SBK
World Supersport: championship lead follows Sofuoglu tu Assen
26 aprile 2007
Assen will see recently injured double world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) return to the track, while the team’s new ‘super-sub’ Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) is back in Honda colours after an impressive second place finish at the most recent Valencia round, while standing in for Charpentier. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) has bounced back from frequent 2006 season injury to third overall at present, after some strong rides in race and qualifying situations. In the most recent race he was knocked off track while in a good position, recovering to finish only 18th, and deposing him from his previous second place overall. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) lies 18th in the standings, after three points scores out of four races, and will be looking to Assen - where he won a Superstock 1000 race in 2004 - to get back into contention for an overall top ten. For Sofuoglu, his Ten Kate team’s home circuit is well-known to him, as he won the race last season, and he cautiously optimistic about his chances of repeating that success. "I am still feeling very happy about the results in Valencia and want to thank the team once again for all the hard work that went into achieving the win,” said the Turkish star. “I am focusing on the future and I just want to keep getting good, consistent results for the team. This race is important because it is the home race for Ten Kate. I won here last year, so I am confident about the track but I know that anything can happen, so I'm just going to keep my head down and concentrate on bringing in the points." Fujiwara has been a consistent force this year and is looking to Assen to regain his overall second place, before mounting an assault on Sofuoglu’s championship lead from there on. “I lost a big chance in Valencia because Sebastien was out and Kevin Curtain did not finish,” said ‘Kats’. “Another rider’s mistake has now taken me very far from Kenan in points. But our bike is great, I have a good feeling with the team and my target now is to reduce the gap to Kenan race-by-race.” The 2007 season has been a cruel one for Charpentier so far, but he knows that after early season ups and downs for most of the top runners, anything is still possible. "I am feeling a lot better and I'll be coming to Assen with a clear mind,” said the recovering rider. “I'm determined to be back at the front and I just want to forget the beginning of the season and concentrate on the future. The championship is long and I'm going to give it everything I've got to get back the title." The presence of the 2001 season champion Pitt in the Hannspree Ten Kate team has already had immediate positive effects, ones which Pitt wants to help improve further still at Assen. "I am really happy to be riding for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda again,” stated the Australian rider. “I had a great time in Valencia and I felt like I worked well with the guys so it's an honour to be asked to ride in Assen. I understand how important this race is for the team so I'm going to come and do my absolute best - let's hope we can go one better than Valencia and see a full Hannspree Ten Kate line-up on the podium." Alfonsi knows that getting away from the Assen grid cleanly will put him in good shape for the race itself. “The last two races were complicated for me,” said the former Superstock 1000 champion. “In Valencia my race was compromised because of a bad start so I want to start well in Assen. It's a fantastic circuit; I like the corners and the high speeds and I know that with the help of my fast bike I can run a good race. I'm not worried about the set-up, because we are working well with our Öhlins suspension and the technicians. I have confidence for this important round.” |
|
Print version
Send to a friend
Write your comment » Related headlines
Commenti dei lettori| Attenzione: si prega di non utilizzare un linguaggio offensivo, eventuali commenti volgari o offensivi saranno rimossi, così come link non giustificati. I commenti sono inseriti dai lettori, che se ne assumono la responsabilità |
|
Non sei registrato? Registrati, è gratis! |
|
|
Commento |
|
Ultime news:
