HONDA World Supersport star Eugene Laverty is looking to back-up his win at the last round with a strong result at Valencia in Spain this weekend and add momentum to his Championship challenge.

Portuguese Parkalgar Honda ace Miguel Praia is keen to compete for the top 10 race positions at a circuit he likes after a strong result of 12^th in Qatar at the last round. The third round of the World Supersport Championship at Valencia starts at 1320 CET on Sunday, April 5^th and can be watched live on www.worldsbk.com. A new single practice session takes place on Friday with two qualifying sessions on Saturday in a cost-cutting exercise by the organisers.

Eugene

“I am looking to back-up my win with a solid result at Valencia. I am aiming for the podium and a win would be a bonus. The important thing is that I am mixing it with Pitt, Sofuoglu and Crutchlow in the race so that the Championship remains on target. Before the season Valencia was not a circuit I pinpointed to win the race, although with the speed of my Parkalgar Honda that is a possibility. I have raced a lot at Valencia and there shouldn’t be any major issues. It’s been a nice couple of weeks off since the last race and I’ve covered around 500kms on my bike and kept my training up. There has been a lot of media attention since winning the last race but I must confess I believed I could win and I’ve slept well since.”

Miguel

“I am very motivated for the Valencia race and have been training hard, I now weigh just 62kgs, the lowest weight I have raced at and the lowest weight I can remember since being a teenager. I am fully prepared and I feel me, the bike and my Parkalgar Honda team deserve to be in the top 10, which is the target for me. Valencia as a circuit is very different to Qatar and Phillip Island so it will be interesting to see how the bike works there but traditionally it has been a good circuit for us. I am really looking forward to the race this weekend.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager

“Eugene showed what he and the Parkalgar Honda are capable of last time out and now he needs to keep the pressure up. The team scored a podium at Valencia last year and we have good data on the circuit so we will be giving Eugene all the support we can. We are focusing on the long haul Championship title race now and we need good results at every circuit if we want to be in the reckoning when we come to our home circuit in Portugal in October. Miguel scored a point at Valencia in 2008 and is in a much better position in 2009. The top 10 is achievable for him and this could be the weekend he cracks it.”

Eugene speaks with Jim Race of MotoGPod following his debut World Championship victory. Scroll along 58 minutes into the latest episode #169 and listen to the in-depth interview at www.motogpod.com.

On Saturday afternoon I stood on the spot marked 1. Last year I didn’t make it past lap 1 in Qatar! What a difference a year makes. The weekend ran perfectly as I creeped my way up the order session on session. I qualified P2 behind Cal and made a decent start in the race but the rest of the front row had mega launches. I was P4 when we hit the brakes into turn one but I was leading by the entry to turn two. That was a decisive moment in the race and I led for the first half of the race before I slipped back to have a look at the other guys. I sized them up before hitting the front again with a few laps to go. Andrew Pitt give me my full of it but my engine had the edge on his on the final straight which allowed me to take the win.

There was some confusion with my pit signals but I’ll not say much about that. Basically the ‘1′ beside the ‘P’ was slightly different to the rest of the 1 collection and at 200kph it looked like a 7! It confused me but I put it to the back of my mind and concentrated on winning on track. As I crossed the line I was pretty subdued thinking I’d finished 7th! Obviously I was aware that nobody had finished infront of me but I kept wondering if I may have incurred a time penalty for any reason. It wasn’t the way I pictured my debut World Championship victory but nevertheless it was an incredible feeling once I realised the 25 points belonged to me.

This week has been pretty cool. On Monday night I went to the cinema with my friends, I was too tired for Sunday cinema club so we postponed it one day. Michael and I went motocrossing on Wednesday with our mate Tubman and it was simply fantabulous. The past few days have been rather problematic though. On Thursday I got very little cycling done but I called over to the local cycling shop to fix my rear wheel ahead of Friday’s cycle. Twenty minutes in on Friday I knew it was going to be one of those days as Michael and I had to tend to my rear wheel again. She wasn’t fixed yet so we cycled an hour and a half to the cycle shop to buy a new tyre which finally sorted it for good! Hopefully tomorrow will be problem free. There’s talk of the boys heading out tomorrow night to celebrate my debut win so that should be fun. We plan to go trials riding on Sunday though so she’ll only be a wee un.

Thanks for all your kind comments via the website; I’ll try to keep the victories coming!

