PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty will head the second row in fifth place while Miguel Praia starts from 14th on the grid for tomorrow’s opening round of the World Supersport Championship at the picturesque Phillip Island circuit in Australia.
Both riders adapted their Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR race bikes from yesterday and reduced their lap times in the cool but dry qualifying session. Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu will start from pole position. The race starts at 0325 CET on Sunday, March 1st.
Eugene: “On my fast lap I was on for third but ran off-line at the hairpin and ended up fifth; I am happy enough with that, heading the second row is a good place to be. Overnight we changed the gearing and that was a big improvement on my Parkalgar Honda. We also tried a new setting on my rear shock that helped. My riding is right on the pace and I am as consistent as anyone for the race - posting the same lap times as second place Lascorz on race rubber. My launch control is working well and the plan is to get away with the lead group and see what happens. It would be nice to step onto the podium but the top five or six and I’ll be happy.”
Miguel: “My lap time is very good compared to last year and I honestly thought it would have been good enough for the top 10 but I ended up 12th fastest in second qualifying and 14th overall. I am just 2/10ths of a second outside the top 10; that is nothing and I am in a good position to be racing within the top 10 which is my aim. I am happy with the settings on my bike and we made some chassis alterations today to deal with the cooler and windier conditions that worked. I am a better racer than qualifier so I am looking forward to the race.”
Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It has been a strong qualifying result from both riders and a good day for the Parkalgar Honda team. Eugene is right in the thick of it and the top three in the race will come from the top five in qualifying so he has a great chance. Miguel is 1.8secs faster than his best lap last year which is incredible and a big improvement; he should be comfortably in the points and targeting the top 10. We are carrying on the positive momentum from the tests; I am pleased with the whole team effort.”
Final Qualifying

1 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.320
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′34.689
3 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.786
4 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′34.875
5 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′34.962
6 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′35.063
7 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′35.086
8 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1′35.187
9 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.263
10 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1′35.401
14 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′35.680.

EUGENE LAVERTY and Miguel Praia are confident for Sunday’s opening round of the World Supersport Championship after a strong showing by the Parkalgar Honda pair in the first practice and qualifying sessions of the season at Phillip Island in Australia today.

Irishman Laverty is 10th and Portugal’s Praia is 14th after the first dry qualifying session, with both riders slashing their lap times as the day progressed. Honda’s Andrew Pitt is on pole position ahead of tomorrow’s second practice and final qualifying sessions. The race starts at 0325 CET on Sunday, March 1st.
Eugene: “My lap time is good and I am one of the fastest riders who did not test here recently - Harms just edged me but everyone else in front of me had the benefit of a test. We haven’t changed a lot on my Parkalgar Honda since the last test as it feels good but we will alter a few things for tomorrow on the chassis and with the gearing to suit the circuit better. I had a small spill at the Honda Hairpin carrying too much brake into the corner but I am not hurt as it was very slow. I am looking forward to the race and in the cool conditions we can run consistent lap times; the rest of the weekend is set to be cooler so that’s good news.”

Miguel: “Today has been quite good; I am 1.2secs faster than my best lap time of last year already. I still have some work to do with the setting on my bike but it is comfortable and I am improving my riding as well. The window for a quick qualifying lap was quite small and I missed out slightly as the temperature increased in the last 20-minutes and the circuit is faster when cooler. I didn’t score points here last year but that is what I want this time round and I feel it is on the cards and a top 10 is very possible.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It’s been a good opening day to the new season for Parkalgar Honda. The riders may not have tested here but they have already closed the gap on the field and that will reduce tomorrow and will not be a factor in the race. Eugene is still finding his feet and is less than half a second from the front row so I expect him to improve his grid position. Miguel is riding really well and in a much better position than last year. The Parkalgar Honda race bikes look fantastic, the team is working well together and we are in good shape.”
First Qualifying

1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.833
2 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.895
3 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′35.063
4 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1′35.431
5 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′35.469
6 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.589
7 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.641
8 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1′35.644
9 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.778
10 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′35.833
14 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′36.220.

Eugene has spent the week up on the Gold coast of Australia before travelling down to Phillip Island where he caught up with some family who emigrated from Ireland to Australia in the 1950s.

Brother and sister Mick Laverty and Vera Toohey are cousins of Eugene who originally came from the small village of Toomebridge. After living in Australia for over 50 years they haven’t lost their Irish roots as they regularly keep in touch with the Laverty family. Mick especially follows the three Laverty brothers’ (Michael, John and Eugene) racing and is always up to date with the boys’ progress. Vera, Mick and his wife Sandra will make the trip down to Phillip Island to watch and support Eugene this weekend at the first round of the World Supersport Championship.

