PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty crashed out on lap three at the Melbourne Loop, remounted in 26th and brilliantly fought his way back to fifth at Donington Park in the UK at the ninth round of the World Supersport Championship.

Parkalgar Honda racer Miguel Praia was in 11^th and going for the top 10 when he crashed out at Redgate on lap nine. He remounted but was forced to retire due to damage to his bike. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow won the race. The next round of the Championship is at Brno in the Czech Republic on July 26^th.

Eugene: “My Parkalgar Honda’s rear wheel spun up, came round and I slid off. This was a problem we found yesterday in practice and thought we had cured it but the temperatures are different today and that might have made the difference. I got back on and gave it my all to get back in the points from 26^th. There were a lot of yellow flags and after passing people I had to let them go through again before taking the position back which made it tough. I am now 28-points behind Cal in the Championship but that’s a lot better than recording a DNF. Donington Park hasn’t been kind to us but it could have been a lot worse.”

Miguel: “I lost the front of my bike going into Redgate corner. It is frustrating as I had just got into 11^th and was pushing hard to get to the group in front that was fighting for sixth. I really wanted to be there and pushed very hard - in previous laps I was following other riders into that corner and when by myself I was much faster. I needed to go for the better result, I felt confident and my Parkalgar Honda was excellent. It is a shame but we will learn from this and be stronger at the next round.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It was disappointing that Eugene slid off at such an early point but it was sensational how he fought his way from 26^th to fifth - after the crash there is nothing more you could have asked of him, it was a fantastic ride. Miguel was challenging the top 10 again and then braked harder for Redgate than ever before - two-bar more pressure on the lever - and crashed. We are 28-points behind with five rounds to go - all it takes is one mistake by Cal Crutchlow and we are right back in it.”

Race Result

1 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 34′15.876 (154,981 kph) 
2 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 5.391 
3 24 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 14.918 
4 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 22.248 
5 50 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDACBR600RR 37.054 
6 77 Veneman B. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 39.079 
7 105 Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 39.978 
8 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 42.733 
9 9 Dell’Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 43.030 
10 1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 47.422 
DNF: PRAIA PARKALGAR HONDA

Championship Positions (after nine of 14-rounds)

1: Crutchlow 185

2: Laverty PARKALGAR HONDA 157

3: Sofuoglu 121

4: Lascorz 106

5: Pitt 79

6: West 75

7: Foret 63

8: Aitchison 61

9: McCoy 55

10: Pirro 49

18: Praia PARKALGAR HONDA 18.

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty qualified in a superb second place for round nine of the World Supersport Championship at Donington Park in the UK.
His team-mate Miguel Praia completed the dry qualifying session in 13th position, his best qualifying this year. Laverty was pleased to get a dry session under his belt as it allowed him to try out the changes his team had made to his Parkalgar Honda. He grabbed pole position towards the end only to have Cal Crutchlow, his main title rival, out pace him on the very final lap.

 
The race takes place at 1325 on Sunday, June 28th at Donington Park in the UK.
Eugene: “That was a good session. Second place is ok but there is still more work to be done to my Parkalgar Honda. We are not quite there yet so I hope we get a dry warm-up tomorrow to try out the changes. The lap times are fast and we are on the limit. I thought good race pace would be high 32s but now I’d say we need low 32s. I’m really looking forward to the race tomorrow I hope it stays dry as when it is wet it is a bit of a lottery round here.”

Miguel: “At the end of the session I was happy as we have improved a lot on time from last year. I know I can do the same lap time many times so I can be consistent for the race. I need to work on my start as that was my problem at Misano. If I can start well I can fight for the top eight.”
Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Team Manager: “Cal just got us at the end. It is great to see the top two in the Championship so close. Tomorrow we are going all out for the win at home. Miguel put in his best qualifying this year to take 13th so he is on for another top ten finish. It has been a good day for Parkalgar Honda.”

