Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty has played down Kenan Sofuoglu's last-lap barge that cost him victory in yesterday's World Supersport race at Miller Motorsport Park.

The laid-back Irishman had ridden an inch-perfect race to keep Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow, Joan Lascorz and, latterly, Sofuoglu at bay until the very last lap when the Turk put hard moves on both the British riders.

“I didn’t expect Kenan to pass where he did, I was already in the corner and I am just happy we both stayed on. We could easily have both ended on the deck when he hit me – he bounced off me and stayed on," said the youngster.

"If I hadn’t been there he’d have kept going and ended up in the Salt Lake. Fair play to him though, he’s had bad moves made on him in previous rounds. Initially I didn’t see who had passed me and got on the gas straight away and then saw it was Kenan and breathed a sigh of relief it was not Cal Crutchlow. It was most important to beat Cal here and we did that so I am not too disappointed in the result.”

Sofuoglu said of the incident: "The last lap was really good though – I think I might have touched with Eugene on the way through and you could say it was a hard move. But racing is a hard sport."