FIM SuperSport World Championship Monza, Italy May 6, 2012 Race Results (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jules CLUZEL, France (Honda CBR600RR), 16 laps, 33:08.897 2. Sam Lowes, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -0.312 second, ran off track 3. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -17.369 seconds, crash 4. Imre TOTH, Hungary (Honda CBR600RR), -21.528 5. Stefano CRUCIANI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -29.469 6. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (Triumph Daytona 675), -32.214 7. Massimo ROCCOLI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -43.577 8. Andrea ANTONELLI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -43.949 9. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (Triumph Daytona 675), -47.455 10. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -47.826 11. Jed METCHER, Australia (Yamaha YZF-R6), -50.880 12. Fabien FORET, France (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -60.681 13. Luca MARCONI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -61.139 14. Kieran CLARKE, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -65.160 15. Martin JESSOPP, UK (Honda CBR600RR), -65.208 16. Roberto TAMBURINI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -70.453 17. Mirko GIANSANTI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -76.756 18. Josh DAY, USA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -81.270 19. Giovanni ALTOMONTE, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -88.024 20. Roberto ANASTASIA, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -88.403 21. Fabio MENGHI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -108.237, ran off track 22. Dino LOMBARDI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -119.036 23. Valentine DEBISE, France (Honda CBR600RR), -120.983 24. Thomas CAIANI, Switzerland (Honda CBR600RR), -1 lap 25. Yves POLZER, Austria (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 26. Eduard BLOKHIN, Russia (Yamaha YZF-R6), -1 lap 27. Romain LANUSSE, France (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -1 lap, DNF 28. Broc PARKES, Australia (Honda CBR600RR), -3 laps, DNF, crash 29. Cristiano ERBACCI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R6), -8 laps, DNF, crash 30. Ilario DIONISI, Italy (Honda CBR600RR), -10 laps, DNF, retired 31. Vladimir LEONOV, Russia (Yamaha YZF-R6), -11 laps, DNF, crash 32. Mathew SCHOLTZ, South Africa (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, crash 33. Balazs NEMETH, Hungary (Honda CBR600RR), -11 laps, DNF, crash 34. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -13 laps, DNF, crash 35. Ronan QUARMBY, South Africa (Honda CBR600RR), -15 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 13 races): 1. Sofuoglu, 61 points 2. Lowes, 51 3. Foret, 49 4. Cluzel, 48 5. Baldolini, 34 6. Parkes, 29 7. Leonov, 26 8. TIE, Lorenzo Lanzi/Quarmby/Iannuzzo/Antonelli, 25 More, from a press release issued by Bogdanka PTR Honda: BOGDANKA PTR HONDA’s Sam Lowes finished a close second in the fourth round of the World Supersport Championship at a wet Monza in Italy and moves up to second in the overall standings with his home race at Donington Park next weekend. Lowes led for seven of the 16 laps before running off the track in the Ascari chicane and making a dramatic come back. Having chased down the leader, PTR Honda’s Jules Cluzel, the Briton made a last corner pass for the lead to finish a close second, just 0.3 of a second from the Frenchman. Mathew Scholtz on the other Bogdanka PTR Honda was fighting for sixth position after starting from his season’s best eighth on the grid before crashing out of the race uninjured on lap six. Bogdanka Honda PTR’s Kieran Clarke scored points with a 14th place finish on his World Supersport debut standing in for the injured Pawel Szkopek with round five next weekend at Donington Park in the UK. Sam Lowes: “It was a good race. I enjoyed it. I made a mistake but apart from that it was really good and my Bogdanka PTR Honda worked fantastic; I felt great on it. We’ve been fast all weekend so we’re getting closer. The conditions were very tricky but I had no problems with it and felt really good on the bike. Having been fast all weekend and taken a close second today it’s a good boost ahead of my home race at Donington Park next weekend. I love Donington, I’m fast there so I hope for a good weekend and will be doing my best again.” Mathew Scholtz: “I didn’t have the best of starts but I was making my way forward. Then, braking to the second chicane, I lost the front while still fully upright and that was it. We had a good pace all weekend and took our season’s best grid position with eighth so there are positives to take to next weekend at Donington. It’s a circuit I’ve raced in the past and scored my first podium, so I hope I can keep on improving and have a good weekend there.” Simon Buckmaster, Bogdanka PTR Honda Team Manager: “It was a great race from Sam. He was leading when he made a mistake and lost some ground but fought back. At the end he just ran wide at Parabolica and took a very good second place. He’s closed the Championship gap to 10-points and is in a superb position going to his home round at Donington next weekend. Mathew has ridden very well all weekend and is disappointed to have crashed out while fighting for sixth. It is his first season at this level though so he can take a lot of positives from his performance and we look forward to see what he can do at Donington.” Kieran Clarke: “It was a tough race. It was really wet on the start but then it stopped raining and with a few laps to go a dry line started to appear in some parts. That changed the dynamics completely but it was good to score points in my World Supersport debut. It was a last minute call to stand in for Pawel and it’s been a while since I rode a 600, so it wasn’t an easy weekend but I’m very happy with the result and hope we can carry that into Donington and do a good job there too.” More, from a press release issued by PTR Honda: PTR HONDA’S Jules Cluzel took a brilliant first World Supersport Championship win in treacherous conditions at the fourth round at Monza in Italy – just edging his PTR team mate Sam Lowes on a Bogdanka liveried bike at the chequered flag. Ronan Quarmby was third on the opening lap and looking strong before crashing out midway through the second lap in the wet but drying conditions. Riders PTR Honda’s Martin Jessopp starting from 25th finished 15th to score his first World Championship points. The fifth round of the World Championship is at Donington in the UK next Sunday 13th May. Jules: “I am so happy. That was a really good race although it felt very long. First I did a good start and tried to get a feel for the bike, to see what I could do. When I saw Parkes