FIM Supersport World Championship Nurburgring, Germany June 15, 2008 Race Results: 1. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), 19 laps, 38:26.584 2. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR600RR), -0.387 second 3. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1.379 seconds 4. Fabien FORET (Yamaha YZF-R6), -10.279 5. Craig JONES (Honda CBR600RR), -11.624 6. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR600RR), -19.211 7. Didier VAN KEYMEULEBNEL (Suzuki GSX-R600), -28.775 8. Arne TODE (Triumph Daytona 675), -28.890 9. Chris WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -28.990 10. Vesa KALLIO (Honda CBR600RR), -37.853 11. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -43.101 12. Joan LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR), -51.843 13. Miguel PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR), -54.459 14. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR), -54.653 15. Jeremy CROWE (Yamaha YZF-R6), -54.705 22. Mark AITCHISON (Triumph Daytona 675), -3 laps, DNF, crash 23. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), -4 laps, DNF, crash 25. Ivan CLEMENTI (Triumph Daytona 675), -9 laps, DNF, retired 26. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), -12 laps, DNF, crash 27. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), -12 laps, DNF, crash 28. Gianluca NANNELLI (Honda CBR600RR), -13 laps, DNF, retired 29. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Honda CBR600RR), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 30. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), DNS 31. Jose David DE GEA (Yamaha YZF-R6), DNS 32. Tommy HILL (Honda CBR600RR), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 13 races): 1. Pitt, 88 points 2. Foret, 84 3. Brookes, 83 4. TIE, Lascorz/Parkes, 81 6. Jones, 60 7. Rea, 51 8. Harms, 39 9. TIE, Lagrive/Vizziello, 28 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Pitt claims victory at Nurburgring HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Andrew Pitt put in a great performance today and put his CBR600RR on top of the podium. Pitt had a good start in the start of the race and came through in 1st, however, a red flag situation caused by a German wild card rider halted the race. After another good start in the second part of the race the Australian rider collected the win after a determined chase on Broc Parkes. Pitt had another good start but it was fellow Australian Broc Parkes who was leading the field for most of the race with an impressive pace. By overtaking Broc Parkes in the ultimate rounds of the 19-lap race Pitt claimed his third victory of the season and placed himself in the lead of the Championship. Team mate Jonathan Rea made an impressive start from fourth row in the first part of the race and came through in third place. He was relegated to 11th in the second part of the race after an imperfect star, but forcefully pushed his way forward and gained 7th position by lap 9. He then managed to put pressure on Lascorz and took home 6th place after the Spaniard crashed out in the 15th lap. Andrew Pitt, 1st: “The pace we had today was amazing, I was quicker then I was in qualifying for pretty much half the race. I was doing everything I could to catch up with Broc Parkes but couldn’t make an impression on him. When he started to look down at the end I thought he might have some problems and took my chance to pass him and stayed in front.” “I didn’t have much tire left in the end, but managed to bring the bike back home fine. My mechanics gave me a good package to work with this weekend. We got the job done and are back in the front of the Championship where we should be.” Jonathan Rea, 6th: “I am happy and disappointed as well. We had a good weekend up until the last qualifying when a bike problem forced us back to the fourth row on the grid. I made a very good start in the first part of the race and ended up in third spot in the first lap. Then the race was ended due to some wildcard rider who crashed and laid down on the track.” “My second start was not as good and I made a mistake on the second lap and ran wide. I picked my pace up again and chased Lascorz for 6th and put him under some pressure. Its not the result we wanted, but I did manage to bring some points back home and I’m still in the Championship.” “I am sending my get well wishes to Tommy Hill who re-injured himself in the first race crash.” Ronald ten Kate, Team manager; “It was very nice to see Andrew winning again here today. He had to put in a lot of work this weekend and surely didn’t get this one for free. In the race he had to hang on firmly to Broc Parkes who was setting an incredible pace. Towards the end of the race we had an advantage of what I believe to be a better race set up and were able to take the win. I jokingly told Andrew before the start of the race to make sure I could wear my happy face today and he did.” “Jonathan has had a difficult weekend. He was in a good position in the first part of the race, but after the restart he was further down the field an didn’t manage to pick up the pace of the front runners. Despite this he brought a good result back home, he’s still connected to the front of the championship so let’s hope he will have a better race at Misano.