Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty took an impressive race win at Assen and has moved up to second place in the World Supersport Championship.

Laverty had to keep his cool as he traded places with four other riders throughout the race. He finally secured the race win on the last lap winning by just 0.107secs. His Parkalgar Honda team-mate, Miguel Praia had to retire from the race due to an issue with the rear of his machine.

The fifth round of the World Supersport Championship will take place at Monza in Italy on the 8th-10th May.

Eugene: “That was the best race I’ve ever won and it is important for the Championship. It was a tough race and I beat a lot of very good riders so I know we can be strong. I have to say a big thank you to my team as all the guys have worked really hard and I’m glad to repay them with a race win. I’m now second in the Championship just six points off the lead so that will be my next goal.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “That was an amazing race. I’m pleased with what we have achieved as we are the only 2009 CBR600 to win a race. Mark Woodage, Eugene’s Crew Chief, and his team have worked really hard and it is now paying off. Miguel had a problem which was causing the back end of the bike to come round on him so he retired. It was a shame but I know he will bounce back for Monza.”

Race result

1. E. LAVERTY (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 35′45.160 

2. C.Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.107 

3. J. Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.178

4. F. Foret (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1.777

5. K. Sofuoglu (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1.901 

6. M.Aitchison (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 5.492

7. A. West (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 12.551

8. B. Veneman (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 12.841

9. R.Harms (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 13.567

10. M.Pirro (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 19.657

RET. M.PRAIA (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 5 Laps

Championship positions

1. Crutchlow 74 

2. LAVERTY PARKALGAR HONDA 68

3. Sofuoglu 65

4. West 52

5. Pitt 43

6. Aitchison 34

7. Foret 28

8. Lascorz 27

9. Lagrive 25

10. Veneman 25 

19. PRAIA PARKALGAR HONDA 4 

Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty has secured a place on the front row of the grid ahead of round four of the World Supersport Championship at Assen in Holland after setting the fourth quickest time in qualifying.

Eugene is keen to pick up his second win of the season and having gelled with the 4.5km Dutch circuit onboard his Parkalgar Honda, is determined to be on the podium. His team-mate Miguel Praia qualified in 16th position and hopes to achieve his goal of a top ten finish. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow took pole position with a time of 1min 40.313secs.

The fourth round of the World Supersport Championship at Assen starts at 1320 CET on Sunday, April 26th and can be watched live on Eurosport.

Eugene: “That was a good session. I’m on the front row of the grid which is the most important thing for the race. I want a good start to try and get away. Cal has good pace and few others have too, but I’m feeling good and I know I have a shot at the win. I will be taking the fight to them. I like this circuit; it is fast and flowing which is good for racing and great for spectators. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “I’m pleased with how qualifying went. Eugene is on the front row which is where he needs to be and he will be challenging for the win. Miguel is on the fourth row and he will be pushing for that top ten finish. It will be a tough race but I know we have good race pace and that is what counts.” 

Qualifying Times

1. Crutchlow C (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.313
2. Lascorz J (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′40.848 
3. Sofuoglu K (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.998
4. Laverty E (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′41.002
5. Foret F (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′41.130
6. McCoy G (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1′41.412
7. Pirro M (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′41.436
8. West A (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.496
9. Harms R (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.566
10. Pitt A (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.653 
16. Praia M (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′42.052 

For further up dates on the Parkalgar Honda team please visit www.parkalgar-honda.com.

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 26^th 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 14^th 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.

Parkalgar Honda racer’s, Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia, are feeling confident ahead of round four of the World Supersport Championship at Assen in the Netherlands.

The famous Dutch track is familiar to, and liked by both riders. The 4.5km circuit will suit the ultra-fast Parkalgar Honda and Eugene will be going out for a win. The fourth round of the World Supersport Championship at Assen starts at 1320 CET on Sunday, April 26^thand can be watched live on www.worldsbk.com.

Eugene: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I’ve raced at Assen in 2007 and 2008 when I competed in the 250 GPs. We learned more about our chassis at Valencia and that will help our development and keep our speed advantage. We never stand still. The track suits me and I’m ready for the challenge, I want to go out there and win.”

