An 'angry' Andrew Pitt has hit out at Eugene Laverty for causing what he believed was an avoidable collision at Vallelunga, one that has seen his World Supersport lead slashed to 11 points.

Pitt was looking to consolidate a podium finish in Italy after giving up on pursuing arch-rival Jonathan Rea, but was caught up in a feud between himself and the two Yamaha riders Laverty and Broc Parkes.

While Parkes swept through into second place, Rea attempted to dive up the inside of Laverty at Campagnola. However, Laverty leaned on top of Pitt and before he noticed the Honda was beneath him, the Aussie was down and out of the race.

Laverty continued on to third place, leaving Pitt to be livid with the Irishman, not least because Rea went on to win by a considerable margin.

“I'm quite angry for obvious reasons,” he said. “I didn't have the pace to match Jonathan today, but I felt reasonably comfortable dealing with the two Yamahas.

“When (Eugene) Laverty ran wide into a right-hander, I simply rode underneath him. But he just came right back on top of me and that was it. If I'd made a mistake or crashed on my own, then fair enough, but it's not the way I'd like to lose a load of points.

Just two races in France and Portugal remain.