Eugene stayed at Mick’s place in Yatala for a couple of days and enjoyed lunch in the world famous Yatala Pie Shop. Just before coming down to the Island Eugene made the trip further inland to see Vera at her home a short distance from Beaudesert.

Eugene: “It was really nice to catch up with my relatives during my stay on the Gold Coast. My cousin Mick has really gotten into his racing over the past few years after he visited the Snetterton BSB meeting in 2005 during a holiday to Ireland with his son Michael. It was quite funny that weekend as there were four Michael Lavertys with my dad, my brother, Mick and his son! Vera is older than Mick and attended school in Ireland before moving to Australia so she still has a fair Irish accent. They’re very proud of the achievements of me and my brothers Michael and John so it’s great to have them here supporting me at Phillip Island this weekend.”

Eugene is now down in Phillip Island making his final preparations for the race. To see his race diary entries day by day go to www.bikesportnews.com.

It’s been a long, cold winter back home in Ireland so it sure is nice to be spending the last few weeks of the winter season on the opposite end of the globe and enjoying the last few weeks of Australia’s summer instead! I’ve been taking it fairly easy out here just swimming, cycling and running a little. Of course storms were never too far away. So long as I’m around you’re guaranteed rain! If ever there’s a major drought all you have to do is book me on the next flight out and as easy as that the drought will be no more.

I’m on a flight down from Brisbane to Melbourne then I’ll head on down to Phillip Island to meet up with the team. It’s so nice to be back working with ‘The Dream Team’ again. I worked with most of the mechanics back in my Red Bull Rookie days and those were three great years. Brains, Mark, Danny and Phil were all part of The Dream Team. I can’t believe I’m reminiscing already! Ah, to be young again. One major bonus of having Brains on my side of the garage is that he has a drawer in his toolbox filled with sweets, MAJOR bonus. I remember back in 2006 we all had the new (at the time) Sony PSPs so many an evening was filled going head to head in Toca Touring Cars. Good times.

Tomorrow I’ll get myself ready for the weekend ahead. I’ve been waiting so long for round one to come around and at last it’s here. It’s been three years since I last entered a season knowing I could win races and thankfully I’m back with a team that is capable of putting me on the top step again. My plan for the Phillip Island is to start the season with a top 5 finish, I’ll be happy with that as the other guys have been here testing. Of course if I can land a podium or have a shot at the win come the final lap then I’ll be hanging it out but the most important thing is to start the season with a decent haul of points. Nobody wants a big fat 0 stuck beside their name in the points table while the rest of the guys have beautiful double figures beside theirs.

Wish me luck and I hope you manage to stay awake to watch the race live in the wee hours!

Eugene

THE Parkalgar Honda World Supersport team travels to Australia for the opening round of the 2009 World Championship in confident mood after a strong winter testing and development programme.
The first practice and qualifying sessions taking place at the dramatic Phillip Island track near Melbourne on Friday 27th February before the racing starts in earnest on Sunday March 1st.
After two excellent pre-season tests, both Irishman Eugene Laverty and Portuguese ace Miguel Praia are upbeat about their chances at the opening round. They are ably supported by a much improved Honda CBR600RR that the Parkalgar Honda technicians have fine tuned over the winter months.
With one of the strongest World Supersport fields in years, it will not be easy for the Parkalgar Honda racers and all the action can be watched live as it happens on www.worldsbk.com.
Eugene Laverty

“The waiting is almost over for me and I can’t wait to get on track and competing for a Championship. After two years on an uncompetitive 250cc GP bike it is brilliant to be racing a competitive four-stroke again and with a team that I have the utmost confidence and faith in.
“I know Phillip Island so hopefully I can adapt quickly to the track and be near the front from the start. I hope that I can come away with a decent haul of points or maybe even a podium finish. One thing’s for sure, my Championship challenge starts here and I’ll be giving it my all.”
Miguel Praia

“I am now 100 per cent ready to go racing and very motivated after my winter preparations. For sure it will be a hard race, especially with a few of our competitors testing just beforehand, but we are in good shape and I think it will be a lot better for the team than last year.
“I have never achieved a top 10 finish in Supersport and that is my first goal. I came close with 12th at the last round in 2008 at Parkalgar and feel it will come soon and my main target for the opening round is to score that top 10 I want so much.”
Simon Buckmaster, Team Manager

“The talking stops now and the racing starts. It is what we have worked all winter for and I think the team is in its best ever condition, with Eugene highly motivated for the title chase and Miguel riding at the very top of his game. Both riders like the new bike and the team has done an awesome job preparing them over the winter. It’ll be a tough opener for us but it’s a podium and top 10 that we are after and there’s no reason we cannot achieve that.”

