2006 Supersport World Championship
WSS Round 11 - Imola (Italy)
Final Qualifying
CHARPENTIER AND SOFULOFLU DOMINATE FINAL QUALIFYING
Both Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan
Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) improved on their Friday
best time to secure a 1-2 start for their Dutch-based team,
giving them the best possible preparation for Sunday's 21-lap
race. The last few minutes of qualifying were an exciting
time in the Winston Ten Kate Honda pit, as the crews working
with each rider had their own battle for supremacy on the
track. It was a successful campaign for both, as the nearest
challenger ended up some 1.2 seconds behind Charpentier and
0.9 seconds behind Sofuoglu.
The top three was an all-Honda affair after Katsuaki Fujiwara
scored third best time, heading off Charpentier's championship
rival, Kevin Curtain. Charpentier needs to beat Curtain on
Sunday, and try to keep as many riders between him and his
great rival as possible, to stay in contention for the championship
itself, by reducing Curtain's advantage going into the final
round next weekend.
Ronald Ten Kate - Team Manager
“Big compliments to all my riders and my team staff
who have been working very hard to have a strong day today.
We also improved on what were already impressive times from
yesterday, and at a certain point the feeling inside the garage
was like there was an epic battle going on and Kenan was very
determined to grab the pole. He did not succeed but he came
very close so we have to express our admiration for his efforts.
For the race configuration, we are quite fast and constant.
It's all we want to concentrate on right now, trying to win
the race tomorrow. I think this was one of the most exciting
qualifying sessions inside this garage, because they broke
the lap record, and it was incredible. It's great to see Seb
back on his old form, dominating again like he did at the
start of the season, before he suffered a serious injury.
He has had some difficult times. The Magny-Cours test was
the breakthrough for him, and now it is good to see that he
is the true champion.”
Sebastien Charpentier - Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider
(Pole Position - 1'52.245 – 11 laps)
“Not bad, a new lap record, and the mechanics worked
really hard to allow me to do this. The bike was nice today
and the bike looks good for tomorrow. I worked in a good direction
and I used just one new tyre. Now I am happy, and as the temperature
was hotter than yesterday, things worked better today. The
best thing about the race is that all the other top Supersport
riders are some way behind, and we made many fast laps. I
expect a very good race with Kenan tomorrow, and I'm going
for maximum points. The strategy is to go into the lead and
ride hard, and then have a look at the situation. I love this
track, it is the best track in the world, and a very famous
venue.”
Kenan Sofuoglu - Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider
(Second Position - 1'52.541 - 12 laps)
”It's OK, and I was very close to pole. OK, I couldn't
take it but it was a good thing that we could do constant
52s, and that is what will be important for the race. I hope
that I can make a very good race tomorrow and that I can help
Sebastien. He looks good and we were really fighting. He has
more experience than me and therefore he could put it all
together in one lap. I made a little mistake putting my best
lap together as I was nervous, but it's OK.”
FINAL QUALIFYING:
1. Charpentier - Winston Ten Kate Honda - 1'52.245
2. Sofuoglu - Winston Ten Kate Honda - 1'52.541
3. Fujiwara - Honda - 1'53.441
4. Curtain - Yamaha - 1'53.512
5. Nannelli - Ducati - 1'53.758
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