Qualifying
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1:31.701
2. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR 1:32.222
3. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:32.481
4. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1:32.818
5. Mark Aitchison (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1:32.846
6. Garry McCoy (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1:32.879
7. Massimo Roccoli (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1:33.062
8. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:33.120
9. Anthony West (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1:33.143
10. Fabien Foret (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1:33.182
13. Miguel Praia (POR) Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR 1:33.455

PARKALGAR HONDA racers Eugene Laverty and Miguel Praia were third and 11^th in the opening rain-interrupted practice session for the ninth round of the World Supersport Championship at Donington Park in the UK.

The rain started to fall with 18-minutes remaining and effectively foiled any attempts to improve lap times. With rain forecast for tomorrow’s practice and qualifying and dry weather for race-day the set-up data gathered today may be crucial to determining a race set-up. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow was quickest. The race takes place at 1325 on Sunday, June 28^th at Donington Park in the UK.

Miguel: “That was a good session, perhaps our best one so far. I like Donington, it suits my riding style and the Parkalgar Honda chassis felt strong from the off. Through the slow sections the bike is excellent but I need a bit more help through the fast changes of direction. We tried a new Pirelli tyre but I preferred our normal race tyre and when I put it in my lap times tumbled. I am already faster than my best lap time from 2008 so we are happy.”

Eugene: “We tried all the tyres today in case it rains tomorrow and know which front and rear we will use if it is a dry race. Towards the end we decided to try a spring change in the front forks of my Parkalgar Honda but it rained and we didn’t get a chance to ride. I am not pushing hard yet but the lap times are fast which is encouraging. We will look at the data now and see where we can cut the lap times further. I would prefer a dry race on Sunday because when it is wet here the surface is very slippery, but either way we are in good shape.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manger: “Miguel has had a good session and is performing well. The top 10 result last time out has boosted his confidence and there is more to come from him. Eugene missed the chance to try a change to the front of his Parkalgar Honda but he is comfortable and recording fast lap times so that’s good as well. On both sides of the garage we have had a good start and know the directions we want to go to improve.”

Practice

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′33.323 
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′33.650 
3 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′33.871 
4 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′33.928 
5 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.175 
6 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′34.219 
7 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′34.578 
8 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1′34.986 
9 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.015 
10 Veneman B. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 1′35.061 
11 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′35.141.

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty took a hard-fought second place in an epic battle for the victory while his team mate Miguel Praia scored 10th, his career best result, at the eighth round of the World Supersport Championship at Misano in San Marino, Italy.

Eugene was leading when the race was red flagged after eight laps. The restarted 14-lap race was a constant battle with eventual race winner Cal Crutchlow on a Yamaha, with both riders going under the 1m 39seconds on a last super-fast lap. Miguel slotted into 10^th place with four laps to go and was never going to give it up. The next round of the World Supersport Championship is at Donington Park in the UK in one week’s time on Sunday, June 28^th.

Eugene: “I am still reasonably happy with second. In the first half of the race I sliced through from a bad start and 13^th to the lead in just three laps. Then in the delay, we made a small change to my Parkalgar Honda and it worked very well. In the second half it was much easier to follow Cal Crutchlow, so much so that when sitting behind him I thought I was being held up but when I took the lead I couldn’t get away. He passed me again and I thought I’d go for plan B which was to get into the final corner and drive out to challenge Cal at the line. I had deliberately held back at that corner in previous laps because I was quicker than him there. Then on the last corner I got in well but got on the gas very early, I may have been too eager, and the rear wheel simply spun up. It was a good race and the lap times at the end were unbelievable, Cal and I are streets ahead of anyone else. I am looking forward to Donington Park next weekend; I’d like to win at home for the team.”

