May 11, 2008

Foret wins in style at Monza

YAMAHA RACE REPORT 11/05/2008

Both Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes posted heroic performances in race conditions at Monza, with Foret taking his first win of the 2008 season, by 1.199 seconds, and Parkes finishing third. Parkes was unsure if he could even ride at all on Wednesday, so his podium finish, his second of the year, was an impressive performance from the tough Australian rider.

Foret pulled through from fifth after an imperfect start to overhaul early leaders Josh Brookes and Parkes, and after taking a firm grip on the lead on lap nine the winning result was never really in doubt. Parkes had a pretty lonely race after putting up a spirited defence of his early leading position, fighting with Brookes for much of the time. He finished only six seconds from victory, and five seconds ahead of the next best rider, Andrew Pitt.

Foret's win places him second in the championship on 71 points to Joan Lascorz's 77, with Parkes third on 65.

Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) had a fighting ride at his home track, taking seventh after riding in a group of warring riders, looking for fourth place.

Yamaha Spain rider Angel Rodriguez had a solid tenth place but his team-mate David Salom just missed out on a point again, going 16th for the second race in succession.

Fabien Foret (1st - 29'38.261 - Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"I am very pleased to win here. After a tough time in round one at Qatar, I needed points - but I also wanted to win. This was my race; I love this track. I was a bit nervous after problems with my start in previous races so I didn't push it for a bit, but then it started to happen for me. I tried to push every lap from then on. There is still a long way to go in the championship but I am very happy with the win. A big thanks to the team!"

Broc Parkes (3rd - +0'6.736 - Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"I had an accident on my mountain bike a short while ago and my arm's still quite sore. That made it very difficult today. It was good for the first half of the race, but then it just got harder and harder to push under braking and during changes of direction. Considering how things were a few days ago, I'm happy to take the points and move forward."

Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"We are very happy of course with Fabien's first win. He deserved it at the first race in Qatar, because he was fighting so hard for that first win in February, but it didn't happen. He had the whole package to win today and he made the most of it. We took lots of points from Lascorz and the championship is open again. Broc had a brave and fast ride. He tried to pull away to let him relax a little on the final laps but he couldn't, just because of his injured arm. A first and third today was a good result for the whole team."

Massimo Roccoli (7th- +0'11.757 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni)
"The race was not great and not bad, but for sure I could not get to the pace of the top three guys today, they were just too fast. I was a little disappointed not to get to the front of the group I was racing in at the finish."

Angel Rodriguez: (10th - +0'15.175 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team)
"Since yesterday I started to feel pain in my forearms. During the race, 6 or 7 laps to go, it was painful again so I settled for the 10th position. I didn't want to risk another crash like Assen, today it was important to finish. I tried to follow Lascorz but he had a little more rhythm and escaped, but at the end we finished almost together. Everything has been OK, team and bike has worked well."

David Salom: (16th- +0'46.152 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team)
"I was fighting with a riders group and I couldn't escape them. The rear tire slid a lot and it was impossible to find a rhythm. But anyway I think it would have been difficult to escape. In the last laps I was very slowly because we were fighting with each other so much."

Circuit Length: 5792
Temp: 22
Weather: Cloudy

2008 WSS Italy - Monza 11/05/2008
Race 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 29'38.261
2 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'1.199
3 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 0'6.736
4 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 0'11.398
5 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'11.477
6 Craig Jones Honda GBR 0'11.716
7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'11.757
8 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 0'12.186
9 Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 0'14.847
10 Angel Rodriguez Yamaha ESP 0'15.175
11 Mark Aitchinson Triumph AUS 0'21.256
12 Cristiano Migliorati Kawasaki ITA 0'24.899
13 Gianluca Nannelli Honda ITA 0'25.077
14 Vesa Kallio Honda FIN 0'25.160
15 Katsuaki Fujiwara Kawasaki JPN 0'26.429
16 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'46.152

Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 1'50.430

Rider Standings 11/05/2008

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 77
2. Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 71
3. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 65
4. Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 63
5. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 63
6. Craig Jones Honda GBR 49
7. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 41
8. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 39
9. Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 28
10. Gianluca Vizziello Honda ITA 26
11. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 25
12. Gianluca Nannelli Honda ITA 20
13. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 20
14. Mark Aitchinson Triumph AUS 20
15. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 19
19. David Salom Yamaha ESP 8