Miguel: “I like Assen and after the nightmare of Valencia where the rain ruined my plans I’m looking forward to it. I think our Parkalgar Honda will work well there and I’m determined to achieve the result I should have had in Valencia. I want a top 10 and I don’t see why that isn’t possible.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manger: “We are only 11 points off the Championship lead and I know we have as good a chance as anyone to win. We had a tough one at Valencia but that has to be our worst race of the year and now we move on full of confidence for Assen. Miguel was disappointed with his result in Valencia as the conditions were half wet and half dry he struggled a little. Assen is a good track for him and I’m hope he will realise his potential and pull off a top 10. As for Eugene he is going all out for a win.”

Yesterday I got the ferry back to Ireland with Pippa.  As luck would have it our boat was cancelled so we had to wait around for two hours to get the next one which took twice as long as the ferry we’d booked; A pain in the neck but these things happen!  When I finally arrived back in Ireland I headed over to see my osteopath to make sure everything was line astern ahead of Assen.

Sunday was a fun day as I took part in a trial in the North East of England.  I’d barely ridden since my last trial on Boxing Day so I was horrendous to begin with!  I lost more than 30 points across the first two laps but I got my finger out to notch up less than 10 points across the final two laps.  Pippa’s brother Lee managed to keep his score down to a single point across the entire four laps so he put in a hell of a ride, made me look a fool!

It was a fun few weeks training and riding pretty much every day so I’m in a good frame of mind heading to Assen.  I unloaded my van last night which took some time, I’d added another bike to my cargo for the return journey from Pippa’s.  I brought my Monty trials bicycle home so I can get some practice in on it, it hasn’t turned a bloody wheel yet!  That’ll have to wait til after Assen as I’m about to head off to the airport.  Going for the podium this weekend, a win could be within reach.  Now that would be pretty darn sweet!

Eugene

I’ve been staying at my brother Michael’s place on the Welsh border for the past week.  The moment I arrived home from Valencia I packed up my van with my MX bike, trials bike and pushbike and set off to catch the ferry.  Day one was fun, I went motocrossing at a practice track in Worcester.  When I turned up I couldn’t believe the riders who were there: Stephen Sword, Billy McKenzie, Jason Dougan, Neville Bradshaw, Scott Probert, Martin Barr and  Graeme Irwin to name but a few!  Of course I should have entered the Intermediate category but I though screw it, I wanna ride with the pros.  That was a decision I would soon regret as I got roosted corner after corner!

My brother Michael lives beside Chaz Davies so we’ve been cycling around the hilly Welsh countryside and riding motocross at Chaz’s track.  Michael and I headed down to Brands Hatch to watch John in action during practice before returning to Kinsham to watch the races on TV.  John results didn’t reflect the pace he had as he was capable of running top six so I’m really happy that the Kawasaki is showing promise this year.

Tomorrow we’re going to do some supermoto riding here then on Thursday I’m hooking up with Leon Haslam for some trials action.  It’s been a fun few weeks since Valencia and on Sunday I’ll return home for a few days before heading to Assen.  The Dutch track is a strong one for me and I feel we’ll be capable of fighting for the win once again.  Valencia was just one of those weekends where it didn’t come together when needed.  My pace was good for the podium but following a small spill in qualifying which forced me back to 13th on the grid then a slow start to the race in damp conditions 9th was all I could manage.  I’m still 3rd in the championship so we’re still on course.  We learned that bit more at Valencia about how this chassis works so I feel we’ve took another step forward.  This is the best bike I’ve ever ridden, I couldn’t ask for much more as it’s strong in every area.  Following Assen we have three tracks I’ve never ridden so that will be the big test.  Can we fight for the title?  We’ll know better after Salt Lake City!

Catch ya next time,

Eugene

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty showed maturity and speed to deal with a damp but drying race to take a points scoring ninth place at the third round of the World Championship in Valencia in Spain.

Parkalgar Honda racer Miguel Praia finished just out of the points in 18^th place after qualifying in 19^th and struggling with the conditions early on. The race was won by Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow. The next round of the World Championship takes place at Assen in Holland on April 26^th.

