The FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup title fight swung in favour of Marc Vich in Race 2 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours after the Spanish star used all his experience to take a vital victory, he now has a nine-point lead going into the final round. Eduardo Burr and Gonzalo Sanchez completed the podium.

In complete contrast to Saturday’s Race 1, the second race in France was held under sunny skies and with warm temperatures. Japan’s Takumi Takahashi started from pole thanks to setting the fastest lap in the first race, and he was joined on the front row by Saturday’s victor Cameron Swain and Alessandro Di Persio.

In a typically thrilling and unpredictable race, the lead group swapped places several times with no one rider able to make a significant break from the pack. Brazil’s Burr had a go at leading, but he was quickly joined by title rivals Vich and Sanchez as well as Pietro Anastasi and Peruvian wildcard Aymon Bocanegra. Showing his skill with every passing race, Di Persio had excellent pace but a double long lap penalty cost him the chance of a good points haul. The Italian title hopeful nevertheless took 11^th place and remains in mathematical contention.

Back at the front, bLU cRU stalwart Vich used all his experience and race craft to keep putting his R3 in the lead. The Mallorcan charged to his third victory of the season and now takes over the head of the standings by nine points with one round remaining. Burr returned to the podium with a great second place, while Sanchez recovered brilliantly from a Race 1 DNF to take an important third.

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU World Cup – RACE TWO

The FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup will return to action for the final round in Aragón from September 27^th – 29^th.

Marc Vich said: “I feel really happy because these points today were very important. Yesterday I needed to careful and concentrate on finishing, and we came into this race level with Gonzalo. Today I’ve moved into the championship lead but I know it’s going to be difficult and I don’t want to think too far ahead. MotorLand Aragón is a track with a long straight and I think the action will be intense. Let’s see what happens in a few weeks!”

Source: WorldSBK.com

In Race 2 of the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) took a classy win, holding off a late charge from Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) to secure maximum points in the second race of the day. An eventful weekend at the Motul French Round for Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) saw him finish the race in third place and still in the championship lead, though now by a reduced advantage of 14 points over Montella.

MONTELLA’S LFYING START: Italian determined to make up ground

Montella made a great start getting up into P2 from sixth place on the grid on the opening lap, determined to claw back as many points as possible after a costly penalty which had seen him finish Race 1 sixth after a long lap penalty. White flags were briefly shown as the riders began lap 2 with light rain falling at Magny-Cours, though Montella was not perturbed and took over in the lead on lap 3. Huertas had dropped back at the start but fought his way up to fifth by the end of lap 2, before joining the fight at the front. By lap 5 Montella was leading by 2.5s, with Huertas by then up into second. 

MANZI ON THE CHARGE: fast pace from the Yamaha rider

On lap 14 Manzi took over in the lead from Montella, with Huertas close by in third. Montella got back in front with three laps to go, with Huertas running wide at Turn 5 on the last lap and therefore having to settle for third. In the lead Montella had to keep it absolutely full gas to hold on for a vital win over Manzi, with the Yamaha rider setting the fastest lap of the race, his 1’40.027 being a new race lap record.

CAREER BEST FINISH FOR BOOTH-AMOS: fourth place for the Briton

Whilst Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) may have finished the race over 12 seconds behind winner Montella it was still a superb performance from the Briton as he notched the best result of his WorldSSP career, with Spaniard Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) just behind him in fifth.  Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took sixth place, whilst French wildcard

Corentin Perolari (CBO Racing Honda France) will be happy with his seventh place finish. Rounding out the top ten, meanwhile, were Race 1 winner Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team), pole man Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

FRENCH HEARTBREAK: Debise and Mahias crash out

Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed on the first lap and then there was big disappointment for the Magny-Cours crowd at the end of lap 13, when the two Frenchman Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) crashed out together at Turn 13, making it a frustrating end to their home round. Mahias was later declared unfit with a right displaced collarbone fracture.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)

2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.171s

3. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.380s

4. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) +12.230s

5. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.626s

6. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +14.148s

Fastest lap: Stefano Manzi, Yamaha – 1’40.027 (new race lap record)

Championship standings:

1. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 289 points

2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 275

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 239

4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) 162

5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 148

6. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 139

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Double World Champion Jeffrey Buis (KTM Freudenberg-Paligo Racing) secured the win in Race 2 in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship class at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, coming from tenth on the grid to fight his way to the top step of the podium. Buis took his 13th win – increasing his tally as the record holder for victories in the class – also notching a seventh victory for KTM and his 23rd podium. Brothers Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) and Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) proudly represented Indonesia on the podium again, as Mahendra increased his Championship lead to 12 points.

