PARKALGAR HONDA racer Eugene Laverty took a hard-earned fourth in a race-long battle for the World Supersport podium on his first visit to the super-fast Monza circuit in Italy, cementing his second place in the Championship standings.

Parkalgar Honda’s Miguel Praia scored a season best equalling 12th, easily out-performing his qualifying position of 15th. The race was won by Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow. The sixth round of the World Championship takes place at Kyalami in South Africa in one week’s time on Sunday, 17th May.

Eugene: “I wasn’t happy at the end of the race because on the last lap I thought I could have caught and passed the pair in front of me. I did all the hard work and then on the last corner was sucked in and ran wide. I simply didn’t have the confidence in my front tyre to brake harder and take the inside line - it had folded a couple of times on me in the race. With hindsight I may have used a different front tyre - the same as the riders around me - but that is down to experience at this circuit. It was nice to go faster in the race than qualifying and that was helped by some changes to my chassis overnight. Foret allowed Cal to get away by trying to win the race on every lap. Still, I am 18-points behind Cal in the Championship and it is not even half-way yet so there is a lot more to come and the team is really stepping up its game.”

Miguel: “I got a good start and up to around 12th or 13th but was held up at the Parabolica and dropped back four places avoiding Vizziello. I got my head down to recover as many places as I could and battled with Veneman. He was playing with me and over-taking when I felt if he had followed me we would have caught up with Battaini. The pace was fantastic with all laps in the 1min 52s which is very good. On the last lap I had a near huge highside and was not able to catch Battaini. It is good points and a result that I needed.” 

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It is a surprise to see an ex-World Champion and experienced rider such as Foret riding so erratically. It hurt Cal at Assen and hurt us here; it certainly cost Eugene the chance to go with Cal during the race. Eugene is still second in the Championship and there’s a long way to go. Parkalgar Honda has a good bike package but we will be working hard to improve it when we return from the two flyaway races, we have some ideas to gain performance. Well done to Miguel for equalling his best result of the season and racing with some good guys, it was a very good ride by him and he can carry that momentum through to South Africa next week.”

Race Result

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 29′34.605 (188,029 kph) 
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2.660 
3 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2.716 
4 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 2.780 
5 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 9.270 
6 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 9.332 
7 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 20.178 
8 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 20.221 
9 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 22.681 
10 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 26.993 
12 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 32.236 

Championship Positions (after four of 14 rounds)

1: Crutchlow 99

2: Laverty, PARKALGAR HONDA 81

3: Sofuoglu 72

4: Pitt 54

5: West 52

6: Lascorz 47

18: Praia, PARKALGAR HONDA 8. 

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty will start from fourth on the front row of the grid in tomorrow’s fifth round of the World Supersport Championship at Monza in Italy after slashing two seconds off his lap times from yesterday on his maiden visit to the track.

Portuguese star Miguel Praia put his Parkalgar Honda in 15th and the fourth row after taking nearly a second off his lap times from yesterday. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow will start from pole position. The race starts at 1325CET on Sunday 10th May and can be viewed live on Eurosport.

Eugene: “Getting on the front row was the plan and we did it. Taking two-seconds off my lap times is a bit of a jump and a decent margin to gain from yesterday. On my fast lap I got a good slipstream down the back straight but whatever advantage I gained there was paid back in the Parabolica when I was held up. If I hadn’t been held up I would have been challenging for pole, it was worth a good 2-3/10ths of a second. I am comfortable with my Parkalgar Honda after the changes we made overnight. I think it is going to be one of ‘those races’ and there will be a bunch of riders going for the win. I hope that the front group is only about four strong and I am in it.”

Miguel: “My best lap time came at the end of the session and is half-a-second quicker than my best lap of 2008, so I am happy. My Parkalgar Honda is very quick and I aim to use that to my advantage in the race where top speed is an important factor on a circuit with so many straights. I am comfortable and always race better than I qualify so I hope to be competing for the top 10 in the race.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Well done to Eugene as the first Honda in qualifying and the only one on the front row, it shows how well he is riding and what a great job the team is doing with his Parkalgar Honda. Cal Crutchlow is not as dominant here despite the benefit of previous testing. Eugene is right with him having learnt the circuit this weekend and he will be fighting for the win tomorrow. It’s another positive performance from Miguel and while the top 10 will be tough if he keeps calm then a points scoring finish is on the cards.”

Qualifying

1 C. CRUTCHLOW GBR Yamaha World Supersport Team Yamaha YZF R6 1′49.706 
2 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Motocard.com Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′49.739 
3 F. FORET FRA Yamaha World Supersport Team Yamaha YZF R6 1′49.803 
4 E. LAVERTY IRL PARKALGAR HONDA Honda CBR600RR 1′50.006 
5 M. AITCHISON AUS Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR600RR 1′50.407 
6 K. SOFUOGLU TUR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR600RR 1′50.636 

7 A. PITT AUS HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR600RR 1′50.733 

8 G. NANNELLI ITA ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Triumph Daytona 675 1′50.798 
9 G. MCCOY AUS ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Triumph Daytona 675 1′50.828 
10 K. FUJIWARA JPN Kawasaki Motocard.com Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′50.861 
15 M. PRAIA POR PARKALGAR HONDA Honda CBR600RR 1′51.682

PARKALGAR HONDA racers Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia used today’s practice session for the fifth round of the World Supersport Championship at Monza in Italy as an opportunity to find a direction for set up on their CBR600RR race bikes.

