FIM Supersport World Championship San Marino, Misano June 26, 2010 Final Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), 1:38.444 2. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Honda CBR600RR), 1:38.611 3. Roberto TAMBURINI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:38.911 4. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:39.019 5. Gino REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR600RR), 1:39.224 6. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Honda CBR600RR), 1:39.277 7. Chaz DAVIES, Great Britain (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:39.371 8. Massimo ROCCOLI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), 1:39.383 9. Robbin HARMS, Denmark (Honda CBR600RR), 1:41.179 10. Fabien FORET, France (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:41.818 More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Strong second for Laverty PARKALGAR HONDA ace Eugene Laverty will start from a strong second place on the grid for tomorrow’s eighth round of the World Supersport Championship at Misano in Italy after being pipped to pole position in the dying seconds by Michele Pirro. Miguel Praia will start from 12th on the second Parkalgar Honda and is riding well. With perfect weather conditions predicted, the race is scheduled for 1330 CET on Sunday, June 27th. Keep up-to-date with all news on the team by clicking on Parkalgar Honda. Eugene: “I am happy enough; when I did that lap I knew it was good for the front row and then on my last fast lap I came upon traffic. Second is positive, especially with Kenan is on the second row. I had a set-back this morning and lost time when a backmarker took me out but we got back out and continued to work on front end set-up. Everyone is in the same situation here trying to make the best front end setting possible but I am happy now with my Parkalgar Honda. I have two bikes for tomorrow, one for hot and one for cold weather but I would prefer hot as I think Kenan is a little weaker in that weather but saying that I also expect him to be right at the front in the race.” Miguel: “In the morning when I started to do 1m40secs laps I thought maybe the second row was possible – but then everyone started riding faster and it was not enough. I think 12th and the third row is better than recent qualifying and I take that as a positive. My Parkalgar team has done a great job setting up my bike and I am confident and happy looking forward to the race.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Parkalgar Honda is happy with Eugene second on the grid. Pirro put in a good lap and that helped to push his team mate Sofuoglu on to the second row; he’ll need a good start from there. It would be nice to think that Pirro could beat Sofuoglu tomorrow but that’s unlikely to be allowed. Eugene has found good settings so we are confident for the race. Miguel this morning rode one of the best sessions of his career but in qualifying he lost some momentum. He has stayed on the third row which puts him right in the fight for a good result and he is one row ahead of his recent qualifying which is encouraging.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Michele Pirro will start tomorrow’s eighth round World Supersport championship race at Misano in Italy from pole position after setting a new best lap in this afternoon’s second qualifying practice. It’s the second World Supersport pole position for 23-year-old Pirro, from San Giovanni Rotondo 400km to the south of the Misano circuit; the was first achieved a year ago at the same circuit, but it is his first pole for his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team. Pirro will be joined on the front row by fellow Honda rider Eugene Laverty, while his team-mate and current championship leader, Kenan Sofuoglu, will start from row two after setting the sixth fastest time today. Michele Pirro P1 I am very happy, of course, to get the pole position. I don’t know what it is about this track maybe it’s because it’s near my home, maybe it’s something in the air, but I am able to go very fast here. I didn’t get one clear lap today, and even on my fastest lap I had to ride around some other riders. The track was slippery again today, but not as bad as yesterday. Tomorrow will be very difficult in the race I think but I will try to stick with the fast guys and make a good result for my fans who have come up from my home town. There will be maybe 150 of them in the grandstand, so a big thanks to them and especially to my team who have worked so hard to give me a great bike here. Kenan Sofuoglu P6 I am very unhappy with this qualifying position but it was unbelievable the number of slow riders out there today, with so many of them looking to follow me or the other fast guys. I think I had more bad luck today than in any qualifying session that I can remember and I believe that my lap time today I could have done with one hand tied behind my back! However, I am quite sure about what I can do tomorrow, so I am looking forward to the race very much. Ronald ten Kate team-manager That was a great job by Michele he has been riding very well so far this weekend, so the pole didn’t come as a big surprise. Kenan didn’t make it to the front row because, for whatever reason, on his hot laps he seemed to come across more traffic than on Milan’s Tangenziale in rush hour. I’m quite confident, however, that both riders are capable of a podium if not more. More, from a press release issued by ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing: Team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing will have to ride an attacking race tomorrow as only Chaz Davies qualified in second row, while Salom, Lagrive and rookie Iannuzzo faced more problems than expected. They will start eleventh, thirteenth and nineteenth respectively in the grid, determined to improve their performances. However, today’s results were caused by technical issues. It was a dreadful day and hopefully a one time affair. CHAZ DAVIES | Triumph Daytona 675 | 7th in 1’39.371 : “I reached a good setup, although we could improve suspension wise. However, I think I’ll be battling for the top 5 tomorrow”. DAVID SALOM | Triumph Daytona 675 | 11th in 1’40.408 : “Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good starting position due to a shifter issue in the most crucial part of qualifying. However, I like this track a lot and believe I can score a good result tomorrow, if I make a good start”. MATTHIEU LAGRIVE | Triumph Daytona 675 | 13th in 1’40.648 : “It was a tough day for me due to a few small issues, which didn’t allow me to work as planned. Nonetheless, I am optimistic about the race”. VITTORIO IANNUZZO| Triumph Daytona 675 | 19th in 1’42.088 : “I could only do a few laps today because of another electronic problem which we are looking into. My goal for tomorrow is to make some experience , which should help me be more competitive for the rest of the season”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Joan Flies Solo to take a Front Row Start WSS, Misano, Republic of San Marino, 26 June 2010 With team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara ruled out of the Misano race after suffering from appendicitis Joan Lascorz ended up as the lone official Kawasaki rider at Misano, then qualifying fourth on the grid. Joan had experienced ex-racer Pere Riba acting as his crew chief this weekend and their combination worked well in practice, with Joan making progress all the way. He improved from sixth place on day one to be fourth fastest on the grid after final qualifying today. A front row start at this frequently tight and tricky circuit was an important aim before qualifying started and Joan managed to find a place in the front rank of riders, despite the hot competition at the front of this always competitive class. Katsuaki is recuperating from his recent severe bout of appendicitis at home but is focused on trying to make a recovery in time to race at Brno next time out, on July 11. Fabien Foret (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) was tenth on the grid at his team’s second ‘home’ race of the season. Joan Lascorz: “I had a little problem with tyre choices in the first laps but we found improvements with the bike settings all through qualifying. Our race pace should be OK for the full race distance, but it is difficult to know exactly how the track will be tomorrow, so we will try another new setting in warm-up to see if it is even better. I have Pere as my crew chief and it has been very good; we are working well. The track seems more bumpy and slippery than last year, but maybe not in ever corner. Anyway, I will be going out for the win, just like every time we race.”