FIM Supersport World Championship Donington Park, England September 7, 2008 Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR600RR), 22 laps, 34:53.607 2. Andrew PITT (Honda CBR600RR), -0.872 second 3. Jonthan REA (Honda CBR600RR), -4.846 seconds 4. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), -5.066 5. Hudson KENNAUGH (Yamaha YZF-R6), -8.604 6. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), -8.990 7. Joan LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR), -15.660 8. Didier VAN KEYMEULEN (Suzuki GSX-R600), -16.674 9. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), -17.081 10. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), -20.474 11. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR), -21.110 12. Eugene LAVERTY (Yamaha YZF-R6), -26.338 13. Mark AITCHISON (Triumph Daytona 675), -26.597 14. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -29.104 15. Chris MARTIN (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -30.603 16. Gianluca NANNELLI (Honda CBR600RR), -39.201 17. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), -39.505 18. Ivan CLEMENTI (Triumph Daytona 675), -40.004 19. Danilo DELL’OMO (Honda CBR600RR), -41.030 20. Gregory GOWLAND (Honda CBR600RR), -53.383 Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 13 races): 1. Pitt, 169 points 2. Brookes, 137 3. Rea, 133 4. Parkes, 119 5. Craig Jones, 100 6. Fabien Foret, 97 7. Lascorz, 92 8. Veneman, 61 9. Harms, 60 10. Roccoli, 48 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Andrew Pitt took a superb second place at Donington Park today in round ten of this year’s World Supersport championship. His HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Jonathan Rea, joined him on the podium in third place with fellow Honda rider, Josh Brookes, taking the victory. In the changing weather conditions that have dogged the weekend, the 22-lap race around the 4km Donington circuit, brought riders their the first dry time on the team’s CBR600RRs. While Rea grabbed the holeshot from second place on the grid, it was Pitt who grabbed the attention of the Donington crowd as he climbed from 15th at the start to fourth place at the end of lap one. He continued his rapid progress and took the lead on lap four, but slipped back to second place with three laps to go. Andrew Pitt 2nd: I thought I’d done enough but Josh (Brookes) had a little bit more at the end, I guess. I’m happy enough after the problems we had in qualifying yesterday, and starting from the fourth row was always going to be hard work. But it was made easier by the team, who put a great bike underneath me, so big thanks to them. Jonathan Rea 3rd: I’ll take third today, because I didn’t really have enough to match the two guys in front of me. But the team’s been fantastic after all the wet weather this weekend and the bike was brilliant. I was trying to win the race as much for my good friend, Craig Jones, as for myself. Maybe that was the problem today. Ronald ten Kate team manager: Having both guys on the podium is always a good feeling and in the championship we’ve improved our position slightly because, although the gap is the same, there are only three more races to go. With the weather over the weekend, the choice of a dry tyre was always going too be a bit of a gamble. Unfortunately, we chose the wrong one. However, congratulations must go to Honda, who secured the World Supersport Manufacturers’ Title today, with still three rounds left. It just shows the strength of this CBR600RR. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Parkes into the top ten as Laverty scores points Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) and Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Supersport Team) had to race on untried settings at Donington, after all practice and warm-up sessions were damp to some degree, but nonetheless each improved form their lowly starting places to record points scoring finishes. Parkes went tenth from 20th on the grid, with Laverty taking his time to get to know his new bike in the dry, and finally posting 12th in his first ever WSS race. As the race progressed Laverty made great strides and set some impressive times as he chased a rider pairing in front that also featured Parkes. Laverty will stay with the Yamaha World Supersport team fo rthe next round at Vallelunga, continuing to ride in place of injured team rider Fabien Foret. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) was 17th on his Yamaha, while 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 (10th – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “Better that we had dry race than a wet one. We were down on dry settings too because we didn’t race here last year so we didn’t have a base setting to work with. It was not quite right, so we had to work hard to get there. That was the best we could do today. It was not perfect but it could have been worse.” Eugene Laverty (12th – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I made some good lap times at the end but I had to be so careful at the start because I didn’t really know the bike in dry conditions, and when you are riding in such close proximity with other riders, it could have been dangerous to try and push too hard from the beginning. But my lap times improved as I learned the bike and my second to last lap was fast, as quick as anyone really. It has been a difficult weekend but I think everyone can understand that. The weather was a disaster but to get a result out of things was our aim and we reached it.