Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty has taken his debut World Supersport win this morning at Qatar, heading a four-way dice for the lead for much of the race and slipstreaming Andrew Pitt across the line on the last lap.
Pitt had been stalking Laverty for the final three laps and went past the young Irishman on the brakes into turn 12 with two laps to go. Laverty sat behind the Aussie through the final turn and checked he could get a tow and cross the line first as they went into the final lap.
The pair were towing Kenan Sofuoglu and Cal Crutchlow as they went into turn one with Laverty leading. As they approached turn 12 again, Pitt dived underneath the Irishman, as he had done on the previous lap, but Laverty knew he could beat the Ten Kate Honda across the line and promptly did so.
Sofuoglu made a mistake in the final turn and allowed Crutchlow past into third place after the Yamaha man had been on the grass earlier in the lap. Two corners before, Crutchlow had chopped the Turks nose off with the Ten Kate Honda's front wheel riding up the back of the Yamaha.
Laverty took the lead from the first turn and held it from Pitt and Crutchlow as Sofuoglu looked to be struggling for pace in the opening laps. With two laps gone, Crutchlow's team-mate Fabien Foret crashed out, his Yamaha exiting the track over the top of the catch fencing.
With 12 laps to go, Sofuoglu started to find some pace and managed to get on the back of Crutchlow after Pitt had gone past the Coventry man earlier in the lap.
Sofuoglu then tried a move into turn one but Crutchlow barged his way back underneath the Turk. Laverty ran wide halfway through lap, gifting Pitt the lead.
Laverty was pushed back to fourth and it looked as though the Ten Kate pair were about to clear off. However, the Irishman got his head down as re-passed Crutchlow for third with eight laps to go.
With six laps left, both Pitt and Laverty went under Sofuoglu into turn one after he outbraked himself and a lap later, Laverty hit the front again on the start finish straight, blasting past Pitt without using the slipstream.
It was then a straight fight between Pitt and Laverty with Crutchlow third and Sofuoglu fourth.