I’ve been in Australia for three days now and I’ve still not found any sort of sleeping pattern! It’ll come soon enough. Johnny Rea was on my flight over from Dubai to Melbourne so it was nice to have company on the long haul. We booked the same flights by chance then him and his mate Gaz were allocated the seats directly behind me and Pippa. They moved in beside us so it made the journey feel that bit shorter.Typically I’ve brought poor weather with me to the Gold Coast, there’s a storm kicking off right now. Last year I brought rain to every GP bar Qatar and Misano and one of those is in the desert. Then when I switched to World Supersport it rained for the most part of Donington and Vallelunga. Before then the supersport boys had only seen one session of rain the entire season! So don’t be surprised if you tune in to watch Phillip Island and it’s hammering it down, it’s because I’m in attendance. If I was to compete in AMA they’d never have a race!

I’m enjoying my stay on the Gold Coast, there are two outdoor Olympic-sized pools round the corner and nobody’s ever in so it’s great. Just four dollars in for any member of the public, the locals don’t realise what they’ve got. Today we went to Wet‘n’Wild which was good fun; I’d never been to a water theme park before so that’s another thing ticked off my list of things to do before I die. Just a few left including eating a five course meal backwards. I’ve still never managed to get round to that.

I’m gonna be here for another four days before I head down to Phillip Island. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Stiggy and Althea guys lap times at the test, the Ten Kate and Yamaha boys started testing today so I’ll tune in later to see who finishes on top. I do hope the rain stays away next weekend so as I get some dry track time to catch up on the others. What’ll be will be.

I’ll stop by again before round one.

Eugene

What a great week it’s been. I loved my time in Majorca and I’ll certainly try to get back in the summer. It was a week of simple pleasures with each day consisting of breakfast, cycling, lunch, more cycling, dinner then internet or a DVD. Life just doesn’t get any better than that! I wish we had Mediterranean weather back home; instead we have snow which is useless without a ski lift. Sure, I could walk up the hill and ski down but I’d find it hard to justify that to myself. A ten minute hike for one minute of skiing? It just wouldn’t be worth it.

Everything ran fairly smoothly with reasonable weather and I didn’t have a single hiccup with my hired bike. We covered 440km over five days of riding with a 150km ride on the final day. That was a mammoth ride for me; I’d never ridden more than 100km before so I felt rather fatigued over the last hour! I often had two lunches per day but at times it was tough to find a restaurant that was open. Many of the places we rode through appeared to be ghost towns, Majorca aint exactly a packed house in the winter. Thankfully I didn’t have to resort to hunting in the woods which is probably a good thing. The last time I used a rifle was at a pre-GP event in Misano and I missed the target by 20 feet which fell just short of nailing the bystanders on the bridge above.

On Friday I will attend the Belfast Bike Show at the King’s Hall along with Johnny Rea. I remember the last time we were at the show together, it was held in the Odyssey so in between our stints on stage we headed upstairs to the cinema along with motocross rider Martin Barr for an afternoon movie! Good times. I will head off to Australia with Pippa on Sunday to spend a week on the Gold Coast before Phillip Island. This will be my longest flight yet as I’ve never flown directly to or from Australia. In Grand Prix Japan was before Australia and Malaysia after so the journey was split but this time it’s the full hog! It’s gotta be done though.

Until next time, see ya.

Eugene

Before jetting off to Australia for the first round of the World Supersport championship Eugene Laverty and his brother Michael have traded in snow, wind and their turbo trainers for a week cycling on the roads of Mallorca. For months Eugene has been stuck in his gym on his turbo trainer in Northern Ireland. Now armed with all the kit, his full carbon Massi, his new Garmin Forerunner 305 and enough Assos chamois cream to last months, we caught up with him on his First day out to see how he was getting on.

“I arrived in Mallorca on February 3 for a week’s training before I head off to Australia for the first round of the season. Joining me on the trip is my brother Michael and his friend Simon. Chaz Davies was booked to come as well but he hasn’t been able to make it over. I flew into London last weekend as I had a few things on then hooked up with the other two to catch a flight to Mallorca. Unfortunately that meant I wasn’t able to bring my Ridley bike with me so I’ve had to hire one from Pro Cycle Hire which is based just off the seafront in Puerto Pollensa. Our apartment is within walking distance of the shop so it’s pretty convenient. I’ve never heard of the manufacturer before it’s a full carbon Massi. I chose it over a Giant as the Massi has compact gearing, much easier for the climbs. ”

“The Tour of Mallorca begins on Sunday so we’ve been seeing a few of the pros out and about on the road this week, just today we seen the Milram team. I don’t think I’m quite ready to grab onto their shirttails just yet though! It’s nice to be able to rack up the miles outdoors this week as I’ve been on the turbo trainer all winter. The weather back home is depressing during the winter months so it’ll make a nice change to cycle under sunshine in February! Riding here feels like more of a reward for all those winter turbo miles than it does training. We’re racking up around 100 kilometres per day only stopping to grab some lunch. So we’re certainly not here on a jolly. I’m looking forward to tackling a few of the climbs I’ve seen on www.majorcacycling.com which look good. I’ve got my eye on the Orient-Route and the Randa-Route. I enjoy the flats as much as anything though; I don’t really need to be a climber to ride a CBR600!”