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Pitt From Brookes As Honda Takes A German 1-2 A twice delayed World Supersport race eventually went to new championship leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) who managed to hold off another Honda rider, Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) by a mere 0.387 seconds after 19 laps of the Nürburgring. The long time leader had been Yamaha rider Broc Parkes, but as his challenge faded in the final few laps Pitt put in a pass on lap 17 to take the lead, and then had to use every millimetre of track to keep the rapidly advancing Brookes behind him on the final corners. Parkes was third, completing the podium places. The 5.137km German circuit remained dry for the race itself, but the delayed start to the first Superbike race caused a delay to the WSS race, and put extra pressure on all the riders. The first WS race start lasted for one corner only, when five riders fell when one competitor left his braking too late. Through no fault of his own, comeback rider Tommy Hill (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) was one of the fallers and he had the terrible bad luck of re-breaking the same right femur bone he broke in a testing crash last November. Hill had made a spectacular showing in practice, being eighth fastest in his first ever rides on Honda Supersport machinery, but now the British rider faces another long period of recovery. Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) was another innocent victim of the first corner fall, but restarted on his spare machine to finish fifth. Pitt’s team-mate Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was only 11th on lap one, having qualified 13th, and got through a pack of riders to secure a sixth place finish. Jones had qualified second, ahead of Brookes and Pitt, with Broc Parkes the pole man. Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) fell in the race, after tangling with another rider, and Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) entered the pits to retire. In the championship points, Pitt is on 88, Fabien Foret has 84, Brookes is third on 83, Joan Lascorz is on 81, the same points as Parkes. Jones is sixth on 60, Rea has 51 and Harms 39. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Honda now leads Yamaha by 28 points. Pitt said: “The pace was amazing. I was quicker than I was in qualifying for pretty much half the race. I was trying everything I knew just to keep on the back of Broc. Near the end we could see his was slowing a bit and I realised Josh was setting an incredible pace coming up behind me, so it was time to go for it and pass Broc. I had to work really hard to keep Josh behind me and take the win. My mechanics gave me a good package to work with this weekend. We got the job done and are back in the front of the championship where we should be.” Brookes said: “I was really lucky not to get caught up in the pile-up in the first race, as it was very close. In the second race I got an even better start then in the previous one and pretty quickly I was up into third place, where I stayed for most of the race. I started to close in on the leaders, Pitt and Parkes at the end. It didn’t take many laps before I was right behind them. I got past Parkes easier then I thought and, with one lap to go, I saw my chance to get by Pitt as well. I gave it a try, but didn’t succeed. I’m really happy to finish second and it is very important result for my championship standing.” Jones said: “I had to use my second bike because my first one was too damaged and I hadn’t ridden the spare all weekend. I tried to pass Pitt a bit early and I got swallowed up by the group and didn’t have enough feel with the number two bike, which wasn’t quite as strong. We may have had a podium on my number one machine but we’ll get that in Misano! I remain sixth in the Championship and still within touching distance of the lead so it’s all still to play for.” Rea said: “I am happy and disappointed as well. We had a good weekend up until the last qualifying when a bike problem forced us back to the fourth row on the grid. I made a very good start in the first part of the race and ended up in third spot in the first lap. My second start was not as good and I made a mistake on the second lap and ran wide. I picked my pace up again and chased Lascorz for 6th and put him under some pressure. I’m sending my get well wishes to Tommy Hill, who re-injured himself in the first race crash.” Harms said: “I made two really good starts – especially in the second race when I was in fifth place on the first lap. I thought I could stay with the front group, but the pace was too hot for me. I didn’t feel good on the bike and it was hard keeping up. I dropped back a few places and was in eighth place, just behind Lagrive. I was trying to pass him when he braked a lot earlier then me and I could not stop running straight in to him.” Nannelli said: “Another unlucky race for me and for our entire team. I’m disconcerted because of Tommy’s accident and I don’t have much to add about my race. I started with my second bike because I was also involved in the crash at the first curve. I wish all the best to my team-mate and friend Tommy during this difficult and delicate moment.” The next race is in Misano, Italy on June 29th. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Racing: HANNspree teams rule the Nurburgring The HANNspree-supported World Supersport teams enjoyed a positive day at Germany’s Nurburgring for the sixth round of the series. The eventual victory went to HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Andrew Pitt, who clinched the top spot after an exciting battle with HANNspree Stiggy Motorsport’s Joshua Brookes. The 20-lap race was initially red-flagged after a first corner crash involving several riders. Third placed Broc Parkes lead for the majority of the restarted 19-lap race, but couldn’t hold off challenges from Pitt and HANNspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda’s Joshua Brookes, who finished second. Pitt’s superb victory is his third so far this season and propels him to the top of the championship standings. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea also enjoyed a positive result at the Nurburgring. Despite starting from the fourth row of the grid, the young Ulsterman had a good start from the line and battled hard to score sixth at the chequered flag. Rea is now seventh in the series overall. Meanwhile, HANNspree Stiggy Motorsport’s Robbin Harms and HANNspree Honda Althea’s Gianluca Nannelli were unable to complete race distance at the German event. Harms crashed out of contention on lap 12 while Nannelli was forced to enter the pit lane on the 13th lap. The next World Supersport event takes place at Misano on 29 June. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Parkes on the podium after class leading ride Yamaha World Supersport Team rider Broc Parkes came within a few laps of winning the twice delayed and once restarted WSS race at the Nurburgring in Germany, as the Australian rider led for 15 of the 19 laps, running a pace none could match for long periods. He was forced to slow in the final few minutes of the race, and went from a win to a third place finish as a result. His team-mate Fabien Foret, who had started tenth on the grid, ran out a comfortable fourth after a fight with Craig Jones, having lost contact with the leading group in the early laps. In the championship standings the German race weekend has brought all the top contenders for the crown within a few points of each other. Foret is second behind race winner Andrew Pitt, only four points adrift, while Parkes is now equal fourth, only seven points from Pitt. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) crashed at post five on lap 16 and David De Gea (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) could not make the race restart as he was hurt in the first corner crash that caused the main delay to the start of the race. De Gea has re-broken his lower leg in the same place as recently and will undergo surgery as soon as possible. Jeremy Crowe (Yamaha Spain) scored a point as a stand-in for regular rider David Salom, in 15th place. Broc Parkes (3rd – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I set a very good pace through the race and I felt I could have had something in reserve at the end but we had two starts on the clutch today and it just started to give a bit in the end and I couldn’t get come of the corners as strongly. I was happy to finish and settle for third and the points that go with it.” Fabien Foret (4th – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “My start was just OK and I did my best to push in the race. I think I lost a bit of feeling on Saturday after my fall and this weekend maybe fourth was the best I could do. If I had a better start them maybe I could have been with the guys at the front, but I am not sure. The weekend could have been better but it really could have been worse. The championship is very close and good for the spectators. I don’t mind the pressure now we are all so close.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) “We are of course a little disappointed to be leading the race and then having to finish third with Broc, but there were some technical problems on the last few laps and he couldn’t ride then as he wanted to do. The speed was there but he lost some feel going into the corners and on the exit, so he couldn’t keep up the pace for the last few laps. We were third and fourth, so it was a good team performance. I’m disappointed not to win here but the championship is so close now it is almost like starting the season again. We didn’t win the race but we didn’t really lose anything either.” Massimo Roccoli (DNF -Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) “The bike felt better today compared to the first two days of qualifying and I was able to lap well. I was making up ground to the riders in front but I just pushed my luck a little too far trying to catch some of them.” More, from a press release issued by Triumph Italia BE1 Racing: For the first time in the season Triumph Italia Be1 Racing’s riders were not able to finish into the points. That has happened in the sixth round of the WSS Championship, just after the best result of the team in the qualifying, when Mark Aitchison took the 5th best place on the starting grid. The Aussie rider had what it takes to capitalize the qualifying result but he was caught up in the crashes caused by an hazardous move by Tode. After the red flag the race started again but Aitchison didn’t find the feeling with the spare machine and he crashed when he was trying to keep the contact with the leading pack. As well an electrical hitch influenced negatively Ivan Clementi’s performance. The Italian rider passed the first lap in 24th position and then he started to fight for a final position into the points. Then the electronics started to give problems and he was forced to take the way of the pits. MARK AITCHISON | Triumph 675 | Retired: “I’m really angry. I would have had the opportunity to get a good result and I felt in excellent form. Unfortunately I was forced to ride the spare machine but after a good start I lost the control of the rear, while I was trying to keep my position just behind the leading pack. I feel confident to get a better result in fifteen days, in Italy, at Misano Adriatico”. IVAN CLEMENTI | Triumph 675 | Retired: “I would have finished into the points but unfortunately the bike started to have electronics problems in the second half of the race and there my battle was over. It has been a good Sunday anyway, I got back my self-confidence after the poor round at Monza. In two weeks we will take to the track again and I would like to get some points on my home-track at Misano”. GIULIANO ROVELLI: “That is motorcycling! When everything is turning well, something comes to spoil it. I’m sorry to have broken our point-series but I think that we got also some good things from this week-end. We came very close to the first line and we have shown to be improving round by round. Considering that it is our first year of activity, it is a good result anyway”.