We’re midway through our summer break and while most Italians riders will be dawning their Speedos on the beach by day I’m much happier being at home! Things have been so hectic for me this year, on top of competing in the World Supersport Championship I’ve made three visits to Austria to attend the Red Bull Diagnostics and Training Center and I’ve been along to a handful of GPs. For me being at home feels like a holiday and this week I’ve been in my my home country for all seven days. I can’t remember the last time I was home for an entire week!

On the racing front although I’m not leading the championship I’m delighted with how the season has went. I’ve exceeded my own expectations with six wins already but that would mean little without the World title under my belt. I’m up against it with a 17 point deficit but I think that Sofuoglu is a lot more worried than I am right now. Kenan is well aware of how we bounced back as a team at Assen after two rough rounds at Portimao and Valencia. Silverstone was an important victory in the title race as well as our psychological battle.

Last weekend I got to do a lap of the Ulster Grand Prix circuit along with my brothers and Johnny Rea. I hadn’t thought much about it beforehand but the moment I headed down ‘The Flying Kilometre’ I was buzzing! I can’t even begin to imagine the adrenaline rush the riders get when they race around there.

Everybody is asking what my plans are for next season and my answer is, “I wish I knew!” I have two great options in World Superbikes as well as two really good options in Moto2. The most important thing is that I arrive in either championship with a package capable of winning so that’s what I’m working on right now. I need to ensure that I surround myself with the right people. These past two seasons have been the best of my career and a large part of that is down to the Parkalgar Honda team. We gelled together fantastically well and the outcome has been two title fights and hopefully even a title victory in the coming months! The team really deserve to win the championship so I’ll be doing all I can to bring home the bacon…

Ciao,

Eugene

PARKALGAR HONDA’S Eugene Laverty won a nail-biting 10th round of the World Supersport Championship at Silverstone in the UK while his team mate Miguel Praia scored a career best sixth in the best ever race day result for the Portuguese owned, UK operated team.

The battle for the win was between Eugene and Kenan Sofuoglu on another Honda and neither gave an inch until the last lap when Eugene made a decisive pass and held on to take his sixth victory out of 10 starts to win in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Miguel starting from 12th finished a career best sixth, less than four seconds from the podium in what is his best race performance ever at World Championship level.

Eugene: “It is nice to win our home race and it was a tough one. My plan had to change several times through the race. First I made a break but then Kenan put in some quick laps and then I decided to drop back and see where he was weak. I spotted his weak areas but he could have been sandbagging so I passed him again on the last lap with plenty of corners to spare and found that he really was weaker and not pretending. It is especially nice to beat Kenan in this sort of race because he is not used to losing this sort of fight and that makes it an important psychological win. My Parkalgar Honda was brilliant, we ran faster lap times than I expected and it was the best bike on the day.”

Miguel: “My Parkalgar Honda was perfect and I was very comfortable running the pace to fight for fifth and sixth places. When Chaz (Davies) passed me he was quite aggressive and sideways and I lost two places. I then sat behind Lagrive and we were catching Harms. I left my overtake on Lagrive too late to then make a pass on Chaz but I am delighted with my new personal best. I was only three-seconds from the podium and in the top six; I am so very happy and must thank my Parkalgar Honda team, the bike they gave me was fantastic.”

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “The best ever results for the Parkalgar Honda team at its second home round in the UK. This win goes with Eugene’s victory at our home track of Parkalgar in Portugal in 2009 as a highlight for us all. Well done to Eugene, he beat Kenan fair and square and the race for the title is very much alive. Miguel rode an inspired race from a poor qualifying position of 12th – his potential is now starting to come through and as a team we are proud of him. Christian has shown superb promise racing against the best riders in the World and UK – it would be interesting to see how well he would perform if he had more experience on the bike and with our team; I think he would surprise a lot of people. Well done to the whole Parkalgar Honda squad and thank you to the many fans and supporters that came to see us this weekend.”

Race Result

1 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR 34′35.068 (163,829 kph)
2 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 0.220
3 4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 12.451
4 7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 13.683
5 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 13.839
6 117 Praia M. (POR) Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR 15.699
7 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 16.709
8 25 Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 17.593
9 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 22.837
10 11 Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 23.092
17 21 Iddon C. (GBR) Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR 55.198

Championship Positions (After 10 of 13 rounds)

1: Sofuoglu 203

2: Laverty Parkalgar Honda 186

3: Lascorz 168

4: Davies 126

5: Rea 83

6: Harms 82

7: Salom 80

8: Lagrive 65

9: Fujiwara 60

10: Pirro 58

11: Praia Parkalgar Honda 57.