PLENTY OF DRAMA: 100^th race was another dramatic affair

The 100^th WorldSSP300 race in history was not short of incident. After the initial start Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) took the holeshot, before Mahendra quickly took over at the front, with Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) leading by Turn 5. A technical problem for David Salvador (MS Racing) resulted in him suffering a big impact after a highside crash at Turn 5 on Lap 2, which saw the race red flagged as the marshals cleaned the track. Salvador was taken to the medical centre for a check up and would not take part in the restarted race due to a left elbow fracture.

RACE SHORTENED AFTER RE-START: the riders blast-off again

The Quick Start procedure was followed for the restart with a new race distance of seven laps for the WorldSSP300 riders over which to contest the win. Mahendra took the lead early after the restart, before Buis came from the fourth row on the grid to take over at the front by Turn 5. On the second lap of the restarted race Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PL Performances) had made it into the lead, but Buis would not yield and soon got back in front and began to pull clear. KOVE Racing Team pair Marc Garcia and Julio Garcia were riding well and forced their way into the top four with five laps to go.

BUIS POWERS ON TO WIN: battles rage behind him

Entering the penultimate lap Buis had the lead, with Mahendra hot on his tail and Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) also joining the party. Pratama came out of the chasing pack setting a blistering pace on the penultimate lap, briefly leading on the final lap, only for Buis to retake the lead and push on for the win. Iglesias crashed on the final lap after fighting with Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki). Gennai crossed the finish line second but was penalised by three seconds for irresponsible riding and was therefore relegated to 14^th place.

A HECTIC FINISH IN FRANCE: crashes on the final straight

Crossing the line one second behind the front three Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) was fourth, with Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) fifth and Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) in sixth for a career best result. A hectic incident arriving at the finish saw Humberto Maier (MS Racing), Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) and Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) crash, but they were given seventh, eighth and ninth respectively as they crossed the line. Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) completed the top ten, 2.324s behind winner Buis.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 2, full results here:

1. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing)

2. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.546s

3. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.548s

4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +1.526s

5. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +1.674s

6. Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) +1.848s

Fastest lap: Aldi Satya Mahendra, Yamaha – 1’52.744s

Championship standings:

1. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 164 points

2. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 152

3. Íñigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 138

4. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) 111

5. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) 102

6. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) 101

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Source: WorldSBK.com

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made up for the disappointment of his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Race 1 crash at the Motul French Round, storming to a fantastic Tissot Superpole Race win at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Sunday morning. The 2023 WorldSSP Champion took the lead on the opening lap from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and kept the English rider at bay in an exciting finale to secure his first win since his stunning rookie victory in the opening race of the season in Australia.

LOWES PUSHES HARD: Late mistake costs Kawasaki rider

Lowes made a great start on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR, but was overtaken by Bulega at Turn 5, with those two pulling clear for the victory to be contested between the pair. An early crash for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended his race at Turn 7 on the opening lap with the WorldSBK Champion taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Bautista was subsequently declared unfit for Race 2 due to a fracture of the eighth rib on his left side. On the penultimate lap Lowes had put himself in a position to challenge Bulega for the lead before a small error from the Kawasaki rider gave the Ducati star the initiative and the Italian would not look back from there.

PETRUCCI ON PODIUM AGAIN: Aggressive ride pays off

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 5 on lap 5 after fighting with fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), as Petrucci pushed on to secure a strong third place, after starting in tenth on the grid. Petrucci’s podium finish was a repeat of his Race 1 result, as was the fourth place for Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) – indeed it was the fourth time in 2024 that Redding has ended a race in fourth. The experienced Briton was able to get the better of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), who ended up fifth in a feisty mid-pack battle, with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) sixth and Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) seventh.

VAN DER MARK DROPS OFF: Dutchman unable to reproduce Race 1 win

After his excellent ride to victory in the wet in Race 1 yesterday Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was amongst the front runners in the early laps, riding in third place, thought he would ultimately end up in eighth place. Van der Mark was followed across the finish line by Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth and tenth places respectively.