Miguel: “Finally we have got into the top 10, this is my best ever race result since joining the World Championship and I am very happy. My Parkalgar Honda is fantastic and the team did a mega job to get me out in the race with such a good set-up after a crash in warm-up. Thank you to my whole Parkalgar Honda team, this is a historical moment for the Portuguese as we have never had a rider this high in this Championship before. Now I will go to Donington which is a good track for me and the home of the team organisation. I scored a podium in British Supersport last year and for sure now we know we can compete I want more than the top 10.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It is a shame to be beaten but what a fantastic race that was - Eugene and Cal are the two best riders in the Championship and one of them will win the title this year. Congratulations to Cal on taking the win; but Eugene is only 14-points behind in the standings so it is game on with all to play for. I also think the race is another lesson for Kenan Sofuoglu, never once did Cal or Eugene touch - at least not until the cool down lap when Eugene collided into Cal when congratulating him, resulting in an embarrassing fall. Big congratulations to Miguel for his best ever finish and it is yet another goal achieved by Parkalgar Honda, getting a Portuguese rider into the top 10. It was a great job by Miguel and I am sure he will beat this result again in the races to come, he has the bike, team and ability to do so.”

Race Result

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 36′51.032 (151,377 kph) 
2 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 0.263 
3 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 16.289 
4 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 20.894 
5 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 21.615 
6 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 22.272 
7 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 25.099 
8 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.374 
9 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 34.558 
10 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 49.578

Championship Positions (after eight of 14-rounds)

1: Crutchlow 160

2: Laverty, PARKALGAR HONDA 146

3: Sofuoglu 108

4: Lascorz 86

5: West 75

6: Pitt 73

17: Praia, PARKALGAR HONDA 18.

WITH rain falling at the start of qualifying and the Misano circuit in San Marino drying throughout the rest of the session, Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty rode intelligently in the difficult conditions to qualify eighth on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s eighth round of the World Supersport Championship.

Miguel Praia contested the top 10 for much of the session but as the track dried rapidly towards the end he lost out to other riders ended 16^th on the fourth row of the grid. Yamaha’s Michele Pirro took pole position in front of his home crowd. The race takes place at 1325CET on Sunday and can be watched on Eurosport orwww.worldsbk.com.

Eugene: “The weather played havoc with qualifying and I didn’t do anything silly. I was held up on my last fast lap when I really went for it but with conditions changing all the time it paid to be cautious. I am happy that my Parkalgar Honda is working really well. We tried a different rear setting here after Salt Lake and it worked well this morning in free practice when I was third. It helps me to ride the bike when on worn tyres which is good. Eighth is fine, I am OK with the second row, there aren’t many guys I need to pass in front of me. The first corner is very close so it may be the second corner before I can start making passes. Whatever the weather throws at us for the race I’ll be ready for it.”

Miguel: “That was a crazy session. It started well with the team getting me out at the front of the pack and I was able to get two dry laps before the rain really fell, putting me ninth. I thought it would stay wet but with strong winds it dried out in the last 10-minutes and I missed the window of opportunity to set a faster lap time as the rain came back with two or three minutes to go. It is a little disappointing as I thought I would start from ninth but these conditions are the very worst for me so 16^th is not so bad. I am really confident for the race and want to get a good start and into the top 10. My Parkalgar Honda is ace and my team has been very helpful this weekend, we deserve a good result.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “Miguel got out early and set a good time but as the track dried out he missed the window of opportunity to keep the position as other riders went faster. He is still in a good place for the race and certainly has the speed to get into the top 10 if all goes to plan. Eugene got out on track at the right time at the end and got on the second row which will put him right in the fight for the race. It was difficult conditions for qualifying and with one eye on the title race he didn’t want to risk a stupid crash in qualifying, there aren’t any points awarded today. I think Eugene will be fighting with Cal Crutchlow and maybe Juan Lascorz, Andrew Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu for the race win tomorrow.”

Qualifying

1 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.498 
2 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.508 
3 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.509 
4 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′40.994 
5 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1′41.109 
6 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.425 
7 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.458 
8 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′41.459 
9 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′41.666 
10 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′41.963 
16 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′43.707

PARKALGAR HONDA racer Eugene Laverty finished fourth in roasting hot 35-degree temperatures during today’s first practice for the eighth round of the World Supersport Championship at the Misano circuit in San Marino, Italy.

