Broc Parkes scored a win on the 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 first time out in World Supersport Championship, in a dramatic race that seemed almost certain to go the way of his team-mate Fabien Foret until the very last lap. Foret and Parkes had been looking for a one-two finish almost throughout, with Foret looking all set to win the 18-lap race, until he ran out of fuel on the very last lap. At that time he was leading by over two seconds from Joan Lascorz, Parkes and Craig Jones. Foret and the new Yamaha leave the circuit with the new lap record to their credit, a 2'02.626, set on lap nine.
Unable to cross the finish line, Foret was not classified with a finish, but Parkes redoubled his efforts on a tense last lap to re-pass Lascorz on the home straight, and gain maximum points in round one.
He now heads off to his home race at Phillip Island next week as the championship leader, on 25 points.
David Salom continued his good form in qualifying through to raceday, earning a strong eighth place after a race-long fight with two other riders. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) retired on lap one with a clutch problem.
Broc Parkes (1st - 37'05.271 - Yamaha World Supersport Team)"A good result for our side of the garage and the new YZF-R6 because at the end I was struggling a little bit for grip and when I saw Fabien go our I knew it was up to me to win so I pushed on anyway. I had a few front end slides on the last lap just because I was trying so hard, even though the tyres were good all race. I could still push them that hard at the end of the race and on the last corner I got into the slipstream and used the power of my Yamaha to get Lascorz over the line. It was a great win for me and we have struggled sometimes this weekend, but we got this season off to a good start. "
Fabien Foret (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"It was really disappointing to be out of the race in such a fashion, especially as we had done so well all through practice, qualifying and the race itself. It was just fuel running out, not the bike, but it is still hard for the team and myself to take."
Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)"It looked like two good results for almost all the race but bad luck for Fabien at the end. We filled the tanks completely before the race, that is sure, and our calculations showed we would have a safe amount of fuel left at the end of the race, obviously we used more. I am really happy for Broc to take the win and it is a relief after Fabien's misfortune. The season is long and we have two guys who can fight for the championship, but only one was able to get the result today. We won first time with an all new bike so we are happy, but we obviously have mixed feelings."
Laurens Klein Koerkamp - YME Racing Division Manager"The story of raceday is clear - the bike was nearly perfect, the riders were nearly perfect, qualifying had been great and we just had some bad luck for Fabien at the end. It's a great result for Broc to win, especially in the first race for the new Yamaha YZF-R6, showing that the new roadbike technology works on the track as well."
David Salom (8th - +17.888 seconds - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team)
"Not a bad race but my I didn't started very well and I could not make up the time in the first few laps. It was too late to go any higher than my group of riders, but it took us eight or nine races last year to reach the level that we have started this season at."
Track length: 5380m
Fastest Supersport lap: 2:01.928 Fabien Foret (Yamaha)
Lap record: 2:02.949 Sebastien Charpentier (Honda)
Last year's winner: Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda)
Circuit Length: 5380
Temp: 24
Weather: Sunshine
Race 1:1. Broc Parkes - Yamaha - AUS 37'5.271
2. Joan Lascorz - Honda - ESP 0'0.048
3. Craig Jones - Honda - GBR 0'0.755
4. Joshua Brookes - Honda - AUS 0'9.502
5. Matthieu Lagrive - Honda - FRA 0'11.962
6. Barry Veneman - Suzuki - NED 0'17.428
7. Robbin Harms - Honda - DNK 0'17.660
8. David Salom - Yamaha - ESP 0'17.888
9. Chris Walker - Kawasaki - GBR 0'25.883
10. Gianluca Vizziello - Honda - ITA 0'32.236
11. Gregory Leblanc - Honda - FRA 0'32.573
12. Ivan Clementi - Triumph - ITA 0'35.117
13. Miguel Praia - Honda - POR 0'36.390
14. Vesa Kallio - Honda - FIN 0'36.608
15. Katsuaki Fujiwara - Kawasaki - JPN 0'37.096
Best Lap: Fabien Foret - Yamaha - FRA 2'2.626
Rider Standings:
1. Broc Parkes - Yamaha - AUS 25
2. Joan Lascorz - Honda - ESP 20
3. Craig Jones - Honda - GBR 16
4. Joshua Brookes - Honda - AUS 13
5. Matthieu Lagrive - Honda - FRA 11
6. Barry Veneman - Suzuki - NED 10
7. Robbin Harms - Honda - DNK 9
8. David Salom - Yamaha - ESP 8
9. Chris Walker - Kawasaki - GBR 7
10. Gianluca Vizziello - Honda - ITA 6
11. Gregory Leblanc - Honda - FRA 5
12. Ivan Clementi - Triumph - ITA 4
13. Miguel Praia - Honda - POR 3
14. Vesa Kallio - Honda - FIN 2
15. Katsuaki Fujiwara - Kawasaki - JPN 1
Manufacturer Standings:1. Yamaha 25
2. Honda 20
3. Suzuki 10
4. Kawasaki 7
5. Triumph 4