Eugene

“I was worried about spinning up at the start with the damp track and didn’t get away well while everyone else got normal starts. I got behind Andrew Pitt and normally he is a demon at the start of a race and I thought I would follow him through. Instead, people came past me. I sat behind Andrew for too long and was too cautious. On the warm up lap I had ridden with my foot on the floor and knew the slippery corners and should have pushed by Andrew earlier. The Parkalgar Honda is working well and at the end in the dry my lap times were good. I am only 11-points behind the Championship lead after being 14-points behind after the opening round. We are still in good shape for the Championship - scoring points on days like today that can make the difference between winning and losing title races.”

Miguel

“It was a difficult race; we did not expect rain as we took to the grid. I had to start with dry tyres in the damp and for me that is the worst conditions. I never felt comfortable in the damp and after a good start I nearly crashed many times before I could understand how hard to push. I had to slow down a little and by the time I had an understanding of the conditions it was too late. This is a shame as I had a good warm-up matching my qualifying time but the conditions were the worst for me. I will now put this race behind me and look forward to Assen.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager

“There were very iffy conditions, Eugene didn’t get a good start but once he got going he had good pace. Obviously he would have liked to have finished higher up the results sheet but he has scored valuable points and that is better than having pushed too hard early on and maybe being caught out by the conditions. It is a long Championship and he is still there in contention. Miguel doesn’t like damp half-dry tracks and doesn’t perform well; today was the worst possible conditions for him but at least he finished ahead of his qualifying position and can look forward to the next round.”

Race Result

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 38′15.613 (144,456 kph) 
2 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.171 
3 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 8.408 
4 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 12.421 
5 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 16.529 
6 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 19.242 
7 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.124 
8 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 34.525 
9 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 35.436 
10 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 38.337 
18 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′31.250

Championship Positions

1= Crutchlow 54

1= Sofuoglu 54

3= Laverty PARKALGAR HONDA 43

3= Pitt 43

4= West 43

6: Lagrive 25

18: Praia PARKALGAR HONDA 4.

PARKALGAR HONDA World Supersport ace Eugene Laverty suffered an early crash in qualifying for the third round of the Championship in Spain but got back out on his spare CBR600RR to take 13th on the grid behind pole-sitter Cal Crutchlow on a Yamaha.

Unhurt in the crash, Irishman Eugene lost 15-minutes of the 45-minute session and was baulked by slower riders during his final laps. Portuguese Parkalgar Honda racer Miguel Praia is recovering from flu and was late coming into the pits for a tyre change so had to settle for 19^th. The race starts at 1325CET on Sunday 5^th April and can be watched live on www.worldsbk.com.

Eugene

“We took the chassis direction change from yesterday a step too far and that combined with the rising temperature led to me losing the front on the double right-hander. We had taken too much weight off the front. We took a step back on my spare bike and it was great; I was held up on my fast lap losing half a second behind traffic, otherwise we would have been on the second row. It was one of those sessions and I’d be much more frustrated if we honestly didn’t have the pace, but we do and I’ll have to be aggressive and come through the field to the front.”

Miguel

“I am feeling a little better today but certainly not 100 per cent because of my cold. I hope for tomorrow I will have full energy for the race. I made longer runs on track and bike improvements today. I was concentrating on finding another rider to tow me round and lift my pace and towards the end I came across Foret. I thought following him was more beneficial than coming in to the pits and stayed out two laps longer than I should. When I came in the team didn’t have time to change my front and if we had then I might have gone better. I am not concerned with my qualifying position; I think I have the pace for the top 10 in the race. This is not my favourite track but I will be fighting for the points.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager

“Eugene crashed on his first run with his number one bike. He then had to use his number two bike for the remainder of the session and even then on his last run was on for fifth place when he got caught behind slower traffic. We are disappointed with 13^th on the grid but his pace is better than that. It will be difficult to win from here but the top five and the podium remain very possible. The good news is his Parkalgar Honda race bike is not badly damaged and will be fixed in time for the race. Miguel lost a bit in his last qualifying attempt because we didn’t have time to fit a new front tyre. The top 10 will be a challenge but realistically he can score points.”

Qualifying Times

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′35.865 
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′36.033 
3 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′36.664 
4 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′36.754 
5 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′36.812 
6 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′36.910 
7 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1′36.918 
8 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′37.013 
9 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′37.063 
10 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1′37.188 
13 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′37.403 
19 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′37.984.