Eugene

Following Eugene’s debut World Championship victory his official t shirts are now available to purchase online. EugeneLaverty.com has teamed up with the guys at freestyleXtreme to provide a great service to Eugene’s fans worldwide, making it quick and easy to purchase merchandise at the click of a button. The t shirts are currently available in sizes Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Check out the ‘Shop’ section for images of the official t shirt. If you like what you see simply click on the image to take you through to freestylextreme.com and get buying!

IRELAND’S Eugene Laverty celebrated his and the Parkalgar Honda team’s first World Supersport race victory at the second round of the Championship in Qatar – and revealed that he was confused by his pit board signals and didn’t realise he had won until World Champion Andrew Pitt told him during the cool-down lap.

Eugene led for 13 of the 18-laps and enjoyed a race-long battle with two World Champions - Andrew Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu - finally winning the most dramatic of races in a last dash to the line. Parkalgar Honda Portuguese ace Miguel Praia took 12^th. The third round of the Championship takes place at Valencia in Spain on Sunday 5^th April.

Eugene: “I was a little confused by my pit board and mid-race I thought it said seventh. I dropped back from the lead and it said fourth so I got back on the pace. When I led again I read seventh and I just decided to get my head down and do my best to win on the track and see what happened later; so it wasn’t until the second turn on the cool-down lap when Andrew Pitt congratulated me on the victory that I realised I had won. We had discussed my pit-board signals before the race and it was my mistake and it’ll not happen again. It was a strange race because it was a lot easier to drive and follow than lead; but my Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR is brilliant and I was able to get good drive and pass Andrew early on the straight on the last lap to win. It is unbelievable that for the last couple of years I have been fighting for points and now I am winning a race on my second attempt with Parkalgar Honda and challenging for a World title. All I can say is thank you to the whole Parkalgar Honda team, Simon, Brains, everyone – not to mention the Parkalgar circuit, Ohlins, Motec and all the team partners. I dedicate this win to Craig Jones who did all the work bringing the team to this level.”

Miguel: “It was important for me that I finish the race after having two crashes in qualifying in just 10 minutes. That meant I didn’t have a good chance at qualifying and starting from 14^th was always going to be difficult in the race. I settled down into the race focussed on finishing but found I had good pace. I think I could have competed with the group in front fighting for seventh if I had got away a little quicker but overall I am happy with a good 12^th place. This has rebuilt my confidence for the next round at Valencia and I will see what I can do there.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “I can’t say enough good things about Eugene. At one point in the race he was looking over his shoulder and I wondered what he was doing – it turns out he was comfortable on the bike. He kept his cool under the most enormous pressure and won, it was a fantastic ride. What a job the boys in the team did to put the Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR under him, well done to Brains and the whole squad, I am proud of them all. It was a great team effort and I cannot thank our sponsors enough, in particular Paulo Pinheiro at the Parkalgar circuit because without him none of this would be possible. I am also pleased for Miguel finishing 12^th, equalling his best result of last year at only the second race in 2009. His confidence is back and he beat a lot of good riders and race winners today. I think he can take heart from that and go to Valencia realistically targeting the top 10 or maybe even a little better.”

Race Results

1 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 37′06.285 (156,595 kph)
2 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.063
3 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.625
4 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 0.711
5 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 5.200
6 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 5.233
7 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 9.538
8 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 9.551
9 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 9.616
10 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 12.159
12 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 17.611

Championship Positions (after two of 14-rounds)

1 Pitt 40

2: Sofuoglu 38

3: LAVERTY, PARKALGAR HONDA 36

4: Crutchlow 29

5: West 23

6: Lagrive 15

7: Roccoli 15

8: Harms 12

9: Aitchison 11

10: McCoy 11

16: PRAIA, PARKALGAR HONDA 4.

Check out Eugene’s final diary entry on bikesportnews.com following his debut victory in the World Supersport Championship.

PARKALGAR HONDA ace Eugene Laverty backed up claims that he is a potential race winner with actions at the second round of the World Supersport Championship in Qatar by taking second place on the grid behind Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow.

Miguel Praia crashed his Parkalgar Honda twice in final qualifying but was unhurt and eventually finished in 14^th. The race at the Losail circuit takes place on Saturday 14^th March at 1125 CET.