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) “Of course I am not happy with tenth and 12th places but when you look back on the whole weekend it is difficult for many riders, not only for us. Eugene rode well and progressed through the field once he started to get familiar on the bike in the dry and he had to rebuild his confidence after crashing the bike in the wet. Broc was doing some 1’35 lap times in the dry and did well to come through the field to tenth. For the next race we will have a better base set-up, because we didn’t have one for here because we had so little track time last year..” Massimo Roccoli (17th – Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) “With no dry test time this weekend I had to use last year’s settings on the machine and it meant that there was a lot of movement from the back end of the machine. Not a great weekend. We continued to test the new electronic suspension this weekend. It has mainly been tried in dry conditions so it was important to gather data in the wet. We have already found an advantage with the limited testing time we’ve had and plan to use it in Vallelunga where it was first tested six weeks ago. ” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Brookes Wins As Honda Riders Go 1-2-3 In the Championship Standings After a thrilling 22-lap Supersport race at Donington Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) gave his team their first win, as he himself took his second career win in this class. Having qualified fourth, Brookes was in a race-long contest with fellow Honda riders Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) with Barry Veneman’s Suzuki falling off the leading pace towards the final few laps. All three top Honda riders took their turn to lead, but at the end Brookes had the final game plan that put him 0.872 seconds ahead of 15th place qualifier Pitt, and 4.846 seconds up on fellow front row rider Rea. Matthieu Lagrive was on pole on Saturday, in the wet conditions that affected every single session before the largely dry race itself, but the Frenchman slipped back in the race to ninth. In the championship the three Donington podium finishers hold the top positions also, with Pitt on 169 points, Brookes now second on 137, and Rea third on 133. Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) qualified 12th in the wet and raced to sixth in the dry, while 16th place qualifier Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) equalled that performance in the race, just missing out on points. Russell Holland (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) got tangled with another rider on lap two and failed to finish. A tribute to the late Craig Jones, who lost his life after a crash at Brands Hatch, was held before the first Superbike race of the day. His great friend and regular Hannspree Althea Honda rider Tommy Hill did a slow lap on the number 18 Parkalgar Honda ridden by Jones this year, to the applause of the British crowd. Brookes said: “Today was great, I had a great bike to race with and I rode my best to finish on the top. I got a good start and felt really comfortable. The guys in front were not as fast as I was expecting so I was quite surprised. I put my head down and I felt really secure that I was able to fight for the win. I had a few moments but as I got comfortable again I focused on riding perfect laps and before I knew it I was right behind Pitt. I stayed behind and two laps before the finish I passed and brought home the victory. I’m really happy, especially since we didn’t have any dry practice this weekend. I was really thankful that we found such a good dry race set-up. I want to thank the team for hard work and for giving me the right tools to win today. I also would like to dedicate this win to the memory of Craig Jones.” Pitt said: “I thought I’d done enough but Josh had a little bit more at the end, I guess. I’m happy enough after the problems we had in qualifying yesterday, and starting from the fourth row was always going to be hard work. But it was made easier by the team, who put a great bike underneath me, so big thanks to them.” Rea said: “I’ll take third today, because I didn’t really have enough to match the two guys in front of me. But the team’s been fantastic after all the wet weather this weekend and the bike was brilliant. I was trying to win the race as much for my good friend, Craig Jones, as for myself. Maybe that was the problem today.” Harms said: “My start was OK, but I had two near highsides on the first lap, one was so big I hit my head on the screen and broke it. I was really lucky not to crash but I lost a few positions and also my confidence and rhythm. Now I need to start focusing on the next race and make good results.” Nannelli said: “Today was definitely not a good day. I had a bad start and I lost a lot of time trying to pass some slow riders. From the very beginning of the race I experienced a problem with the front suspension and it was impossible for me to pursue the riders in front of me.” Holland said: “It’s hard to explain just how disappointed I am. After a good start, I was feeling quite comfortable and confident on the bike. I tried to overtake Kallio him on the inside but I touched his bike and we crashed. I’m feeling pain in my wrist and I have a swollen eye, but hopefully I’ll be able to race in Vallelunga. I’d like to apologize to my team as I’ve created a lot of extra work for them.” On September 21st the WSS competitors gather at Vallelunga in Italy for round 11 of the championship. