World Supersport Championship
A twice delayed World Supersport race eventually went to new championship leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) who managed to hold off another Honda rider, Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) by a mere 0.387 seconds after 19 laps of the Nürburgring.
The long time leader had been Yamaha rider Broc Parkes, but as his challenge faded in the final few laps Pitt put in a pass on lap 17 to take the lead, and then had to use every millimetre of track to keep the rapidly advancing Brookes behind him on the final corners. Parkes was third, completing the podium places.
The 5.137km German circuit remained dry for the race itself, but the delayed start to the first Superbike race caused a delay to the WSS race, and put extra pressure on all the riders. The first WS race start lasted for one corner only, when five riders fell when one competitor left his braking too late. Through no fault of his own, comeback rider Tommy Hill (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) was one of the fallers and he had the terrible bad luck of re-breaking the same right femur bone he broke in a testing crash last November. Hill had made a spectacular showing in practice, being eighth fastest in his first ever rides on Honda Supersport machinery, but now the British rider faces another long period of recovery.
Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) was another innocent victim of the first corner fall, but restarted on his spare machine to finish fifth. Pitt’s team-mate Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was only 11th on lap one, having qualified 13th, and got through a pack of riders to secure a sixth place finish. Jones had qualified second, ahead of Brookes and Pitt, with Broc Parkes the pole man.
Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) fell in the race, after tangling with another rider, and Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) entered the pits to retire.
In the championship points, Pitt is on 88, Fabien Foret has 84, Brookes is third on 83, Joan Lascorz is on 81, the same points as Parkes. Jones is sixth on 60, Rea has 51 and Harms 39.
In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Honda now leads Yamaha by 28 points.
Pitt said:
"The pace was amazing. I was quicker than I was in qualifying for pretty much half the race. I was trying everything I knew just to keep on the back of Broc. Near the end we could see his was slowing a bit and I realised Josh was setting an incredible pace coming up behind me, so it was time to go for it and pass Broc.
I had to work really hard to keep Josh behind me and take the win. My mechanics gave me a good package to work with this weekend. We got the job done and are back in the front of the championship where we should be."
Brookes said:
"I was really lucky not to get caught up in the pile-up in the first race, as it was very close. In the second race I got an even better start then in the previous one and pretty quickly I was up into third place, where I stayed for most of the race.
I started to close in on the leaders, Pitt and Parkes at the end. It didn't take many laps before I was right behind them. I got past Parkes easier then I thought and, with one lap to go, I saw my chance to get by Pitt as well. I gave it a try, but didn't succeed. I’m really happy to finish second and it is very important result for my championship standing."
Jones said:
"I had to use my second bike because my first one was too damaged and I hadn’t ridden the spare all weekend. I tried to pass Pitt a bit early and I got swallowed up by the group and didn’t have enough feel with the number two bike, which wasn’t quite as strong.
We may have had a podium on my number one machine but we’ll get that in Misano! I remain sixth in the Championship and still within touching distance of the lead so it’s all still to play for."
Rea said:
"I am happy and disappointed as well. We had a good weekend up until the last qualifying when a bike problem forced us back to the fourth row on the grid. I made a very good start in the first part of the race and ended up in third spot in the first lap.
My second start was not as good and I made a mistake on the second lap and ran wide. I picked my pace up again and chased Lascorz for 6th and put him under some pressure. I’m sending my get well wishes to Tommy Hill, who re-injured himself in the first race crash."
Harms said:
"I made two really good starts - especially in the second race when I was in fifth place on the first lap. I thought I could stay with the front group, but the pace was too hot for me.
I didn't feel good on the bike and it was hard keeping up. I dropped back a few places and was in eighth place, just behind Lagrive. I was trying to pass him when he braked a lot earlier then me and I could not stop running straight in to him."
Nannelli said:
"Another unlucky race for me and for our entire team. I’m disconcerted because of Tommy’s accident and I don’t have much to add about my race. I started with my second bike because I was also involved in the crash at the first curve. I wish all the best to my team-mate and friend Tommy during this difficult and delicate moment."
The next race is in Misano, Italy on June 29th.
Supersport
1 A. PITT (Honda CBR600RR)
2 J. BROOKES (Honda Honda CBR600RR)
3 B. PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6)
4 F. FORET (Yamaha YZF-R6)
5 C. JONES (Honda CBR600RR)
6 J. REA (Honda CBR600RR)
7 D. VAN KEYMEULEN (Suzuki GSX-R600)
8 A. TODE (Triumph 675)
9 C.WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-6R)
10 V. KALLIO (Honda CBR600RR)
11 K. FUJIWARA (Kawasaki ZX-6R)
12 J. LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR)
13 M.PRAIA (Honda CBR600RR)
14 G.VIZZIELLO (Honda CBR600RR)
15 J. CROWE (Yamaha YZF-R6)
- Honda -
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