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WSS: Parkes wins, heartache for Foret |
Broc Parkes picked up a somewhat fortuitous victory in the opening round of the World Supersport Championship in Qatar after last-lap heartache for team-mate Fabien Foret.
Foret had led the race from the early stages at the Losail circuit and looked set to start the season with a comfortable win before his Yamaha ran dry on the final lap. Despite doing his best to bring the bike to the finish, he was left to watch on as the victory was taken from his grasp.
Foret's retirement looked like giving the win to Joan Lascroz but the Honda man was under pressure from Parkes as they came out of the final corner, with the Australian managing to get a slip-stream on the run to the line, securing victory by just 0.048secs. British rider Craig Jones had been in contention throughout and took the final place on the podium, less than a second away from the winner.
Joshua Brookes was a lonely fourth, ahead of an equally lonely Matthie Lagrive, with Barry Veneman, Robbin Harms, David Salom, Chris Walker and Gianluca Vizziello rounding out the top ten.
The title defence for the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda team ended in disaster however, as both Jonathan Rea and Andrew Pitt were forced to retire. Rea – already carrying an injury following a fall on Friday, fell on just the second lap of the race after high-siding off his bike and team-mate Pitt was left with nowhere to go and also went down, with both drivers picking up a series of cuts as a result.
World Supersport result – top 15:1. Broc Parkes
2. Joan Lascorz
3. Craig Jones
4. Joshua Brookes
5. Matthieu Lagrive
6. Barry Veneman
7. Robbin Harms
8. David Salom
9. Chris Walker
10. Gianluca Vizziello
11. Gregory Leblanc
12. Ivan Clementi
13. Miguel Praia
14. Vesa Kallio
15. Katsuaki Fujiwara
