New Bogdanka PTR effort an instant hit
Formed only this year, the Bogdanka/PTR combination saw multiple Polish Champion Pawel Szkopek overcome the effect of a few pre-race crashes to record fast times in some wet sessions, then join the fight for tenth, before a technical problem caused Pawel to retire.
Said Szkopek of his bright initial showing, "The team did a great job finding the right set-up for me for the race and I was feeling really good on the bike. I had to ride past Florian Marino who stalled at the start but quickly made my way up and had just caught up with a group fighting for 10th position when I was forced to retire with an engine problem. It's a pity, but knowing I could fight for 10th position gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the next race."
For Ellison, who underwent surgery on his left knee after a testing crash, only a couple of days before practice started in Australia, a sixth place must have felt like a podium.
"Considering what we've came through in Australia this week I'm quite happy with sixth," said the former double Superstock champion. "Because of the injury I couldn't steer the bike with my legs and had to work harder with my shoulders - and they got quite tired in the end. I'm a bit disappointed about that because my training and fitness are very important to me and are normally my strong points - but we have a month off now before our home race and I'll be ready for Donington."