The top nine from WorldSBK Superpole Race, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.115s

3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +3.677s

4. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +3.903s

5. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +5.710s

6. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +5.854s

7. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +6.613s

8. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.788s

9. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +8.397s

Fastest lap: Alex Lowes, Kawasaki – 1’36.873s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) took a fine win in the rescheduled and shortened 12-lap Race 1 early on Sunday in the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, flying across the finish line 2.938s ahead of second placed Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing). Riding brilliantly in mixed conditions on slick tyres at the Motul French Round the result is Tuuli’s first win with Ducati and his first victory since winning in Indonesia 2022. It’s also his third win with a different manufacturer, making him the first rider to achieve such a feat in the class.

CARICASULO RETURNS TO PODIUM: Strong performance by MV Agusta rider

Caricasulo also made his own piece of personal history with his first rostrum result of 2024, having now featured on the podium with four different manufacturers in WorldSSP. Completing the podium behind the front two was Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), making it three different manufacturers in the top three as he finished 3.248s off Tuuli and just over a tenth of a second over fourth placed Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).

HUERTAS & MONTELLA CLASH: Rivals go head-to-head

Title rivals Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Huertas clashed on lap 8 with Huertas again lucky to stay upright after his huge ‘moment’ in Warm Up on Saturday. Montella was given a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding for his part in that incident and he finished the race in sixth place, just over nine seconds down on Tuuli and five seconds adrift of fifth placed Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Oncu set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, to put him at the head of the grid for Race 2.

TOP TEN BATTLES: early leader Debise drops back on rain tyres

Behind sixth-placed Montella, Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team), Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) completed the top ten. Debise took the lead on the first lap, going three seconds clear by the start of lap 2 on rain tyres, before he was caught by the chasing group at the end of lap 7 and then swallowed up by the pack.

COSTLY CRASHES: Mahias and Manzi caught out by the conditions

Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) started with a bang and took the holeshot, only to crash out of the lead seconds later at Turn 2. Another big name crasher was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) who went down at Turn 15 on lap 3, which is a huge blow to his Championship aspirations. Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) got into second place early in the race and remained towards the front before he crashed out of fourth place at Turn 12 on lap 5, with Tuuli having to take avoiding action.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:

1. Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team)

2. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +2.938s

3. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +3.248s

4. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.390s

5. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +4.121s

6. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +9.119s

Fastest lap: Can Oncu, Kawasaki – 1’43.122s

Make sure you watch WorldSSP Race 2 this afternoon at 14:00 Local Time (UTC +1), using the WorldSBK VideoPass – NOW HALF PRICE!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The sun was out in abundance for WorldSBK morning Warm Up at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, with the eighth round of the season into its final race day of the weekend. Without big names such as Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) after his FP2 fall and six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) after his Race 1 crash on the opening lap, it’s a depleted field for the last day of action. As well as that, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is injured with a collarbone contusion but declared fit nonetheless. Warm Up itself took place as a wet session but with the sun beating down, the track dried throughout the ten-minute session with… taking control at the top.

With only ten riders setting lap times, reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was back on top of the running in the damp conditions, heading home a Ducati 1-2 with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in second place. Always a dark horse in tricky conditions, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONIAS MIE Honda Racing) completed the top three, ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), making it four Ducatis in the top five.

Super-sub Alessandro Delbianco (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) carried on his top ten form from Race 1 on Saturday with P6 in Warm Up on Sunday, taking top Yamaha honours too. He was ahead of teammate Remy Gardner, whilst Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) made it a trio of Yamahas. Ivo Lopes (PETRONIAS MIE Honda Racing) took P9 with Nicolo Bulega going out for some laps but finishing tenth. Everybody else remained in pitlane, including no action at all from the Team HRC box, Race 1 winner Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) or Race 1 leader Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

Top six after WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’52.742
2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.441s
3. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) +1.648s
4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) +1.749s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +1.963s
6. Alessandro Delbianco (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +2.283s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s final race day at Magny-Cours will take place without six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who fell at the last chicane on Lap 1 in Race 1 on Saturday. The #65 underwent surgery in Clermont-Ferrand on Saturday evening to repair a deep abrasion to his right thumb and has since returned to the track. A further update on his recovery will be issued ahead of the next round at Cremona, a new circuit on the calendar in 2024 in Italy.