Miguel Praia ended practice 21st quickest on his Parkalgar Honda. Championship leader Cal Crutchlow was fastest ahead of tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions. The race takes place at 1325CET on Sunday and can be watched on Eurosport or www.worldsbk.com [http://www.worldsbk.com/].

Eugene: “The session finished good for us in the end after we made a big change to my Parkalgar Honda half-way through, just in case it rains tomorrow. We really needed a harder spring in the forks and it worked well through the faster parts but I then lost a little time on the slower sections like the hairpin. I stayed out for the end of the session to get plenty of data and we know what we need to do to improve.”

Miguel: “That was very hot and hard; it was not the best session for me. Without training all week and still recovering from my injured left leg, I managed the first 45-minutes around the top 15 and then in the last 15-minutes was completely tired. Tomorrow’s sessions are 45-minutes so it will not be a problem. I will rest well now, my leg is painful, especially when changing direction but the doctors are helping me to recover. We are just 0.1seconds away from my fastest time in 2008 already which is good and with help from Eugene’s data I know we will perform better tomorrow.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It is warm here with the track temperature over 50-degrees and that took its toll on Miguel who is struggling to be fit. He will rest tonight and be focussed on improving - the Parkalgar Honda technicians will compare data tonight and he will benefit from Eugene’s settings. Eugene is on the pace and as ever is building his effort across the weekend. He knows where he is losing time to the three riders ahead of him and how to get it back so we can expect him to be contesting the front row in qualifying. He also ran both tyres in case it rains tomorrow and has an idea which he will use if Sunday is a dry race.”

Practice Times

1 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1′39.442 
2 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′39.821 
3 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1′39.895 
4 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′40.355 
5 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.560 
6 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.592 
7 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.673 
8 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1′40.676 
9 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1′40.981 
10 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1′40.984 
21 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 1′41.962 

I’ve had a pleasant few weeks at home since Salt Lake City only leaving the country on brief trips to both Portugal and Austria. The weather was great so I could enjoy beautiful bike rides at my leisure and it was quite simply just nice to be home. The trip to Portugal didn’t run as smoothly as I would have liked as you can see from the photographic evidence! After meeting with the team boss Paulo Pinheiro he let us loose in some cars on the Portimao circuit. I chose the Ferrari 360, as any 23 year old would, but didn’t even make a lap before spinning out. Paulo had warned me to take it steady as the rear tyres were worn out, perhaps I should have taken a little more heed to what he said. Of all the places I could have spun out it was on one of the three hairpins where they’ve put high kerbs in place to stop the cars shortcutting. Rear wheel drive cars just don’t agree with me, the only other time I drove a rear wheel drive car was at Bruntingthorpe in 2005 and I lost it at 120mph! At least this time I didn’t have to stare death in the face.

Last week I travelled to Salzburg for the day to visit Red Bull’s Hangar-7. The photographer took some really good pictures for the upcoming Red Bulletin magazine feature so make sure and grab a copy. He took so many pictures of me drinking Red Bull that i was onto my third can by the end of the shoot! At the weekend I headed up to Coleraine to watch my friend Stewarty wakeboarding and I was pretty impressed by what I saw. He’s been number one in Ireland for six years which is basically since he first got on a board! Not a bad record eh?

I flew to Misano on Tuesday and things have been pretty chilled out so far. I ran two laps of the circuit on Wednesday and as I was about to start my third I thought the better of it as the sky began to look real nasty. No sooner had I stepped inside the garage the heavens opened and the rain hammered down for the next half hour. I sat back, had a brew and thanked the heavens that they chose not to soak me wet through!

I’m off to the circuit to see the boys in red, catch ya next week.

Eugene

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty is aiming for two wins in the next two weekends at the eighth and ninth rounds of the World Supersport Championship at Misano in Italy and then Donington Park in the UK.

