Broc Parkes scored an exemplary start to finish win at Brands Hatch today as team-mate Kevin Curtain moved to the top of the championship table in Yamaha Motor Germany's second successive one-two finish. Starting from pole position Parkes was able to fend off early challenges from Honda team-mates Sebastien Charpentier and Kenan Sofuoglu before consistently pulling away to win by almost two seconds at the end of a tough 23 lap race.
For the second year in a row Curtain found himself crowded out at the first corner and resigned to fighting his way through the pack. The veteran Australian ended the first lap in seventh but carved his way through the field, setting a new lap record on lap five and joining the leading trio on lap four. After sitting behind Charpentier and Sofuoglu for the mid section of the race, Curtain took second place with an audacious move around Sofuoglu as they entered the daunting Paddock Hill bend for the 20th time. Curtain's 20 points takes him onto equal points with Charpentier, who slipped back to sixth at the chequered flag. Both men are tied on 131 points, with Parkes moving right back into the title chase - just 12 points behind the leading duo with eight of the 12 races run.
Yamaha's other competitors had a tough day at Brands Hatch. Misano winner Massimo Roccoli had been part of the group battling it out behind the leaders but was forced to settle for ninth after struggling for grip in the latter laps. His Yamaha Team Italia colleague Gianluca Vizziello ran in 11th for much of the race but was forced to pull in due to sickness. The Italian was suffering from a fever and decided to pull in on safety grounds after 14 laps. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa finished an unusually low 21st, suffering from a crash sustained in Friday's qualifying session.
Parkes' win also takes Yamaha to within nine points of Honda in the manufacturer's championship in the latest YZF-R6's first year of world supersport competition.
The series now takes a one month break, before resuming at the historic Assen circuit in the Netherlands on 3 September.
Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany)"That was the perfect win for me. I knew that I didn't want to be playing around in a battle with these guys so I got my head down and tried to break away. It's not always easy when you've got a bit of a lead and although the bike ran perfectly I could hear all these imaginary engine noises in my head! I tried not to think about the win too much and just ran the laps down like it was a practice session. There's still a third of the season to go, at four tracks that I like, and with only a 12 points between me and Kevin I'm right back in the championship. It's between the three of us for the title now and I can't wait until Assen."
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I got a bad start again and I wasn't sure if I could mow them down or not. In the end I was able to get the Hondas, but unfortunately by the time I got past Kenan I couldn't catch Broc on that other Yamaha! That said, I'm delighted with the result today. We had a few bad results from the middle of the season but we are right back on track now. Everything's level in the championship so it is back in our own hands again."
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia)"I made a good start only to lose three or four places when I made a mistake at Druids on the first lap. I was with the second group and tried hard to get to the front but the bike started sliding around and I couldn't push as hard as I wanted. By the end by front tyre was sliding around too so I could only think about the championship and bring it home for as many points as possible."
Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I have had a high temperature all weekend but tried to push as hard as I could in the race. It was going ok but in one lap I just felt all the power drain out of my body and I decided that it was safer to pull in than trying to continue."
Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor Germany) "This is a great result for the whole team, who have worked so hard over the past few months. Since the Misano race we have brought in a few new working practices and, as a result, everyone is working better together. We've been able to make some small improvements to the bikes, in the suspension and engine, and our tyres worked very well today too. Broc made a smart decision by going for a harder rear tyre, which proved to be very consistent over the whole race. Kevin has a smoother style and chose the softer option, and would probably have been able to run a similar race to Broc if he hadn't had to come back from a bad start. Now our team can have a well earned week's holiday before the next race in Assen."
Circuit Length: 4197
Temp: 29
Crowd: 115,000
Weather: Sunny
2006 WSS Brands Hatch: Race 1 - 23 Laps 1 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 34'27.306
2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 0'1.758
3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'2.088
4 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'12.146
5 Cal Crutchlow Honda GBR 0'12.309
6 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 0'12.570
7 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 0'15.144
8 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'16.848
9 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'17.058
10 Leon Camier Honda GBR 0'17.380
11 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 0'19.834
12 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 0'20.967
13 Maxime Berger Kawasaki FRA 0'21.597
14 Mauro Sanchini Yamaha ITA 0'24.048
15 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'25.071
Best Lap:Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'29.074
Rider Standings 06/08/2006: 1. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 131
2. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 131
3. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 119
4. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 87
5. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 78
6. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 67
7. Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 67
8. Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 57
9. Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 49
10. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 37
11. David Checa Yamaha ESP 29
12. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 27
13. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 22
14. Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 21
15. Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 21
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006 1. Honda 177
2. Yamaha 168
3. Ducati 48
4. Kawasaki 44
5. Suzuki 12
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
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