Summarising his injury and thoughts from Magny-Cours, Rea stated: “Unfortunately my injury needed specialist attention and I had to have an emergency surgery to repair some damage in my right thumb. I will understand my recovery day by day, but I would just like to thank the track medics and especially Dr Antoine Martins for fixing me up. Thank you to all my team, my fans and all my sponsors that continue to support me in this tough period.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Australian rookie Cameron Swain took a stunning maiden win in a rain-soaked Race 1 at Magny-Cours, dominating to win by almost four seconds. Peruvian wildcard Aymon Bocanegra took second and Japan’s Takumi Takahashi completed the podium. The championship battle levels up with misfortune for Sanchez.

The predicted rain at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours arrived much earlier than expected and the Yamaha FIM R3 bLU cRU riders were faced with extremely difficult conditions for their first race of the weekend. Full wet Pirelli tyres were allocated for the 10-lap contest where Alessandro Di Persio started from pole. Brazil’s Eduardo Burr took the early lead, but he was one of many riders to fall foul of the slippery track; Dawid Nowak and Pietro Anastasi also failed to complete the first lap.

Desperate to try and increase his slim championship lead of 10 points, Gonzalo Sanchez made some early moves in the pack, but he fell on the second lap of the race and was unable to rejoin. Meanwhile, Marc Vich decided to ride for points, finishing sixth after a battle with Nikolas Zanin. This result puts the two Spanish rivals level on points going into tomorrow’s Race 2. Di Persio finished fourth, gaining important points and closing to just 24 points from the top.

Feeling comfortable on his R3 in the wet, Swain saw his opportunity to pull a gap on the pack. While many around him struggled, the 16-year-old rode flawlessly throughout the race, leading by 5.6 seconds at one point and eventually crossing the line 3.8 seconds ahead to take his maiden win. Last-minute wildcard Bocanegra impressed all onlookers with a first R3 World Cup podium in second, and Takahashi took his second rostrum of the season in third.

Race 2 of the FIM R3 bLU cRU World Cup will take place at 11:50 CET on Sunday September 8^th. Follow all the action live on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel.

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU World Cup – RACE ONE 

Cameron Swain: “The conditions were super difficult and I saw that a few people were struggling a bit, but I felt alright so I wanted to take the opportunity to lead the race. Once I hit the front I just put my head down, built up the gap and managed the race as best I could – always keeping an eye on my pitboard. It’s been a tough season for me and so many sacrifices have gone into this win, somehow that makes it feel even sweeter. It’s a crazy feeling, I can’t describe it.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) returned to his team’s box on Saturday after being ruled out of the Motul French Round following his Free Practice 2 crash on Friday. The #54 was ruled out with mild traumatic pneumothorax but he was at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Saturday to watch teammate Michael van der Mark claim victory in a thrilling MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race on Saturday.

Razgatlioglu had topped the Free Practice 1 times as he looked to extend his winning streak at a circuit he considers one of his favourites, and on his first flying lap in FP2, he had posted three red sectors as he went faster than anyone else. However, through Turn 14, the Turkish superstar came off his M 1000 RR and went through the gravel. He walked away from the scene before being taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with mild traumatic pneumothorax.

Discussing his recovery and when he plans to compete again, Razgatlioglu said: “I hope to be back in two weeks’ time in Cremona. We’ll have checks again, but I think it should be okay. We will see. I want to thank all the medical stuff at the track and in Moulins hospital. And I want to thank everybody for the many messages and best wishes. See you soon on track again!”

Razgatlioglu returning to the track meant he was on site to see teammate van der Mark end his win drought in an incredible flag-to-flag battle. The Dutchman won by more than eight seconds after switching from slicks to wets on Lap 4 and battled with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) until the #22 crashed from P1 at Turn 13. Razgatlioglu was on hand to see his teammate claim a long-awaited victory, 100 races on from his last.

“Michael did an incredible job today,” began Razgatlioglu when speaking about his teammate’s win. “He is always strong in wet conditions, and he showed that again. It was a fantastic ride. He did not take a risk; he was just riding smoothly and finally he got the deserved win. It’s a pity that I can’t take part in the races after my crash yesterday, but my recovery is the most important thing. This is what I focus on now.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com