crash, I pulled behind Sam and I just tried to follow him thinking to finish the race. For me I wanted a podium, then I saw Sam go straight on. Leading is more difficult than following as you can make mistakes. I tried not to make mistakes and checked my pit board. I saw Sam closing slowly and then in the last two laps he closed a lot. I thought he might try to pass me on the brakes on the last corner so I braked a little later than before and he came inside me. I thought he might struggle to hold his line and he did. I did not expect to win. I know Donington and hope that it is dry for next weekend. I want to say thank you to PTR for giving me a bike capable of winning – thank you so much.” Martin: “I’ve got my first point at last! Starting that far back on the grid did me no favours and I lost positions as I was boxed in on the first lap. I found my groove after three laps and then I was matching the times for sixth and seventh place. I caught a lot of people in front of me and got up to 14th but was drafted to the line and finished 15th. I am now quite confident going to a home round at Donington next week.” Ronan: “I got a great start and was up at the front right away and feeling good. I was surprised by the high side on the second lap and it is a real pity as I was feeling good and thinking I could get a decent result. There are a lot of positives though and I am pleased to be back fighting at the front.” Simon Buckmaster, PTR Honda Team Manager: “Well done to Jules, he got a good wet set up this morning and rode a great controlled race from start to finish. Even when Sam was coming back at him he kept his head. Ronan high-sided and crashed but he is riding so much better he can take a lot of positives to Donington. Martin got a point from not a great start but kept fighting – he can build from there. “It was a great race for the entire PTR team so well done to every single member on what is the team’s best ever result. Now we go to our home round at Donington to see what we can achieve there.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sofuoglu Ten Points Clear After Podium At Monza WSS, Monza, Italy, 6 May 2012 Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) survived an early scare and a treacherous track surface to take third place at Monza, and in doing so put himself into a clear championship lead. Sofuoglu fell on the wet warm-up lap and had to compose himself before the 16-lap race got underway. Despite having less than perfect preparation for full wet conditions he rode with confidence, despite slipping back at the halfway point, but he hunted down Imre Toth to secure his podium and 16 very welcome points. He is now ten points ahead of Sam Lowes, who was second today behind race winner Jules Cluzel, with 61 points to the English rider’s 51. Former joint leader Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) was only 12th today in truly horrible track conditions and this Fabien is now third in the points, with 49. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) was in a good position until a slippery patch claimed him and he was highsided off. He was lucky to not be injured as his bike bounced back out onto the track after hitting the barriers and he will be ready to race again at Donington next weekend. Sheridan is now 13th in the points, with 17. Kenan Sofuoglu: “I was happy in dry conditions and everything was perfect with our set-up for that. We did not make a really wet practice; only for the last five minutes when the track was wet. We tried something in the morning for those conditions and it worked out. I was just hoping we could get really good points before the race, even in wet conditions, but then I crashed on the warm-up lap. I crashed too easily and I was thinking that there was no grip on the track. At the beginning of the race I was too slow, after half the race I was getting the speed up but already Cluzel and Lowes had pulled a big gap. I knew third position was possible so lap-by-lap I caught up with Toth and passed him for good points. I think we should be quite happy to get this kind of results in these conditions.” Sheridan Morais: “It was dodgy conditions but the thing we are worried about the most was standing water, but that did not seem to be much of a problem. We had only been able to do a few laps in wet conditions but in the race there we not too many issues. Unfortunately I had a bit of a highside and that put me out but I was feeling pretty good before that. The bike came back out of the barrier and hit me pretty hard, so I am banged and bruised up but luckily nothing is broken.” More, from a press release issued by Power by Suriano Team: Power team by Suriano establish itself as one of the protagonist team of the Supersport world championship after the two major performances of Alex Baldolini and Vittorio Iannuzzo. The two Italian riders ended a wet race with a sixth and a ninth place. A result that allow to Alex Baldolini to rise the ranking to the fifth position and to Iannuzzo to the eight in cohabitation together with Lanzi and Quarmby. But there’s no time to enjoy the outcome since the next weekend is time for the fifth round in Donington Park where the chances for bad weather conditions are pretty high. Vittorio Iannuzzo Triumph Daytona 675 #31 – “It’s been a planned round. After the first laps during which I gained confidence with the track’s conditions I began to boost up overtaking positions until the eight place. I was fighting with Roccoli but when there were a few laps left I let him go because I didn’t want to take any chances like the last round in Assen. It’s already time to think about the next round in Donington where I hope in a better weather so that to increase the feeling with the bike and so that we can work on the new suspensions on a dry track as well.” Alex Baldolini Triumph Daytona 675 #25 – “With this conditions we showed off that we can hit the podium but unfortunately my starting position didn’t allow to immediately hook the leading group. During the first laps I gained some positions but then I was overtook by a few riders and that led me to increase the rhythm. Once I recognize that it would have been impossible for me to hook the others I gave up and safely kept important points for the ranking.The next weekend is time for Donington, a track that I know pretty well. This is going to help me to immediately hit the right setting and to aim high”. Antonio “Ninetto” Suriano – team owner – “We’ve done an excellent job in a really tough situation, since we had to understand the track conditions at the very last moments. I want to give credits especially to my two riders that not only showed how fast they can be, but to have a great sense of tactical plan. There’s only the “high pitch” left to hit now. I really hope to strike it very soon”.