Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) won both the Magny-Cours race and the 2006 World Supersport Championship after a stunningly dramatic afternoon of action in his home country of France. The 22-lap race was delayed because of the late finish to SBK Race One, and as Charpentier and Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) led the running order in the early laps, the championship leader, Kevin Curtain, fell on lap eight. Curtain needed to finish only eighth in the race to win the series, but Charpentier was now clear to win both race and title - and did so in some style, from second placed Sofuoglu and Broc Parkes, Curtain's team-mate. In taking his second title in as many years, Charpentier made history by becoming the first rider to score back-to-back WSS title wins.
Charpentier finished on a points total of 194, Curtain an eventual second on 187 and Sofuoglu went third overall, on 157. Between them, the Winston Ten Kate Honda riders scored eight poles, eight wins and Charpentier scored the fifth straight Riders' Championship for Honda and the team.
Ronald Ten Kate - Team Manager“This is without a single doubt the most emotional and most special championship we have won in Supersport. We had a deep dip in the middle of the season, but we kept fighting hard until the end, and Sebastien rode very well, as did Kenan. I think everybody agrees with us that Seb deserves this title. My regrets got to Kevin Curtain who was a great competitor this season; it was great to race against him. It is five in a row for us now and it is the biggest salute to the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR. Next year we have a completely new bike, but right now it is difficult for me to find words to describe my feelings. Normally I try to stay like steel and always try to keep things in a quiet mood, but today I am not a man of steel. My emotions are like a volcano, and I want to thank all our partners who worked with us to get this title.”
Sebastien Charpentier - (1st Position and World Champion - 194 points) “When I saw number 11 was out I was not sure completely, because I know Kevin very well and he is a good rider. Yamaha worked very hard this year and sometimes Curtain and Broc Parkes made it very hard for me. Also after my crash in Brno - it was very hard. It was not easy to keep my body at 100%. I think my Winston Ten Kate Honda team is very strong team and they have been perfect. They made a good way for me - and my team-mate made a very good show for the last few races. For me this is a fantastic day because there have been some very difficult moments this year - after the Brno injury and the German race at Lausitz. Thank you so much to Honda, because they show that the CBR600RR has a big possibility to win and I reached my goal of being the first rider to win back-to-back titles.”
Kenan Sofuoglu - (2nd Position 3rd Overall - 157 points)“I knew we had to work together in the race and so when Sebastien came through I did not try to re-pass him. When I learned that Curtain was out I realised that I could push again and go for the win, and Sebastien would still be champion, but it was a risk, and I still had Parkes behind. I want to be really strong next year and I will give everything to win.”
2006 World Standings: 1. Charpentier - Winston Ten Kate Honda - 194 points
2. Curtain - Yamaha - 187 points
3. Sofuoglu - Winston Ten Kate Honda - 157 points
4. Parkes - Yamaha - 145 points
5. Harms - Honda - 117 points
Related Linkswww.tenkateracing.com
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