FIM Supersport World Championship Magny-Cours, France October 3, 2010 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Honda CBR600RR), 22 laps, 37:46.575 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Honda CBR600RR), -4.769 seconds 3. Chaz DAVIES, Great Britain (Triumph Daytona 675), -17.658 4. Massimo ROCCOLI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -20.412 5. Robbin HARMS, Denmark (Honda CBR600RR), -20.559 6. Katsuaki FUJIWARA, Japan (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -21.200 7. David SALOM, Spain (Triumph Daytona 675), -25.051 8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -25.174 9. Roberto TAMBURINI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -32.256 10. Miguel PRAIA, Portugal (Honda CBR600RR), -59.797 11. Axel MAURIN, France (Yamaha YZF-R6), -64.127 12. Florian MARINO, France (Honda CBR600RR), -83.612, crash 13. Gino REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 14. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, crash 15. Alexander LUNDH, Sweden (Honda CBR600RR), -14 laps, DNF, retired 16. Broc PARKES, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -15 laps, DNF, retired 17. Fabien FORET, France (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -16 laps, DNF, retired 18. Imre TOTH, Hungary (Honda CBR600RR), -17 laps, DNF, retired 19. Julien ENJOLRAS, France (Triumph Daytona 675), -17 laps, DNF, crash 20. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (Triumph Daytona 675), -18 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 13 of 13 races): 1. Sofuoglu, 263 points 2. Laverty, 252 3. Joan Lascorz, 168 4. Davies, 153 5. TIE, Pirro/Salom, 99 7. Harms, 98 8. Roccoli, 84 9. Rea, 83 10. Fujiwara, 81 11. Lagrive, 70 12. Praia, 66 13. Foret, 65 14. Tamburini, 32 15. Parkes, 29 16. Lundh, 24 17. Jason DiSalvo, 21 18. Iannuzzo, 15 19. Danilo Dell’Omo, 13 20. Gianluca Vizziello, 10 More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Victory for Laverty and Parkalgar Honda PARKALGAR HONDA and Eugene Laverty won their eighth race from 13 starts in 2010 while Miguel Praia battled to 10th at the final round of the World Supersport Championship at Magny Cours in France. Despite winning more than twice as many races as new World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene finished second in the series for the second year in a row. Miguel took a career best 12th in the final standings. Parkalgar Honda earlier announced its final rider line-up for 2011 with reigning British Supersport Champion Sam Lowes taking over from World Superbike-bound Eugene alongside Miguel. The preparations for the 2011 season start next week when the team begins its winter development programme. For more information on Parkalgar Honda visit www.parkalgarhonda.com. Eugene: “I am obviously disappointed as I still held a hope of winning the World Championship and I did all I could do by winning the race. At the start Kenan got away but then I figured out what I had to do and reeled him in to win. We had a tough weekend but it is nice to have my eighth win of the season. Thank you to Parkalgar Honda, it will be very sad for me to leave this team, it has given me the best two seasons of my career.” Miguel: “10th was the most we could do today. I was able to fight OK at the start of the race but the rear grip went away a little earlier than I hoped and then I started to lose strength because of my hand injury. I just stayed on and scored as many points as possible which lifted me another place in the Championship to 12th my personal best ever. My bike was perfect and it is a shame that I was taken out at Imola as there and here I should have been inside the top 10 and that would have put me in the top 10 of the Championship. The Parkalgar Honda team is fantastic and I look forward to next season and making the step into the top 10.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Eight wins is more than twice that of anyone else in the Championship and add to that the fastest lap as well we did all we could today but it wasn’t quite enough. It’s been a fantastic fight all season and these two riders have clearly been the class of the field. Congratulations to Ten Kate and Kenan on winning the World Championship. Congratulations also to Honda on the Manufacturer’s Title which with eight victories we practically won for them single-handed. Second in the team Championship for Parkalgar Honda is also a personal best, so we are pleased with that. Well done also to Miguel who has recorded his best ever season with 12th in the Championship and we will be doing all we can to get him firmly into the top 10 next year. “I’d like to thank Eugene on behalf of the whole team for two fantastic years and wish him all the best for his career in Superbikes. Now we welcome Sam Lowes to the team and he will be going for the World Championship in 2011. A big thank you to everyone in the team I am immensely proud of what we have all achieved together. I want to give a big thank you to Parkalgar and all of the team’s partners for supporting us this year and making it all possible. “The work for 2011 starts now and there will be some good news about a new partner we are bringing onboard released soon and we are working on getting Sam on to the bike as soon as possible so we can get him fitted and understand how he rides. Keep in touch with the team on its website through the winter, there is going to be plenty of news.