Broc Parkes completed a textbook ride today to take his first win of the season. The victory was made all the sweeter for Yamaha as Massimo Roccoli finished third and Tommy Hill came home in fifth. At the beginning of the race Hill got a good start to take third with Parkes in fourth and Roccoli in fifth. Parkes made quick work of passing through the pack to take second behind Jones within one lap. Having set a new lap record on lap four, Parkes was on the charge towards the lead man when Jones crashed, leaving an open track ahead for the Yamaha rider. From there on it was a textbook ride for the young Australian as he increased his lead over Sofuoglu by 0.3 seconds per lap, eventually taking the win with a 3.6 second margin.
With Parkes leading the way and Sofuoglu settled in second, Hill, Roccoli and Harms fought long and hard throughout the race for the final grid position. The riders swapped places and diced for position every lap with Roccoli winning the battle for third and Hill finishing in a well-earned fifth.
Today's result is Parkes' second consecutive win at Brands and puts him fifth in the championship on equal points with Roccoli.
Broc Parkes (1st - Yamaha World Supersport Team)"I got a good start and went pretty hard into the first corner; I knew I'd have to break free early on if I was to be in with a chance of winning. The bike felt really good and I saw Jones ahead so focused on catching him up. When he crashed I didn't know which way the bike would go so I lost a bit of time avoiding that. The bike worked really well today and we found a good set-up this morning. It's been a good day at the office! To get a win finally feels so good, this circuit has been good to me two years running now, and I look forward to coming back here next year."
Tommy Hill (5th - Yamaha World Supersport Team)"This race has turned out much better than I expected considering my crashes earlier in the weekend! I'm really pleased with my result and, although I felt I could've finished higher, I thought it was better to finish than crash. All three of us in that battle were riding on the edge by the end and I'm glad the tyre lasted the race distance. The team has worked really hard to get the bikes sorted for me and I'm very grateful. Knowing they were working late to repair the bike one night, I even brought them a crate of beer at one point! They've been great to work with and I'd like to thank the team for the opportunity to ride this weekend."
Terrell Thien (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)"Today's race was really good. Tommy improved a lot over the weekend and kept a good race pace. Without those crashes earlier this weekend I'm sure he could've been on the podium. He was wise to know when to back off though and not risk another crash. Broc's victory was not as easy as it looked; we've had to do a lot of work on the set-up throughout the weekend but we found a suitable front tyre this morning and from there it all clicked into place. I'd just like to say thanks to the team, it has been a very busy one for them. I'm really pleased."
Massimo Roccoli (3rd - Yamaha Team Italia)"We've worked really hard this weekend to get the bike set up properly. Just after the start I knew I could do well. I knew that there were two places where I was faster than Harms and one of them was on the back straight. I took my chance there and it worked. I'd like to thank the team for their efforts."
Circuit Length: 4197
Temp: 24
Crowd: 120,000
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 23 Laps - WSS Brands Hatch:1. Broc Parkes - Yamaha - AUS 34'34.688
2. Kenan Sofuoglu - Honda - TUR 0'3.658
3. Massimo Roccoli - Yamaha - ITA 0'5.556
4. Robbin Harms - Honda - DNK 0'5.573
5. Tommy Hill - Yamaha - GBR 0'6.506
6. Fabien Foret - Kawasaki - FRA 0'10.113
7. Lorenzo Alfonsi - Honda - ITA 0'10.414
8. Barry Veneman - Suzuki - NED 0'14.236
9. Pere Riba - Kawasaki - ESP 0'15.978
10. Matthieu Lagrive - Honda - FRA 0'18.424
11. Gianluca Vizziello - Yamaha - ITA 0'25.083
12. Joan Lascorz - Honda - ESP 0'25.154
13. Sebastien Gimbert - Yamaha - FRA 0'25.442
14. Gregory Leblanc - Honda - FRA 0'28.957
15. Mauro Sanchini - Kawasaki - ITA 0'36.557
Best Lap: Broc Parkes - Yamaha - AUS 1'29.021
Rider Standings:1. Kenan Sofuoglu - Honda - TUR 206
2. Fabien Foret - Kawasaki - FRA 126
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara - Honda - JPN 87
4. Robbin Harms - Honda - DNK 83
5. Massimo Roccoli - Yamaha - ITA 75
6. Broc Parkes - Yamaha - AUS 75
7. Anthony West - Yamaha - AUS 66
8. Barry Veneman - Suzuki - NED 64
9. Lorenzo Alfonsi - Honda - ITA 45
10. Craig Jones - Honda - GBR 45
11. Gianluca Nannelli - Ducati - ITA 44
12. Andrew Pitt - Honda - AUS 40
13. Sebastien Charpentier - Honda - FRA 37
14. Pere Riba - Kawasaki - ESP 37
15. David Salom - Yamaha - ESP 34
20. David Checa - Yamaha - ESP 29
21. Sebastien Gimbert - Yamaha - FRA 25
22. Kevin Curtain - Yamaha - AUS 25
Manufacturer Standings:1. Honda 226
2. Yamaha 170
3. Kawasaki 137
4. Suzuki 71
5. Ducati 44
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