HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider was pipped to pole position by Honda rider Matthieu Lagrive. Rea’s team-mate, Andrew Pitt, fell victim to intermittent rain in differing parts of the circuit to record the fifteenth fastest time. The championship leader, however, is confident of a strong race setting for tomorrow’s 22-lap encounter at the 4km Derbyshire circuit. Jonathan Rea P2, 1m43.773s I hate those conditions nether wet nor dry but, luckily, I was getting good signals from my mechanics and we picked the right window to go out on intermediates. But even then, it was touch and go and I was off the bike going down Craner Curves. Both legs and one arm were all over the place but I managed to land back on the seat. Anyhow, it’s good to be on the front row for the race, because it might be dry tomorrow. We’ve got a good set up from the test we did earlier in the year, but I don’t really mind if it’s wet or dry. As long as it’s one or the other, and not something in between. Andrew Pitt P15, 1m46.230s That’s really disappointing, considering I’ve been near the top of each session and making constant improvements. I went out first on an intermediate and it started raining. Then I went out on a wet and that wasn’t right, either. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow but I know that we’ve got a good race set-up for wet or dry. As long as I can get away well, I’m sure I can be there in the mix at the end of the race. Ronald ten Kate team manager Mixed conditions can bring mixed results and that’s exactly what we got this afternoon. There were a few moments in that session when, if you were on the track at the right time with the right tyres, you could be near the front. We succeeded in that with Jonathan but, unfortunately, not with Andrew. However, I’m quite sure that he will play a role in the race, no matter what the conditions tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Confused final session puts Parkes and Laverty back Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) lost dry track time in a tough final qualifying session at Donington Park and despite moving up the order at the mid-point of the session he is now 20th on the starting grid. A crash in the final session for Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Supersport Team) meant he had to ride with a compromised tyre and machine set-up from then to the end of the session. He also missed his chance to get an ideal set-up matched to ideal track conditions, as the rains started and stopped at inopportune moments. Heavy rains, which came and went in waves all day, made many aspects of qualifying something of a lottery, with one side of the track dry or drying but some other corners around the lap frequently wet. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) dropped his machine in the wet conditions this afternoon, and then dropped down the order, finishing 26th. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) was only 32nd in qualifying, while his team-mate Jason Crowe missed out on a qualifying time. Broc Parkes (20th – 1’46.885 – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I don’t know what to say about today except that we are trying to improve and we had a few hiccups in the session. It rained a lot, and maybe we missed the ideal time on the track. It started to rain at the end when I was starting to get going and make a time quick enough to take me into the first few rows. We are not on a good position on the grid, but we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.” Eugene Laverty (21st – 1’47.909 – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “My timing was unreal. On the harder wet tyre I did one lap to try it out and the time was quite fast, so on the second lap I was going for a real fast lap. I entered Coppice just as the rain had started again and then tried to get it round. On the exit the rear let go and I went over the top. As soon as we entered the corners the tyres started moving. We even tried a dry rear as the track dried out, but then the rains came again. We were just so unlucky with our timing as the rains went off and on all through the session. Tomorrow anything can happen and my practice starts have been really good on this bike.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) “The weather played a big part today and we faced a couple of electrical problems with Broc’s machine as well. So we he had to come in and go out quite a few times. And when it was dry sometimes Broc had to come in and when he went out again it was wet. Because of the quick changes in weather we were swapping over tyres, but then the weather would change again. We have a lot of wheels for each rider, but you simply can’t change the wheels as fast as the weather was shifting today. Finally Broc got a lap in, but right now we are not fast enough for sure. Eugene had some problems as well, and he could not finish his fastest lap because the drizzling rain had started again. He tried to complete his lap but his highside was a big one. At least each rider will start the race without injury.” Massimo Roccoli (26th – 1’48.409 – Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) “I had a crash in the final timed session and it was just my mistake. On a wet track I have no feeling with the rear and it constantly moves around exiting corners. I hope it will be dry tomorrow because in the wet conditions I am struggling for confidence.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Triumph-SC: THE RAIN GOES ON AT DONINGTON FOR THE SECOND PRACTICE DAY (Donington Park U.K. September 6, 2008) Pawel Szkopek and Ruggero Scambia negotiated a difficult final day of practice at a soaking wet Donington circuit. Szkopek was 11th yesterday in the first official session and today lost some position just in the finak seconds of the session for a technical problem to his 675 Daytona Triumph SC. Szkopec felt twice today, once during the free practice in the morning and then during the final qualifying with no more that bumps and bruises, but losing useful time in the hottest moment of the session. The Pole commented: “Today it was very difficult to remain up. The new Donington track surface took often to shed water away, making for frequent aquaplaning in several areas of shallow standing water. Unfortunately the final crash stopped me in the hottest practice moment and more, just two minutes to go, the bike started with some trouble and I lost a couple of position more. That’s not a bad result for a rookie, but I could get something better. Now the guys will have some hours to work for a complete control of the bike for tomorrow races, but I’m quite confident because the bike was running very well until the end.” Disappointed Ruggero Scambia, not qualified despite recording a fastest time as qualified riders: “Unfortunately has been fundamental the miserable first qualifying day, when I didn’t score the minimum qualifying time. Today I improved a lot, as well I still have a lot of difficulties, but I recorded a time eight seconds faster as yesterday. That’s not been enough to be qualified.” In 600 Superstock Robbie Stewart did not improve his grid position, despite a three seconds improvement in his qualifying time: “The track was better today and I improved a lot, but of course also my rivals do it. With Con the surface drier all yesterday setting was not correct and we must start once more from the beginning. We’ll see for tomorrow, that’s my last opportunity in front of the British fans for a good result, and I would like to get it.” On the contrary as used race timetable the 600 Superstock race will start on Sunday afternoon 16,45 (local time) for a race distance of 10 laps. More, from a press release issued by Triumph Italia Be1 Racing: A fickle weather has influenced negatively the day of Triumph Italia Be1 Racing’s riders. At the end of the second timed session at Donington Park, Mark Aitchison – still not totally recovered from his injury takes the 17th position and he will start from the fifth row of the starting grid. His team-mate Ivan Clementi was not able to take advantage of a drier track and was relegated in 22nd place. Anyhow he showed to have a quick pace under the rain and he has confirmed to be one of the fasted riders on the track. On the other hand Davide Fanelli grabbed the first line in STK600. Tomorrow the young rider will do his best to capitalize all the excellent work he has done so far. IVAN CLEMENTI | Triumph 675 | 22nd qualified in 1’47.936: “It’s been a bad day. Unfortunately when conditions changed in the final minutes of the session I did not believe in the weather and I have been relegated in 22nd place in just few minutes. Anyhow my goal has not changed, I would like to finish into the top-10″. MARK AITCHISON | Triumph 675 | 17th qualified in 1’46.519: “My physical conditions are still not the best and I suffer of it especially in the slow parts of the track when I have to push more. Nevertheless I will try to finish into the points tomorrow”.