HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Andrew Pitt collected another impressive win today at the World Superbike round at Misano today. After two successful days of qualifying Pitt was the man on a mission today and eager to turn his second place on the grid into a top spot on the podium.
After a good start Pitt took the lead for the best part of the 22-lap race over rivals Parkes and Foret. In what looked like an easy race for the front runner, Pitt kept his rivals at distance and claimed his fourth Supersport victory of the season.
Jonathan Rea faced some issues with the gearbox of his bike minutes before the start of the race and had to go out on his second bike. Despite problems with his machine throughout the qualifying sessions, the talented young Brit was determined to chase his rivals and battle for top honours and turn his sixth place on the grid into a podium finish.
After a good start Rea came through in fifth position. A crash from Brookes in the first lap and Parkes in lap nine, saw Rea moving into third position. He stayed put aboard his Honda CBR600RR for the rest of the session and completed the team’s successful day of Supersport racing by putting the second Ten Kate Honda on the podium.
Andrew Pitt, 1st“I am very happy to win this race. It wasn’t as hard work as I thought it would be. We had a good rhythm and when Broc (Parkes) didn’t want to lead I didn’t need to be asked twice and took the lead from there. When Broc made a mistake and crashed out I kept it comfortable till the end of the race and took the win.
”It has just been one of those days where everything worked well. My mechanics gave me a bike that I could ride fast for the whole race. We kept the speed and kept it consistent.”
“Also congratulations to Jonathan, it’s a good team result having both the Ten Kate Honda’s on the podium.”
Jonathan Rea, 3rd“I want to thank my mechanics for all the work they have done over the weekend. I had a problem all weekend and the guys worked night and day to resolve them.
We started the race with a bit of a problem. But to finish third on a bad day is not a bad thing. Some of our rivals had some bad luck. It has giving me the motivation for the next round in Brno. I really like the circuit here and think we should have capitalised a bit more but third is not a bad result.
I want to congratulate Andrew on his win. Two bikes on the podium is a good result for us and shows.”
Ronald ten Kate, Team manager“The pace at the beginning of the race was almost unbelievable. We had been strong through qualifying but Andrew was just dominating here today. It was good to bring both guys to the podium again. We have worked hard over the last couple of months and have succeeded in making the bike more competitive. We’re looking forward to the next test in Vallelunga.
“My compliments to both riders. I think Andrew had the perfect set-up here today and has been riding very well. Jonathan had some issues with his number 1bike and had to start the race on his second. He already misfired this morning, to bring it back home in third position shows how fast he is.”
Results Supersport Race:1. A. PITT 2. C. JONES
3. J. REA 4. F. FORET
5. R.HARMS
