Editor

Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) was one of the riders how lit up the 2009 season into a shining example of just how hotly contested and demanding Supersport World Championship racing can be.
In a relatively small team, on a relatively small budget, Parkalgar and Laverty were joint class leaders from virtually the first round to the exciting finale in Portugal last October.


He narrowly missed out on the championship itself after a great tussle with fellow rookie Cal Crutchlow, but in 2010 Laverty and Parkalgar are back for more. And being fastest in the rankings at Portimao during weather-affected testing recently shows that things are moving in a good direction for the 23-year-old from Northern ireland.


Said Eugene, "The tests went well and we were fast in the dry and the wet. That was the most important thing for me because last year we struggled a lot in the wet. By playing round with settings and tyre pressures we got it right. That was a big issue for me."


In terms of his Honda's technical package for 2010, Laverty said, "We had to fight that hard to catch the Yamaha last year I think we almost brought the bike along to as far as it would go. Set-up is always a compromise because it is difficult to get both acceleration and top end."


Laverty will challenge his rivals in the series in Australia later this month, first in a test and then at the first round of the championship - Phillip Island on February 28th.



Source: World Superbike

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Kawasaki Racing