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Triumph-SC: NO GLORY FOR TEAM TRIUMPHSC AT DONINGTON (Donington Park U.K. September 7, 2008) Team Triumph-SC did not pick too much satisfaction from Donington’s today race, where it did start with more ambitious hopes for Pawl Szkopek. The Pole, tenth in the morning warm up session, got a good start, but a collision at the third lap damaged his bike and Pawel lost a lot of places before to be forced to retire. After the race Szkopec said: “The Team made a very good work yesterday, assembling a new engine that was performing very well. I had a good start, as at the end of the first lap I was tenth and I did control that position with confidence, but at the end of the third lap, while I was negotiating the Goddard corner, somebody knocked against my bike, sending me on the gravel, or better on the mud. So I lost maybe three-four positions, but that wasn’t the worst. I couldn’t no more ride the bike as in the early laps and, after a few distressing laps I took the decision that was stupid to go on. It’s a pity because the bike was running very well and we lost a splendid possibility to reach a good result.” Robbie Stewart did not grab for a whisker some point in the 600 Supersport race. As the young Scot rode in Donington his better race of the season, Robbie is not satisfied: “I got a splendid start, avoiding the confusion of the first corner. At the end of the first lap I was in 15th position and then I earned other positions, being 13th. But then I’ve lost my concentration and in a couple of laps I lost four position. Just in the final laps I earned something once more, but I lost the last championship point in the sprint against Gregorini. That’s a pity, I’m actually disappointed.” More, from a press release issued by Triumph Italia Be1 Racing: Team Triumph Italia Be1 Racing gets back to the points after the stop at Brands Hatch, thanks to the thirteen place taken by Mark Aitchison. The Aussie rider sprinted well passing immediately four rivals. He lapped really quickly the first part of the race entering in the pack fighting for a place into the top ten. In the second half of the race he was forced to slow down due to the rear tyre damage and so he wisely chose to defend his position up to the chequered flag. On the other hand Ivan Clementi was not able to take advantage of a drier track and he finished 18th. In Superstock600 the young Davide Fanelli crashed after only three laps when he was in forth position. MARK AITCHISON | Triumph 675 | 13th Classified: “I’m really satisfied with my performance and with the points taken today although I would like to grab a more prestigious result within the season ending. I hope to return to race on a dry road starting from the next race because in that condition I can express my potential. Without the problem at the rear I would have probably had the chance to finish into the top-10, anyhow today’s three points allows me to keep the fifteenth place on the ranking”. IVAN CLEMENTI | Triumph 675 | 18th Classified: “I was not able to ride as I wished on the dry track. The road was very slippery and after a good start I was not able to express my potential. I’m sure I will get a better result at Vallelunga”. More, from a press release issued by Russel Holland’s publicist: After a brilliant qualifying session, that allowed him to get the 6th spot on the grid for Sunday race, best personal starting position so far, Russell Holland did not achieve the result he was looking for. The extremely unstable weather conditions didn’t help the team and the rider finding the best set-up for an almost dry race, in spite of the previous fully wet sessions. Holland got a good start and maintained his position for the first part of lap 1, but unfortunately the HANNspree Althea Honda rider crashed out during the second lap of the race, while attempting to overtake Vesa Kallio at Mclean’s corner. The Aussie rider hit the ground heavily, rolling for several meters on the gravel. After a check-up at Clinica Mobile, Russell Holland got out from the weekend with a black eye and the left wrist sprained. These small injuries won’t probably affect his participation to the next round at Vallelunga, two weeks from today. It will be the home race for the HANNspree Althea Honda team and another chance for the Australian rider to perform well on a track he already knows. “On friday morning i saw the track for the first time in wet conditions and, after hearing a lot about how slippery it can be, i was supprised to feel reasonably comfortable after the first day”, said Russell. “Donington is a track i was looking forward to all year and i can see why it is so famous, a very flowing track with a lot of character. I have never spent a lot of time in the rain so this weekend it was good to have steady wet weather so i could build up to the final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. At the end of Saturday qualifying there was small dry patches around the track and i was fortunate to be able to record a decent time just as rain hit part of the circuit in the final laps. In the end i qualified in 6th position, my best of the season, which the team and i were satisfied with. For today’s race we were confronted with a virtually dry circuit. Though i have never ridden on this track in the dry, i got a good feel for it in the wet. My team sent me out on a great bike all weekend and after the warm up lap the dry setting felt reasonable and i was confident we could get a good result regardless. So, in the race i got a good start and shuffled back and forth with a few riders on the first lap, on the second lap whilst i was in 7th position i attempted to pass Kallio around the back of the circuit where i was making a lot of ground, unfortunately i did not get my wheel in front early enough and was caught out as Kallio tipped in, i connected with him and we both crashed. I am really disappointed to have crashed out of another race because i know that we have the potential to be on the podium and my team certainly deserves it. I know that when i put everything together the results will be there. I was really knocked around in that crash which resulted in a black eye and sprained wrist, fairly minor injuries considering the crash, i hope these recover within the next week so i can fight hard in Vallelunga which is the home circuit for my team and the only circuit i know so far”.