Round 1 - Qatar

In Supersport the first race of the season didn't betray expectations either, and Pirelli's new tires also did their job.

Charpentier crossed the line first, in 37'30"955, 24" faster than last season . The Frenchman led the race from the beginning, with no need to really push until the three laps in which he made a gap of 5" with Kevin Curtain, his closest follower. This signified a lap 7 tenths faster than his fastest lap of last season, set on the 13th lap, with a 2'03"921.

The new compounds brought by Pirelli to face the hot desert temperatures did their job, so Charpentier, at the end of the race, praised Pirelli for the high level of its race products and the high performance level of the new solutions. He, along with riders from other development teams, has helped develop these tires through the winter months.

On Charpentier's back for a while was the Yamaha of Curtain and then Sebastien's own team mate from Turkey, Sofuoglu, who took third on the second Ten Kate Honda.

Race Standings:

Rider	Bike	Team	Race time
Charpentier	Honda CBR600 RR	Winston Ten Kate	37'30.955
Curtain	Yamaha YZF R6	Yamaha Motor Germany	+5.396
Sofuoglu	Honda CBR600 RR	Winston Ten Kate	+11.657