The last and decisive round of the World Superbike and Supersport Championship is now only seven days away.
Fittingly, the motorsport spectacular second only to the ultimate MotoGP class on two wheels, brings home 2009 Parkalgar-Honda star debutant Eugene Laverty who was chosen to take the place of the ill-fated Craig Jones by the Algarve-based team at the end of last season.
The spectacular performances of the 23-year-old from Toombridge in Northern Ireland have kept Parkalgar hopes of a world championship title in only their second season firmly on track, making next weekend’s three-day event at the Motor Park as exciting as could possibly have been wished for.
Laverty, who started his racing career in the British 125cc Championship before graduating to British Supersport and ultimately the 250 GP World Championships, will be giving his all in front of his ‘home’ crowd following a tumble in Magny-Cours a fortnight ago. That mistake left diminutive fan of Italian food, Red Bull and the Pulp Fiction Hollywood blockbuster, even more determined to make up the 19-point defecit on leader Cal Crutchlow in the Algarve.
Standings going into last round:
Supersport
Cal Crutchlow (England) Yamaha 230 points, Eugene Laverty (N.I.) Honda 211 points, Kenan Sofuoglu (Turkey) Honda 169 points, Joan Lascorz (Spain) Kawasaki 163 points.
Superbike
The title will be decided between Japanese Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga (436) and Yamaha representative Ben Spies from the USA (426). 25 points are awarded to the winner in both categories.
