FIM Supersport World Championship Portimao, Portugal October 25, 2009 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Eugene LAVERTY (Honda CBR600RR), 20 laps, 35:17.044 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR600RR), -3.443 seconds 3. Garry MCCOY (Triumph Daytona 675), -13.874 4. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Yamaha YZF-R6), -15.144 5. Mark AITCHISON (Honda CBR600RR), -16.608 6. Michele PIRRO (Yamaha YZF-R6), -20.008 7. Chaz DAVIES (Triumph Daytona 675), -22.007 8. Fabien FORET (Yamaha YZF-R6), -22.034 9. Barry VENEMAN (Honda CBR600RR), -23.031 10. Miguel PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR), -24.002 11. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), -31.794 12. Martin CARDENAS (Honda CBR600RR), -31.811 13. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -32.218 14. Michael LAVERTY (Honda CBR600RR), -33.196 15. Kevin COGHLAN (Yamaha YZF-R6), -62.386 16. Tata PRADITA (Yamaha YZF-R6), -66.401 17. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), -68.010 18. Yannick GUERRA (Yamaha YZF-R6), -78.977 19. Flavio GENTILE (Honda CBR600RR), -79.080 20. Olivier FOUR (Honda CBR600RR), -82.144 21. Robert MURESAN (Triumph Daytona 675), -126.258 22. Marcin WALKOWIAK (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 23. Massimo ROCCOLI (Honda CBR600RR), -4 laps, DNF, crash 24. Arie VOS (Honda CBR600RR), -5 laps, DNF, retired 25. Sam LOWES (Honda CBR600RR), -13 laps, DNF, retired 26. Joan LASCORZ (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 14 races): 1. Crutchlow, 243 points 2. Laverty, 236 3. Sofuoglu, 189 4. Lascorz, 163 5. Foret, 123 6. Pitt, 119 7. Anthony West, 117 8. McCoy, 98 9. Aitchison, 93 10. Fujiwara, 73 11. Roccoli, 70 12. Pirro, 70 13. Veneman, 58 14. Lagrive, 45 15. Praia, 40 16. Gianluca Nannelli, 31 17. Robbin Harms, 30 18. Vizziello, 29 19. Dell’Omo, 27 20. Davies, 22 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan Sofuoglu ended the 2009 World Supersport championship on the podium at Portimao in Portugal today, finishing in second place behind Honda race winner, Eugene Laverty. Sofuoglu held station behind Laverty throughout the 20-lap race, helping Honda to its seventh successive World Supersport manufacturers’ title, while Britain’s Cal Crutchlow secured the riders’ championship, finishing in fourth place. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team also finished as top the top Honda squad once more, despite outgoing world champion, Andrew Pitt, struggling with bike set-up and finishing eleventh. Kenan Sofuoglu 2nd My first goal this weekend was to stay in third place in the championship and that was safe when Lascorz stopped. But he stopped right in front of me and I lost the connection with Eugene, even though I managed to catch him a bit near the end, but it was too late. It’s been a tough season but my goal will be to come back strong next year. The bike is ready to win the championship again and that’s what we will be working for. Andrew Pitt 11th We changed the bike setting for the race but went the wrong way and ended up fighting a front-end problem we’ve had all weekend, and a lot of the season the bike just not turning. It was bouncing across the corners and I didn’t really feel comfortable at all. I’d like to thank the crew for all the efforts they’ve made all year to turn things around, but I guess it just hasn’t been our year. I would also like to pay tribute to Kenan, who has been a great guy to have as a team-mate. Ronald ten Kate team manager Congratulations to Cal on winning the championship and congratulations to Honda for its seventh manufacturers’ title. I guess all good runs must eventually come to an end, and it was our turn this season. It’s been the most difficult season that I can remember in 15 years of racing, but we still finished third in the riders’ championship, we were the top Honda team and we finished the season in a strong way. We will give it everything we can to win it back next year. 2009 World Supersport championship, round 14 Portimao, Portugal (4.59km, 20 laps) results: 1 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 35’17.044s 2 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +3.443s 3 Garry McCoy (AUS) Triumph +13.874 4 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha +15.144 5 Mark Aitchison (AUS) Honda +16.608 11 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Hannspree ten Kate Honda +231.794 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Fourth Overall For Lascorz After Bad Luck In Portuguese Race WSS, Portimao, Portugal, 25 October 2009 Joan Lascorz was on course for a strong podium finish at Portimao until a technical issue intervened and he was forced out. He finishes his season fourth in the championship rankings. Katsuaki Fujiwara, starting from 12th on the grid, worked hard to make up for an imperfect front set-up to finish 13th and take some points that proved vital to his championship finishing position. With Massimo Roccoli no scoring, Katsuaki made it into the top ten in the final standings, despite some luckless no scores of his own this year. Lascorz has scored six podiums this year, including a great win in France, and in partnership with his Ninja ZX-6R he has been a competitor for the other top runners to take into account each raceday. He set a new lap record today, 1’45.186, on lap three. Joan Lascorz: “I had just set the new lap record and felt I would be in contention to win the race when I had a problem with the clutch. I had to pull over and finish. It was disappointing to not be able to fight for the win and the chance to finish inside the top three, but that is racing sometimes.” Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I still had some problems in the last turn and for the last five laps I started to almost lose the front of the bike. In the tight hairpin the bike didn’t want to stop and I had to ride with a lot of concentration to keep my pace. But I got some points and that was enough to put me into the top ten of the championship.” More, from a press release issued by ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing: ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing ended the World Supersport Championship on the podium. Garry McCoy confirmed, after Valentino Rossi, that “Old hens make the best soup”. The Australian took third place, as he did at Donington, after a brilliant race during which he fought and defeated the new World Champion Cal Crutchlow after a great battle. The second podium in Triumph’s history in World Supersport has a special meaning and is the perfect ending of a fantastic season for Giuliano Rovelli’s BE1 team. Chaz Davies rode a positive race as well, as he finished seventh after fixing the issues that slowed him down in practice and scored another great result, after the fourth place at Imola. Thanks to this excellent season finale, ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing climbed up two spots in the manufacturers’ standings where they finished fifth, while Garry McCoy finished eighth in the riders’ standings. GARRY McCOY | Triumph Daytona 675 | 3rd: “I’m really happy to have ended the season in style, with a second podium result in the team’s young history. We did a great job this weekend, the bike was just perfect so I could give 100%. I got a good start and I was fifth at the end of the first lap, and I kept that position into the fourth, when Lascorz, who was in front of me, crashed. I then overtook Crutchlow after three more laps. He was really close behind me for a while then I opened a gap between the two of us of about two seconds and kept it until the chequered flag. I want to thank the entire team for a great job done this season. We got better everytime and we did all this together despite the fact that not some many people thought that was possible”. CHAZ DAVIES | Triumph Daytona 675 | 7th: “I’m really grateful to Giuliano who gave me the opportunity to race in World Supersport. I rode only three races but I believe I did well although I know I can definitely improve, especially in qualifying practice. I got a good start today, I engaged in a nice duel with Foret and overtook Veneman by the end and finished seventh”. GIULIANO ROVELLI – TEAM MANAGER: “It was a fantastic way of ending the season: with a podium. We worked hard, we improved the bike so much that we got twice on the podium and scored many great results as well. I have to thank Garry McCoy who proved that the entire squad lead by Lucio Nicastro did a marvellous job. I’m also happy with Chaz Davies’ performance who scored two great results without even knowing the tracks but did very well on his Triumph Daytona 675. These results repay us for the efforts we have made and motivates Triumph to continue and hopefully you’ll se us again in 2010, when we should set even higher goals”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Crutchlow takes control to deliver the World Supersport title for Yamaha Cal Crutchlow was on incredible form at Portimao today, displaying an intelligent level of riding belying his age as he set himself a comfortable race pace to maintain his points advantage over rival Laverty and ultimately take the well deserved World Supersport title. Crutchlow started well and settled into a fourth position spot behind Lascorz until the third lap when the Spanish rider crashed out, promoting him to third. He maintained his position until lap seven where he let Gary McCoy through at the end of the start finish straight and dropped back into fourth again. Crutchlow then tucked in behind McCoy and followed him home to the finish line for victory and the title of World Champions for himself and the Yamaha World Supersport Team. Crutchlow’s team mate Fabien Foret dropped one place off the start line to eighth as the race got underway, and then spent the duration chasing down seventh placed rider Aitchison for the next spot. As the pace continued he was unable to catch him but was fast enough to keep his spot, crossing the line in eighth position. Foret takes eight points from the race, and so will keep his fifth place in the 2009 World Supersport Championship. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (4th) “Fourth is the worst finish I’ve had this year! Obviously I’ve had a couple of DNFs but when I’ve finished fourth has been the worst. I just wanted to bring it home. I didn’t need to push Eugene. He’s been riding really well all weekend and keeping the pressure on me. I didn’t want to get into any battles, I followed Kenan at the start but his pace was just too fast so I let him go. I let Gary past then settled in behind him and let him bring me home for the race so thank to him. It’s been a tough season and all credit to Yamaha they’ve done a fantastic job, I’m elated! I want to thank the team and all my sponsors for their support, and my family, my dad and my mum and Lucy my girlfriend who has put up with me!” Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (8th) “it was a tough one today. I really wanted to be a bit closer to the front of the grid but I wasn’t so happy with the feeling in the front end in qualifying. We made some improvements for the race but it still wasn’t perfect so I just kept my head down and did the best I could to keep a consistent pace. I want to say a big thank you to the team for all their support this year, and congratulations to Cal for winning the title.” Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager “We are delighted with the results from today, I think everybody at Yamaha must be happy with Valentino and Ben and Cal all winning. Of course for me I’m especially happy for Cal and our team for winning the championship. We rode a really tactical race I have to say and he brought it home and did the job really well, I think he was the fastest guy out there the whole season. I want to thank the team who have worked so hard to make this possible for him as well. Fabien worked hard today despite not having 100% confidence with the feeling of his bike and was consistent throughout to the finish.” Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe “It’s great to see a rider like Cal progressing in his career with Yamaha, from his early success with the R6 cup to World Supersport Champion today. He has shown dominating speed on so many occasions this season and today showed his maturity to grab the title. The R6 as a production bike continues to build on its racing heritage as confirmed today here in Portimao. The team did a super job and it is with mixed feelings that we have not yet been able to finalize our plans for 2010 with them.”