Irishman Eugene, on his first visit to the circuit, finished in 11th just a fraction outside the top 10 and just in front of his Portuguese team-mate Miguel who ended 16th. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow was fastest. The race starts at 1325CET on Sunday 10th May and can be viewed live on Eurosport.

Eugene: “I’m learning my way round Monza. It is one straight after the other here and I have been testing my brakes and braking markers going into the chicanes. If you get in the slipstream at the start of the straight it carries the whole length of it and you need to adjust your braking marker to suit, it makes a big difference. We will move a little weight on to the front of my Parkalgar Honda for tomorrow to help with the change of direction but apart from that the bike is close to a good setting. It has been very warm today and I managed a race distance on a tyre which is positive - and I set my fastest lap right at the end of that run which is encouraging.”

Miguel: “I don’t have the flu this weekend like last time at Assen so I am feeling positive. It was a nice practice session and I concentrated on doing as many laps as possible - 25-laps in total. I didn’t put the good tyre, the only one that works around Monza, into the bike until the last 10-laps and then the time came down OK. I am only half a second from the top 10 and from my best lap time of all weekend last year so this is good. I feel really comfortable on my Parkalgar Honda and think we are not far from getting the race set-up.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “That was a pretty good session for Eugene as it is his first time here and will set him up for tomorrow’s practice and then qualifying. He is learning real fast and I am sure he will be at the front as usual come qualifying and the race. It has been a positive start to the weekend for Miguel and he can build on it as he targets the top 10. There is no reason he cannot get in the top 10 here, he is good enough and the Parkalgar Honda is on the pace.”

Practice

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′50.594 
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′50.605 
3 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′50.749 
4 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′50.934 
5 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1′51.474 
6 Dell’Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′51.783 
7 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′51.860 
8 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′51.920 
9 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′51.929 
10 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′51.939 
11 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1′52.027 
16 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1′52.549 

AFTER winning last time out, Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty is after more of the same at the fifth round of the World Supersport Championship at Monza in Italy this weekend.

Parkalgar Honda’s Miguel Praia is looking for a change in his luck at the super-fast circuit near Milan and to score a top 10 result. The racing starts at 1325 CET and can be watched live on Eurosport.

Eugene: “I want more of the same at Monza. It is a new track for me but it doesn’t look like a difficult one to learn as it is a series of fast straights and quick corners. My Parkalgar Honda really suits the fast circuits and on Friday I will want to get out and do a few laps by myself to begin with. After that I’ll want to follow a rider who has been there before - that is where having a team mate is great, he can tow me round and really help. I can see the two Yamahas of Crutchlow and Foret being competitive thanks to their outright top speed; as well as the two Ten Kate Hondas of Pitt and Sofuoglu. I won’t know my potential until I get to the circuit but I think a podium is definitely on the cards; I’m not ruling out wining either.”

Miguel: “Monza is a track full of character and the Italian fans are great and create a fantastic ambience that I really like. The Parkalgar Honda suits the fast circuits and Monza is one of the quickest of them all. I want to turn my bad luck around for myself and my Parkalgar Honda team, I think we should have delivered a top 10 result by now but we haven’t. To reward all of the team’s hard work I want it this weekend. Monza is not a technically difficult track like Portimao or Brno but if I can get the right result there then it will be one of my favourites for sure.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “The Parkalgar Honda team is building momentum and a title challenge with Eugene - to win two out of the opening four races is a dream start to the season. If anything, Monza should suit the strengths of our CBR600RR and Eugene more than anywhere else with long straights and fast corners, so we are hopeful of another good result. Miguel has shown real potential but yet to convert it into a race result and Monza is a chance for him to show his pace and we expect him to be going for the top 10.”

My predictions are beginning to scare me a little bit, it’s nigh time I bought myself a lottery ticket.  The two races that I said I could win, I did.  I ought to predict that I’ll win every race from now on!  Seriously though I had reasons why I believed we could win at Qatar and Assen, it wasn’t just a dumb-assed brash statement to stir things up.  Plus I think Pitt, Sofuoglu, Crutchlow, West and Lascorz would put pay to that attempt!

That was before I went to Assen though, it was a different story come Saturday evening.  After practice it looked like we’d all be battling for 2nd place as Cal Crutchlow’s pace was mightily impressive.  Nevertheless we didn’t write off our chances and continued to work on our race setting during Sunday morning warm up.  In the race I got a solid start and the rest you’ll have seen for yourselves I’m sure!  What a battle it turned out to be, for me to grab victory in the final turn was amazing and I couldn’t believe I’d done it.  I’d near on settled for 3rd as I was having problems with the front folding towards the end of the race but I seen an opportunity and I went for it.  I lost the front just as I was about to change direction in the final chicane which made for pretty good viewing.  When I watched the race back and paused it at that point I couldn’t help but laugh at the angle of my front wheel, it was completely gone!  A great race but I don’t think my mum can hack any more races like that.  I’ve been told by many to win the next one by three seconds so as they don’t go into cardiac arrest!

I enjoyed a day break with Pippa this week at a spa resort just kicking back and turning my phone off for the first time in months.  I still brought my bicycle with me though as there’s nothing I enjoy more than riding during my time off.  Right now I’m on a flight over to Pippa’s in the north of England.  Pippa’s 21st birthday fell on Tuesday but she likes to make it last a week, just as she did her 18th!  This weekend we’re going for an outdoors trip with her family which should be pretty cool.  On Wednesday I’ll fly to Monza and from there it’s on to South Africa then America.  No rest for the wicked, nor me for that matter.

Ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao (five times means bye I think).

Eugene