Eugene: “I am happy with everything about my Parkalgar Honda and qualifying, it is good, even my race pace. I haven’t completed a full race distance run but very close to it and the rear tyre is fine, we have been working on the front and made that tyre choice as well. Between sessions we concentrated on the front end of the bike and rather than making a small one-step change we made a larger two step change in the direction we think is best and it worked perfectly. We have changed the chassis and geometry to add more weight to the front for improved feel and better turning in the tighter areas of the track. It’s hard to believe that Cal Crutchlow and I qualified and finished together in Phillip Island and we have qualified together again. I’m looking forward to the race.”

Miguel: “I set my best qualifying lap early in the session on a used tyre and then had two crashes. In both crashes I went in to the corners too hot and I am sorry to my crew for the damage to the bikes and the extra work it means for them to repair them. I am disappointed with these crashes but lucky to be uninjured and will make the most of 14^th on the grid. I like this circuit, my Parkalgar Honda is good and I really do think the top 10 is achievable.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “What a mega job by Eugene. On ideal times combining the best sectors of each rider he would have been on pole position. His race pace is right at the front along with Sofuoglu, Pitt, Crutchlow and maybe Foret; the winner I expect will come from this group and Eugene has a great chance. Miguel crashed twice but is perfectly OK and has matched his best ever qualifying of 14^th so is well placed for scoring points in the race and hopefully getting in the top 10. It’s going to be an exciting and close race.”

Final Qualifying

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2′01.586
2 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 2′01.629
3 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2′01.810
4 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.266
5 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′02.282
6 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.450
7 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 2′02.497
8 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.592
9 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 2′02.634
10 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.656
14 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 2′03.098.

Parkalgar Honda’s pairing of Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia put in a solid performance during first qualifying for round two of the World Supersport Championship at Losail in Qatar, with Laverty grabbing seventh and Praia finishing in fourteenth position.

Both riders vastly improved their lap times from free practice and have a direction in which to go for tomorrow’s second qualifying where they are hoping to secure front-row starts. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow took provisional pole position with a time of 2min 2.634secs. The World Supersport race starts at 11:25 CET on Saturday 14^th March.

Eugene: “The session finished well as I am seventh and, provisionally, on the second row of the grid. I’m happy with how things are progressing as we have been working through different tyre options. I started out on a hard tyre and then went for the softer one which was an improvement. I took a big chunk off my lap time from free practice this morning and I’ve dropped my time by around three seconds, so we are definitely getting there. We have a few changes to make to the front end of my Parkalgar Honda and I know once we get that how I want it I will feel even more confident than I do at the moment. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Miguel: “All of the session I was pretty competitive and I stayed near the front for a long time, it was only at the end that I dropped my position. We were working on adjusting the bike for the race and I put in a lot of fast, consistent laps at a good pace. My Parkalgar Honda is fast and I know I can run race distance. Tomorrow we will concentrate on lap times. I’m very happy with the session, my position of fourteenth isn’t so good but I will work on that tomorrow.”

Simon Buckmaster, Team Manager Parkalgar Honda: ”That session went well for us. Eugene is just 0.48secs off pole, we are just chipping away at the lap times and we are looking in good shape for the race. Miguel is just 0.7secs off the pace and I know he will improve tomorrow. This circuit improves on the second day and we have a few changes to try so we will be improving too. We will be aiming for the front row tomorrow and I think we are in good shape.”

First Qualifying

1 C. Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2′02.634

2 F. Foret (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2′02.772

3 K. Sofuoglu (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.883

4 M. Lagrive (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2′02.950

5 M. Aitchison (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2′03.065

6 J. Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2′03.111

7 E. Laverty (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 2′03.114

8 G. McCoy (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 2′03.177

9 A. West (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2′03.253

10 A. Pitt (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 2′03.282

14 M. Praia (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 2′03.410

‘Laverty has a chance to be world champion’. Big statement that, isn’t it? Everyone out there has a chance I guess, all you have to do is score more points over the course of the season than the rest. Sounds simple, the problem is everyone’s trying to do the same thing! There are thirteen rounds still to go so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

 Why is it at this point everyone always says it’s a long season, but come the halfway point they say it has flown by? We never learn, and of course come the end of the season we’ll all say, “It’s hard to believe the season’s over, it seems like just yesterday we were in Phillip Island.” You know it’s true! With the WSB calendar having three races before BSB and MotoGP even kick off we’re gonna be in the midst of the season before we know it.

