WSS carnage

Within eight minutes of the start of the first World Supersport Free Practice of the season in Qatar there was a four bike pile up which brought out the red flags. The crash was caused when Hungarian rider Gergo Talmasci suffered an engine failure and rode the majority of the lap with oil coming out of his Yamaha R6.

2006 runner-up Kevin Curtain, who was on for a pole lap, and fellow Yamaha men Gianluca Vizziello and team-mates David Checa and Sebastian Gimbert all crashed on the oil, but fortunately walked away unscathed.

Not the same could be said for Curtain’s Yamaha R6, which was practically written off in the crash with a destroyed tank, Motec dash fairing and the complete sub frame being ripped off the bike.

The session was delayed for over 30 minutes before restarting and then promptly stopped again as there was still too much oil on the track, making it unsafe. Kevin Curtain bounced back on his No.2 machine to finish second fastest less than 0.1s behind Ten Kate Honda man Keenan Sofuoglu.

Brit Craig Jones made a solid start in only his second ride on his 2006-spec Reve Ekerold Honda and after running in a new motor posted the 24th fastest time