Parkalgar Honda racer Miguel Praia is more determined than ever to get into the top 10 at this weekend’s eighth round of the series at Misano in San Marino, after missing out by less than 2seconds last time out. The race takes place at 1325CET on Sunday 21^st June and can be viewed on Eurosport or www.worldsbk.com.

Eugene: “I’ve been to Misano a couple of times and liked it last year. When it gets hot and the track temperature rises it is like riding on ice it is so slippery. I think my Parkalgar Honda will cope well with that, it is more manageable than the Yamaha. It is coming down to me and Cal Crutchlow, although I think Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt will be close this weekend as well. I like the next two tracks - Misano and Donington. I want back to back wins at the next two rounds; these are strong circuits for me. If I can win at Misano then my confidence will be very good going to Donington.”

Miguel: “I had a bad weekend at Misano last year when I crashed in qualifying and broke a toe and then didn’t finish the race. This year I plan to do a lot better. I have good pace from the last round at Salt Lake City. We are still going for the top 10 and we are so close - last time I was just 1.5secs away from 10^th at the chequered flag. I still have a muscle injury in my leg from my crash at Salt Lake City but it didn’t stop me then and I have been receiving physiotherapy every day since, it will not be a problem this weekend.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “It’s going to be another good race to start the second half of the season. There are three people in the title fight but for me the winner will be either Cal or Eugene. I hope Kenan Sofuoglu watched last weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP to see exactly how a fair last lap pass should be done courtesy of Valentino Rossi. Anyway, after what Kenan did to Eugene at the last round he has now laid down a new marker for what is acceptable and I hope he doesn’t cry again if someone puts a hard pass on him… Miguel is riding incredibly well, much better in 2009 than last year and I am amazed he has not yet scored a top 10 result. Parkalgar Honda will be giving its every effort to help him do that.”

I’m in a good frame of mind following the final flyaway races of the season. 45 points from two races is a good haul, although it’s a pity they don’t throw in an extra few points for each lap led! I was in 1st position for all but two laps in the last two rounds, unfortunately one of those laps was the most important of all but I’ll talk about that later. Right now I’m headed to Faro to meet with my team for a general discussion at the mid point of the season. I was looking forward to a few weeks off but it’s not looking like I’ll get much time kicking back. Everyone seems to want a piece of me right now which can only be a good thing I guess. I flew straight from the US to Dublin for a Red Bull PR event, I’ll spend the weekend in Portugal before attending another PR day in England next Tuesday and from there I will fly to Austria for, yes, more PR. Next weekend will be my first at home since March so I’m hitting the North Coast with my buddies to watch Stew (my web designer) in a wake boarding comp. I sure am looking forward to it!

America was fun, my stay in California and Utah was very relaxed. I didn’t suffer any jet lag whatsoever on the trip out and immediately tucked into a hefty slice of cycling and motocross (not to mention cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory!). I spent the weekend with Chaz Davies at Josh Hayes place while the landlord himself was in another state with his wife Melissa. On Saturday Chaz and I went to Glen Helen to watch the opening round of the AMA motocross and it was incredible. We got so pumped after watching the action that we took the crossers out on Sunday and Tuesday to try and emulate what we’d seen! Succeed we did not. I was scheduled to fly to Salt Lake City on Monday morning but Josh arrived home on Sunday night and persuaded me to stay til Wednesday. It was a good move as the three of us had some fun. We enjoyed a long cycle on Monday, even if my arms didn’t agree! They got roasted as you can see from the pic.

Right by Josh’s house in Oceanside there’s a little coffee shop called The Cup and they sell small and large portions of heaven. They call it coffee but it’s much more than that. Further down the road we’d nip into Red Cup for frozen yoghurt and this place allows you to serve yourself a portion of heaven. It’s a healthy alternative to ice cream but Chaz and I would defeat the object by loading it up with brownie chunks and M&M’s.

