Parkalgar Honda rider’s, Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia, completed free practice for round four of the World Supersport Championship at Assen in fourth and 14th places respectively. Joan Lascorz aboard his Kawasaki set the fastest time of the day with a 1min 41.650sec lap time.
The well known 4.5km track was bathed in sunshine for the first session of the weekend and both riders worked on set-ups they had tested at Valencia. The hard work put in there has certainly paid off with Eugene settling into the front row and Miguel almost achieving a top ten position.
The fourth round of the World Supersport Championship at Assen starts at 1320 CET on Sunday, April 26th and can be watched live on www.worldsbk.com.
Eugene: “That was a pretty good start. I usually start the first session of the weekend in about 14th place so fourth is much better and where I want to be. The chassis is almost there already and that is thanks to what we learned at Valencia. We were able to come here and have the bike working how I want it almost immediately. I’ll be chasing pole position tomorrow but it has to be all about the race. I want to get plenty of laps in on my tyres and aim for the front row which will set us up nicely for the race.”
Miguel: “It was a steady start but it was still good. I’m not feeling 100 per cent at the moment as I have a small cold but already I have improved on my best lap time from last year. I know we have more to come from my Parkalgar Honda and we are close to where we want to be. So far I have not been pushing so I am confident I can improve for tomorrow.”
Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “That was a very good session and a positive one. We are just building up gradually and I know there is still more to come from both riders and machines. I feel Eugene will be challenging for the front row tomorrow and the win on Sunday. Miguel is within touching distance of the top ten I’m sure he will pull it out of the bag tomorrow. All in all a very positive start.”
Free practice times
1. Lascorz J (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′41.650
2. Crutchlow C (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′41.869
3. Pirro M (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′42.081
4. Laverty E (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′42.164
5. McCoy G (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1′42.168
6. West A (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′42.427
7. Sofuoglu K (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′42.428
8. Veneman B (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1′42.490
9. Pitt A (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′42.655
10. Aitchison M (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′42.659
14. Praia M (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′43.032
For further up dates on the Parkalgar Honda team please visit www.parkalgar-honda.com.