PARKALGAR HONDA racers Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia completed the first practice session at the third round of the World Supersport Championship at Valencia in Spain in 14th and 17th places respectively.

Under new money-saving rules with only one practice session on a Friday, the Parkalgar Honda riders took a measured approach to setting up their bikes ahead of further practice and qualifying sessions tomorrow. Kawasaki’s Juan Lascorz was fastest. The race takes place at 1325 CET on Sunday, April 5^th.

Eugene

“We are down the order but I am happy with my current position, we are not lost by any means. We need to make some chassis changes and we have a good idea what direction they need to go as it is to combat an issue we found during pre-season testing. My Parkalgar Honda is not finishing the longer corners as I want it too and we think we know how to fix that. Lascorz is riding well and will take some catching but I think we will be up on the front two rows tomorrow, hopefully the front row. We won’t be far away, that’s for sure.”

Miguel

“I am not feeling so good - I contracted a huge cold earlier in the week and feel weak. I could not complete the laps I wanted as I simply didn’t have the power in my body. I am following the doctor’s orders and taking it as easy as possible in preparation for tomorrow. I am feeling a little better today and hopefully will be back to normal soon. I found it hard to jump back on the bike after not riding since Qatar. The circuit is very different to Qatar and Australia but we are working hard and I want to improve in qualifying. I rode on the hard tyre to save my soft ones which offer better grip here. I basically saved my energy and tyres ready to be feeling better tomorrow.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager

“There are no problems or dramas, we are in a good position going forward to final practice and qualifying. We are preparing and building towards the race as we did last time out in Qatar. I am confident that Eugene is focussed and with help from his mechanics will move forward tomorrow. Miguel has the flu but seems to be recovering and will hopefully be stronger for the rest of the weekend.”

Practice

1 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′36.672 
2 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′37.343 
3 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′37.701 
4 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′37.834 
5 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′37.864 
6 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1′37.893 
7 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′37.971 
8 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′38.055 
9 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1′38.197 
10 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′38.421 
14 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′38.577 
17 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CR600RR 1′39.100.

Pippa and I are on the train from Darlington to London Stansted airport where we will catch our flight to Valencia.  I’m looking forward to the weekend as the monkey is well and truly off my back having took my first victory last time out in Qatar.  I’ve had a relaxed few weeks and made the most of the sunshine by getting out on my push bike.  I notched up 500km and I was so pleased to get back on the road after being forced onto the turbo trainer over the winter.

With it came a few punctures but I was fit to laugh it off.  I rarely had any issues in the past which was just as well because I never used to carry any spares with me.  Now that I’ve started carrying spares I’ve needed them on just about every ride!  My brother Michael came up with the perfect solution: leave it all at home.  It seems that if you don’t have it then you don’t need it!

Another thing I realised in the past week is just how much of a pain it is to change phone and computer, especially when you’re changing to a different manufacturer.  I’ve had ten times more bother changing from Windows to Mac than I did switching from Aprilia to Honda!  The iPhone is pretty sweet though, Tweetie allows me to update my Twitter page whenever and wherever.  I’ll be updating you all throughout my entire weekend in Valencia so keep an eye on my Twitter posts to see how things are going in the Parkalgar box.  Our garage is a great place to be, we work hard but most importantly everyone gets on and it’s fun.

I enjoyed watching the MotoGP ‘Round 0′ on Sunday.  Stoner is a class act and without a doubt has the most outright speed, Rossi on the other hand has spent a decade perfecting the art.  Unfortunately James Toesland had a huge off and I was happy to hear he was ok.  i wish everyone would stop questioning whether JT has it or not, people tend to forget very easily.  The guy put it on the front row in his first ever MotoGP race, remember??  And he finished in 6th position numerous times last season.  Things just haven’t clicked yet but when you have the talent, the understanding, good machinery and are willing to put in the hours then you WILL get there.  It’s as simple as that.  JT won’t give up, unlike a particular Italian who did just that six rounds into the championship last year.

Wish me all the best for Valencia as I aim to mount that rostrum once more.

Eugene