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news
05 Apr 2008
Third place on the grid for Jones
PARKALGAR HONDA’S Craig Jones will start tomorrow’s third round of the World Supersport Championship from third on the front row of the grid at Valencia in Spain.
Jones came back uninjured from a fast crash in morning practice to fight for pole position in the afternoon on his spare bike. He is positive he can compete for top honours in tomorrow’s race.
Miguel Praia piloted his Parkalgar Honda to 25th on the grid, with his fastest lap time being set during yesterday’s session. He will work with his technicians to look for a more competitive setting for his bike for the race tomorrow. Honda’s Andrew Pitt is in pole position.
The third round of the World Supersport race at the 4005m Valencia track takes place at 1320 CET on Sunday, April 6th. It can be viewed live on www.worldsbk.com.
Craig Jones:
“I made a mistake in morning practice when trying a small change on my bike and went into a corner a little slower than normal and crashed on the kerb. Luckily I was fine but my Parkalgar Honda was badly damaged. My team did a great job to transplant the engine to my spare bike and I was able to get out in qualification OK.
“I would have preferred pole position but I think I have good race pace and being on the front row is exactly where I need to be. I’m looking forward to the race and getting a podium result or better.”
Miguel Praia:
“I found it hard work to improve my lap times compared to yesterday. I wanted so much to go faster but I did not feel I could push any more.
“I plan to talk with my technicians tonight and make a plan for some small changes to help me go faster in the race. I think there is more to come from me also, so I will be thinking on how I will improve. The top 15 and points are my main objective.”
Simon Buckmaster, Team Manager:
“Craig is on fire and absolutely determined to get a top result. He is trying his heart out and fortunately was able to walk away from a big crash without any injury. We appreciate the level of commitment he is putting in and the team repaid him by working double time to prepare his spare bike – along with fitting the engine from his crashed one. They’ll have his damaged Parkalgar Honda completely rebuilt before the end of the day.
“Miguel has struggled to make progress today after a promising start to the weekend. He’s putting himself under a lot of pressure but I think he can work his way through it and should score some more Championship points tomorrow.”
Qualifying Times:
1: A Pitt, Aus, (Honda) 1:36.773
2: J Lascorz, Esp, (Honda) +0.106
3: CRAIG JONES, GBR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) +0.295
4: B Parkes, Aus, (Yamaha) +0.459
5: K Fujiwara, Jpn, (Kawasaki) +0.460
6: J Rea, Gbr, (Honda) +0.600
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25: MIGUEL PRAIA, POR, (PARKALGAR HONDA) +1.831
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