Craig Jones will begin the opening round of the 2008 World Supersport Championship campaign from second spot on the starting grid, following an impressive performance during qualifying at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
The Parkalgar Honda star began the weekend sixth-fastest in the 36-strong category, improving to fifth position in Friday morning practice and then second in final qualifying.
“On my fast lap I lit up the first two twisty sectors as the quickest rider,” the hard-riding Brit remarked afterwards, “but I lost out in the final one which includes the long straight. I'm running different gearing to everyone else, which means I'm quicker through the turns but losing a couple of mph on the straight. If the strong wind dies down tomorrow as it is forecast, then my gearing will be perfect.
“We made a couple of changes to my Parkalgar Honda and they all worked. I am delighted with the bike as a package, and all we need now is the right tyre for the race from Pirelli. I'll be trying hard for the podium or better tomorrow.”
Team-mate Miguel Praia similarly slashed his own lap times from the opening day, as the Portugese ace moved up the grid from 26th position into 18th. He is now bidding to break into the top 15 on race day – and get amongst the points-scorers.
“From yesterday I managed to take more than three seconds away from my lap times and increase eight positions in qualifying,” the former Portugese Honda CBR 600 Cup Champion enthused. “I am very happy with this improvement and the support from my Parkalgar Honda team. Craig even towed me for several laps and I learnt a lot from being behind him, which is fantastic.
“My aim for today was to break into the top 20 and we have achieved that. For the race I want to fight inside the top 15, and this is realistic if we have some luck.”
“Having lost a little time yesterday, it is great to see both Parkalgar Honda riders make such big improvements,” added team manager Simon Buckmaster. “Well done to the whole team for such a professional performance; I am proud of the hard work and effort every member is putting in, and we are seeing the fruits of our labour in strong qualifying positions.
“Miguel has come on leaps and bounds and is only 1.7 seconds away from pole position, compared with 3.2 seconds yesterday. He should achieve a top 15 result tomorrow, and then build from there for the next round.
“Craig is running higher gearing than everyone else, and if the wind dies down it will give him an advantage in the race. Even if the wind remains, though, he is comfortable and can push harder if needed.
“He is approaching this race and the next at Phillip Island with a view of achieving solid top five points, and that maturity is paying dividends. You cannot win the world championship in the opening round, but a crash could mean you lose it.”