I travelled to the Miller circuit on Wednesday prior to the event and I like what I seen. I ran at the front all weekend and slotted into 2nd on the grid. In warm up I made a silly error and lost my preferred bike to the gravel trap. I had to ride my spare for the race but it felt identical to be honest. I led the entire race but I couldn’t shake the three guys off my tail; we’d altered the chassis setting by just half a millimetre for the race and it was enough to cost me a few tenths per lap. It just goes to show how well we’ve got this bike working when half a millimetre proves costly.

If you’ve been following me on ‘twitter’ you’ll have read that once I watched the race back I wasn’t best impressed with Kenan’s move. At the time I thought it wasn’t a terrible move but when I seen how far back he came from and how tight he entered I realised that he was out of control and wouldn’t have made the turn. He was able to use me as a berm which kept him from running off the track but he was damn lucky not to take us both down. Cal and I have been racing head to head all year yet neither of us have made a move like that so I think it’s nigh time we taught Kenan a lesson. It’s simply a case of respect which Cal and I have for each other having battled together all season back in 2006. Kenan on the other hand doesn’t seem to share that feeling. He may come to before the season’s out though.

Before I go I should let you all in on a little secret; I’ve almost been around for a quarter of a century now. I’ve just celebrated my 23rd birthday which was really nice back home with my twin brother, family and friends. It was the first time Eamonn and I have been together on our birthday for six or seven years, so long ago I can’t remember! That’s all for now folks, I’ll stop by again before Misano. Enjoy the sunshine!

Eugene

PARKALGAR HONDA racer Eugene Laverty took a well-earned second place at the seventh round of the World Supersport Championship at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA, while his team mate Miguel Praia scored a season best equalling 12th.

Eugene led for 17 of the 18-laps and was hit and passed with only a handful of corners to go by Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu who won the race. Miguel, still recovering from a crash during practice, grew in confidence as the race developed. The eighth round of the Championship - and the start of the second half of the season - is at Misano in San Marino on Sunday June 21st.

Eugene: “I didn’t expect Kenan to pass where he did, I was already in the corner and I am just happy we both stayed on. We could easily have both ended on the deck when he hit me - he bounced off me and stayed on. If I hadn’t been there he’d have kept going and ended up in the Salt Lake. Fair play to him though, he’s had bad moves made on him in previous rounds. Initially I didn’t see who had passed me and got on the gas straight away and then saw it was Kenan and breathed a sigh of relief it was not Cal Crutchlow. It was most important to beat Cal here and we did that so I am not too disappointed in the result.”

Miguel: “I finished so close to the top 10 - just one-second away. It was a tough race but in the end I am very pleased with the job that the Parkalgar Honda team did to provide me with a great race bike; and also to the doctors for helping me to get on the bike and race. Yesterday morning I missed the session because I couldn’t ride after my practice crash late on Friday. This is a great result and I did everything I could but simply didn’t have the energy to do anymore. My Parkalgar Honda is so good; this is what made the result possible, maybe my best race ever. Missing the session on Saturday hurt us at this new circuit but well done to the team and I will move on and go for the top 10 at the next round.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “That was a hard move by Kenan on Eugene but our congratulations go to Ten Kate Honda for the race win. We are happy as Eugene has now closed the gap to just nine points in the Championship chase. Well done to Miguel for racing so hard after his crash and equalling his best result of the year. He is knocking on the door of the top 10 and it will come soon.”

Race Result

1 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 34′00.510 (155,831 kph) 
2 Laverty E. (IRL) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 0.368 
3 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.521 
4 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1.833 
5 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 12.071 
6 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 18.108 
7 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 25.912 
8 Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.867 
9 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 30.411 
10 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 31.393 
12 Praia M. (POR) PARKALGAR HONDA CBR600RR 32.572

Championship Positions (after seven of 14 rounds)

1: Crutchlow 135

2: Laverty (PARKALGAR HONDA) 126

3: Sofuoglu 108

4: Pitt 73

5: Lascorz 73

6: West 66

17: Praia (PARKALGAR HONDA) 12.