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news
02 Mar 2008
Jones learns a lesson at Phillip Island
PARKALGAR HONDA racer Craig Jones finished out of the points in the second round of the World Supersport Championship at Phillip Island in Australia and admitted he will learn from the experience and come back stronger and faster for it.
Starting from 12th on the grid, British rider Jones settled into a race long battle to maintain his place. In the last laps of the race he was mugged by the riders around him as he struggled for rear grip and crossed the line in 16th, just outside of the points.
Parkalgar Honda’s Miguel Praia started from 28th and made a quick getaway, making up four places immediately. The Portuguese racer fought his way into the top 20 before eventually ending up 21st. In warm sunshine Honda’s Andrew Pitt won in front of his home crowd.
There is now just over a month’s break before the third round of the World Supersport Championship at Valencia in Spain on April 6th. Parkalgar Honda will test at Valencia on March 13th and 14th in preparation for the race.
Craig Jones:
“We chose a different rear tyre from most of the other teams and it proved to be the wrong choice. It was OK at the start of the race but from halfway onwards I felt I had no grip whatsoever and it was very difficult for me to maintain race pace.
“We struggled all weekend and I cannot blame my Parkalgar Honda, I think it is down to me and a lack of testing at the track – it never clicked for me. I am now counting the days down to Valencia. My previous three races have all been podium finishes, so I would never have thought I would miss out on points here, but this will make me stronger and faster as I will learn from it.”
Miguel Praia:
“I tried hard today but the racing was very fast. I struggled with rear end traction and pushed as hard as I could from the start. In the end I was riding at my own speed and it was quite a lonely race with no other riders around me.
“This is not the top 10 that I had hoped for but as we had no test time here, it is maybe not surprising that both the team and I struggled. I am very much looking forward to racing at Valencia now as it is a more familiar circuit for me.”
Simon Buckmaster, Team Manager:
“You can’t dress the results up, both our riders missed out on the points and we are happy to be putting Phillip Island behind us. Parkalgar Honda did not test here pre-season and it showed; the first practice session being wet also didn’t help as it reduced our useful time on track.
“We thought Craig had a good set-up and for much of the race he was battling in 11th or 12th, but as his rear tyre faded he lost out and disappointingly missed a points scoring finish by fractions.
“Miguel, compared to his qualifying position of 29th, rode well. He is still finding his feet at this level and is learning and improving.
“Looking at the season calendar, Phillip Island was always going to be our bogey circuit without any testing or previous bike data. Before the next round at Valencia we will have a two day test at the circuit and I am sure the team will be back where it belongs in the points and dicing for the World Championship title.”
Race Result:
1: A Pitt, AUS, (Honda) 21-laps
2: J Brookes, AUS, (Honda) +0.062
3: R Harms, DEN, (Honda) +0.597
4: F Foret, FRA, (Yamaha) +0.780
5: J Rea, GBR, (Honda) +0.976
6: G McCoy, AUS, (Triumph) +1.228
...
16: CRAIG JONES, GBR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) +17.480
...
21: MIGUEL PRAIA, POR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) + 52.165
Championship Positions (after two of 14 rounds)
1: Brookes 33
2: J Lascorz, ESP, (Honda) 29
3: Pitt 25
4: B Parkes, AUS, (YAMAHA) 25
5: Harms 25
6: CRAIG JONES, GBR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) 16
...
21: MIGUEL PRAIA, POR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) 3
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