How will cycling improve your fitness for racing your motorbike?
“The weather allows me to put in a lot of hours in a weeks riding here so I want to further lower my working heart rate. Already I bought it down by 15bpm on the turbo over the winter so that will equate to a lower effort when racing my Honda.”

What similarities do they have?
“The riding position is quite similar, and on descents we have a good feel for the limit of the tyre grip. Also the work effort on training rides is similar to motorcycling.”

What do you enjoy most about cycling?
“I enjoy the winding picturesque mountain roads, they were amazing in Granada. In professional cycling it’s fascinating how much goes on that we don’t see at home. The guys at the top are analytical; Armstrong and Cavendish are ultimate perfectionists. “

Eugene will be out in Mallorca for a full week. For constant updates on his progress tune into his Twitter (on his home page) which he personal updates daily.

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty left the official World Supersport test at the Parkalgar Algarve Motor Park circuit near Portimao in Portugal on a high and in sixth place overall.

The Irish rider has been adapting well to his new team and his all new 2009 CBR600RR Honda Supersport machine.

Having spent two seasons racing in 250 GPs Laverty had to get his head round a very different machine. He said: “I’ve not ridden a Supersport bike since 2006 and the geometry in the new Honda is totally different to how it was then. It almost felt like a different machine entirely so we just had to get the balance right. Initially I was struggling to understand the bike then we went in a totally different direction and it worked. It was then a case of digging in and working more on learning the bike. We made a lot of progress at the official test.”

The Parkalgar Honda team tested the 2008 bikes in November and then hit the ground running with the 2009 bike at Almeria before taking in the official test giving Laverty a chance to weight up both bikes.

He continued: “The 2008 bike is very similar to the 2009 one there really isn’t much of a difference. We are definitely up to scratch on the speed front with the 2009 bike we’ve got the same pace as the opposition so that is good. The throttle response is really smooth and better than when we tested the 2008 bike back in November. Having been on 250’s for two seasons I’ve had to change my riding style a bit and with my Parkalgar Honda I need to carry more corner speed.”

With two tests under his belt the Irish man is brimming with confidence. Laverty said: “I’m definitely confident after the official test. Everything has improved we’ve got a great electronics package too with Motec and the traction control is working well. We are not lacking anywhere it is a good package all round. We’ve solved all the problems that we set out to solve and I can’t wait for Phillip Island. I think my Parkalgar Honda will work well in the long fast corners.”

I arrived in Mallorca last night along with my brother Michael and a friend of Michael’s called Simon. We’re all set for a week’s cycling under sunny skies and if today’s weather is anything to go by we’re in for a treat. We’re staying in Puerto Pollensa which is a really nice spot by the sea.

Things have been really hectic recently; I was in Sligo for the launch of WRC Ireland and met Sebastian Loeb which was pretty cool. On Saturday I was in London for a casual photoshoot with Red Bull before heading over to watch the supercross at the O2 Arena. The racing was really good this year with the American kid Zach Osbourne taking it to the old hand Mike Brown. On Sunday I attended the London Excel Bike Show before heading up to Leon Haslam’s place for trials riding on Monday. The snow was laid five inches thick yet Leon was itching to get going first thing, keen as mustard he is. Nevertheless I had a great day along with Johnny Rea, Cal Crutchlow, Tom Sykes, Leon, Ron and a few mates all out freezing our nuts off. Most of us should know better with Phillip Island coming up in just a few weeks time but hey, we all survived!

I’m really looking forward to seven days of cycling on the road, the last time I braved the Irish roads was back in November. I’m looking forward to cycling both sides of lunch, just stopping off in a little restaurant some place to refuel. I’m always hungry so I enjoy the food stops very much. The Tour of Mallorca starts on Sunday so who knows, if my legs are feeling good I may just put in for a late entry!

I haven’t had much time at home recently; I haven’t spent a single weekend at home since the end of December. My next weekend at home will be in March so I’ll look forward to that; my local cinema will be missing me badly right now. I’ll try to update my ‘twitter’ regularly throughout the week but it’s difficult as I haven’t yet got my iPhone which will allow me to put posts up whilst on the move.

I’m off to pick up my bike now, I’ve had to hire one as I couldn’t get mine over here due to the fact that I would have had to cart it around London all bloody weekend. Michael and Simon have brought their own so they’re already out pedalling while I’m sat here itching to get going!

I’ll stop by again next week when I return home.

Eugene