I was gutted that Daytona was not live on television screens this year, I remember watching it live in the past. Nevertheless I followed things online and Michael had a much better Daytona than his 9th position might have suggested. In the race his fastest lap time was just 0.3 from that of Mladin, the problem was that he lost a lot of time on lap 2 with a brake problem. He was the only privateer mixing it with the big boys so things could get quite interesting if Michael continues in AMA.

My time back home was spent recovering then training for a few days before I left for Qatar. I didn’t go to the track today (Tuesday), instead I chose to take it very easy indeed. Tomorrow I will head to the track to organise my kit and prepare for the weekend. The race is on Saturday, NOT Sunday, this weekend. I always feel for the poor buggers who switch to Eurosport on Sunday morning ready for a day of bikes only to find it’s already been and gone. I don’t know of anyone who has actually suffered this cruel fate but I’m sure there are a few people out there! Drop me a line if it’s happened to you before. I’m not going to lie, it would humour me.

My aim for the race is to mount the rostrum. If on Saturday afternoon I’m not stood on the spot marked 1, 2 or 3 then I’ll be disappointed, simple as that. I’ll give it my best shot.

Eugene

AHEAD of the second round of the World Supersport Championship at Qatar this weekend Parkalgar Honda team manager Simon Buckmaster has stated Eugene Laverty represents the best chance for any Irish or British rider to win a World title.
Parkalgar Honda racers Irishman Laverty and Portuguese ace Miguel Praia both like the Losail circuit in Qatar and are sure they can challenge for strong results. The World Supersport race is on Saturday, March 14th and can be viewed live on Eurosport 2, while practice and qualifying take place on Thursday and Friday.
Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Eugene represents the best chance of any Irish or British rider to lift a World Championship in 2009 - there’s no-one else in World Supersport, World Superbike or MotoGP that has the same opportunity to win. We are going to Qatar expecting to challenge for the victory from now on and not to be off the podium with Eugene. Miguel showed real pace at Phillip Island but a crash cut his race short. He likes Qatar and we are expecting a strong points finish from him.”
Eugene: “I am going to Qatar with the intention of challenging at the front right from the start of first practice. It is a different approach than I had for Phillip Island where I targeted the top six as a result; there I was 11th after first practice as I bedded myself in but I don’t need to do that anymore, we will start at the front and stay there. There is a long straight at Qatar and given the speed of the Parkalgar Honda, I think we will be very competitive. I am comfortable on my CBR600RR and although there are a few circuits on the calendar I have never visited, I aim to get good results now and build momentum and confidence. At Qatar I will be happy with a podium but delighted if I can win - I will be disappointed if I am not on the rostrum.”
Miguel: “After a promising start at the opening round I ended up frustrated with a crash. I like Qatar a lot and the circuit I think suits my riding style and the Parkalgar Honda, so I want to score a good points finish this weekend. I have the ability, the bike has the speed and my team gives me the support, I think I can finish in the points. I think maybe a top 10 is achievable.”

THERE is no doubt that the Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR is one of the fastest bikes on the World Supersport grid - did you see how Eugene could drive past other riders on the straight? To finish fifth only one-second off Sofuoglu in his first race for the team was a great result and a lot of credit has to be given to the team mechanics for doing such a good job with bike preparation. They have worked very hard over the winter to make sure both Eugene and Miguel have the best machinery and I think it was vindicated in OZ.
Last year the team came away with two non-scoring finishes and this year we took fifth and are in the title hunt and if Miguel hadn’t crashed early on, a very likely top 10 finish as well. The team is in good shape and to a man everyone cannot wait for next weekend’s race at Qatar because we genuinely think we can go for the win…and Eugene is leading that sentiment.

 
The problem is that other teams will see how fast we are and be burning the midnight oil to match our bike. That means we will just have to dig deeper as the season progresses but I have every faith that the Parkalgar Honda technicians are amongst the best in the world and we will be at the front the whole year. And there is another thing the mechanics are good at that I found in Australia, one that is a bit more irritating. I remember the days when you went racing and in the evenings after a hard honest day’s work you’d all meet up for a bite to eat or a drink together. You had a social life with your team and it was great. That’s now officially over - thanks to Facebore or whatever the latest website is today. Once all the work was finished, the team’s broadband usage went through the roof as everyone retired to their own PCs and started flirting with faceless monsters on the internet. What happened to talking with people face to face?

But all of this leads me on to another development for the team which will be coming soon - we will have our own You Tube account. It should go live with videos from Phillip Island and Qatar after the next round, so keep your eyes on the internet, it’s about to get much more interesting than actually going out on a Saturday night.