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: >> Sofuoglu and Ten Kate are World Supersport Champions once more Kenan Sofuoglu duly secured the 2010 World Supersport championship in the final round at Magny-Cours in France today, finishing second in the race to series runner-up and fellow Honda rider Eugene Laverty. Second placed marked a completion of Sofuoglu’s 100% podium record for the season. The title is his second World Supersport championship for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda squad his first was won in 2007 and it marks the eighth series victory in nine years for the team. Sofuoglu began the 22-lap race from pole position and quickly opened a two-second lap from the start. However, the 27-year-old Turkish ace needed only to finish in sixth place and, without wishing to push himself or his Honda CBR600RR too hard, he eased off the pace and allowed Laverty to lead. Such was the domination of the pair, third placed rider, Chaz Davies, crossed the line some 17 seconds after Sofuoglu, who eased his pace even more in the closing laps to ensure that he brought the bike and the title home for the team. His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro finished in eighth place after gearbox problems. Kenan Sofuoglu – P2 World Supersport champion It was not a difficult race, but when you’re thinking that in 20 minutes you will be world champion, it’s definitely not easy. The last six laps were very long for me I was riding very slowly and I was still very afraid of making a mistake. In the end we won the championship, but this year it has been very strong with Eugene and Joan Lascorz. I was world champion in 2007 but this has been a much more difficult fight and I enjoyed it much more because of that. I want to thank Eugene and Joan very much for the competition, because I think racing each other has made us all even faster. Next year I will be in a different championship so I want to say a really big thanks t o the Ten Kate team because we have been on the podium in every race this year. We’ve never had a technical problem and I tried to stay on the bike all the time, although sometimes I have had to close the throttle and settle for a podium. I am so very happy today, so thanks to everybody who has helped to make this possible. Michele Pirro P8 The race was difficult because from the first lap I was unable to get the bike into first gear, which was not easy for the hairpin for sure. I didn’t have a good feeling from the bike and it didn’t feel so fast. OK, I took my first World Supersport win last week and I finished the championship in fifth place, but that’s not where I wanted to be, so I hope that next season can be better. I am very happy for Kenan though, and I am so pleased for him and the team that they won the championship. He has been very fast all season and helped me a lot in my first yea r with the team. I have improved a lot this season and even though I am not sure where I will ride next year I am happy for the team. Ronald ten Kate team manager It’s been a very tense and tight year, which looked from the beginning as if it would be a battle between three guys. It ended up only two, with Eugene and Kenan fighting it out. I honestly believe the championship was decided at Imola last week, which really was racing at a very, very high level. This weekend was all about bringing the title home and, when Kenan couldn’t get away, the strategy was to go behind Eugene to avoid any risky situation. It’s Kenan’s second title for the team and the team’s eighth title and, of course, we wish Kenan the best of luck with his new challenge in Moto2. I hope that we can see him back here sometime in the future. He’s a nice kid so I hope his new team takes care of him. Michele had a ba d start and although he pulled himself forward a bit, he couldn’t get in touch with the leading bunch. After a decade of Ten Kate Honda racing, we are trying to be here again next year and hoping to get confirmation on that in the next few weeks. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Fujiwara Fights Hard In His Farewell Ride Katsuaki Fujiwara took his Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com Ninja ZX-6R to a top six finish in his last regular ride for the team, scoring good points and ending the year in tenth place in the points. Today Fujiwara was in third position for much of the race, only losing ground in the last three laps as his grip levels dropped off. His top ten ranking at the end of the year was an aim at the outset, but Fujiwara also carried through his intention to enjoy his last race for the team in the best way possible, by battling hard throughout. His team-mate Broc Parkes was unlucky in the race as his machine started to lose power and he had to pull in, having looked good for a top three finish early in the race. Parkes ended his season in the top 15, having only raced in three rounds, and scoring heavily in two. Despite missing the past three rounds, and continuing his steady recovery from injuries sustained at Silverstone, Joan Lascorz ended his season in third place overall. At his home race Fabien Foret, from the Kawasaki Lorenzini by Leoni team, was a non-finisher, being forced out by a technical issue on lap seven. Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I was really trying hard in my last race, all the way. I was pushing the front and rear at the end, sliding in the last five laps. I was just trying to stay in control and ride at the maximum towards the end. Despite this I enjoyed it, and it was good to be fighting for the top five places again, and our lap times were not so bad.” Broc Parkes: “I do not know exactly what was wrong but I started to feel some problems in the first laps. It was something minor anyway, but it was just slowing down. I was really feeling good on the bike before that, so I started turning off traction control and other electronics, but it just got worse and worse then I can to come in. Minimum could have been a podium today, so it was frustrating, but we had good pace and we had definitely found a good race set-up.” More, from a press release issued by ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing: When you less expected”¦it happens. Just a few days ago at Imola, Chaz Davies missed his first ever victory a few hundred metres from the finish line. Today, the tough Brit amazed everybody when he took his fourth podium of the season at the end of an excellent race, during which he did a series of overtakes which allowed him to cross the chequered flag in third place. Moreover, Chaz finished fourth in the overall standings. David Salom had a positive season as well and finished seventh today despite having a fractured rib. On the other hand, Vittorio Iannuzzo retired after a few laps, as did Julien Enjolras due to a crash. CHAZ DAVIES | Triumph Daytona 675 | 3rd : “It was the best podium of the season, because I wasn’t expecting it to end this way. I never even dreamed I would do so well, I just wanted to give it my all, after two tough qualifying days. I passed a few riders at the start, then I got more and more confident and things started to come easily. I was behind the group made up of Fujiwara, Roccoli and Harms and decided to go for it with three laps left. I passed them and even built a gap to finish the race. This podium result washed away the bitterness of last week, which was actually the only disappointment of this great season, during which I achieved some strong results. I’m going on vacation now, but I will be back for next season to terminate my rivals and win the title”. DAVID SALOM | Triumph Daytona 675 | 7th: “I did my best, but I had to go wide at the start to avoid hitting another bike, so I dropped to sixteenth place. I gave it my all because I really wanted to keep my fifth place in the overall standings but I was beaten by a point”. JULIEN ENJOLRAS | Triumph Daytona 675 | retired : “Too bad it ended like this. I was hoping to ride a a good race, but I lost control and crashed”. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Triumph Daytona 675 | retired : “I wasn’t able to get a good feeling with the bike and decided to return to the pit box as I wasn’t very effective”. More, from another press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: TEN KATE HONDA IN WORLD SUPERSPORT A DECADE OF DOMINATION Kenan Sofuoglu’s victory today in the 2010 World Supersport championship marks a remarkable decade of domination for the Ten Kate Honda team, supported for the last four years by electronics giant Hannspree. After securing a maiden victory at Brands Hatch with Karl Muggeridge in 2000, the team has gone on to dominate the series like no other, securing its eighth riders’ title with Sofuoglu at Magny-Cours on 3rd October 2010. Sofuoglu’s pole position at Magny-Cours this weekend was the team’s 63rd and his second place in the race behind fellow Honda rider, Eugene Laverty, the 120th podium finish for the Dutch-based squad. Sofuoglu himself is the most successful rider in the history of the World Supersport championship, taking a total of 17 race wins and 39 podium finishes, both of which are a record. With his 2010 World Supersport title, Sofuoglu joins Andrew Pitt and Sébastien Charpentier, bo th former Ten Kate Honda riders, as a double championship winner. Ten Kate Honda World Supersport championship, 2000-2010 Pole positions 63 Podiums 120 Race wins 61 Fastest laps 56 Championship titles (rider) 8 Championship titles (manufacturer – Honda) 8 Class Records Most consecutive titles (2002 2008) 7 Most consecutive race wins (to Lausitzring 2005) 13 Most consecutive pole positions (to Misano 2005) 12 Most individual rider race wins (Kenan Sofuoglu) 17 Kenan Sofuoglu Pole positions 12 Podiums 39 (record) Race wins 17 (record) Fastest laps 15 (joint record) Championship titles 2