It was a phenomenal eighth round of the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship at Most, but after the mid-season break, racing action returns to France and the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Always a track that brings the biggest surprises and with reasons to cheer on home interests, passion is fuelled from the trackside fans as much as the emotion is conveyed come the end of battle. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) suffered a P16 finish last time out; he won’t want the same again.

THE TITLE BATTLE: Bulega and Manzi set for another epic scrap

Graduating directly into a factory Ducati spot for 2024, ‘Bulegas’ has been a cut above the rest and the rider to beat in WorldSSP, but it wasn’t plain sailing at Most last time out. A decision to come in and pit for wet tyres in a short shower cost him a point-scoring finish, but it wasn’t a total loss. Main title rival Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) also pitted for wet tyres, however, he retired from the race, unable to capitalise on the Champion-elect’s difficulties. Momentum has been with Manzi however, a double win at Imola and strong pace at Most, but he faces a mammoth task to topple WorldSBK-bound Bulega. 46 points split them for now, eight races remain in the title race.

A POTENTIAL FOR SHOCKS: MV Agusta on the hunt for victory, but will Mangy-Cours experience count?

A further 48 behind but with six podiums – including five second place finishes – Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) makes it three manufacturers inside the top three in the standings. Magny-Cours will be the fourth new track for him to get to grips with, but he’s been doing a great job at new venues so far, with two podiums in the last four races at very tricky and technical tracks. His teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu crashed in Race 2 at Most but Turkish tenacity saw him remount to take a podium, a fourth of the year. He’s fifth overall and 85 behind Schroetter, with Federico Caricasulo the meat in the sandwich. Poor results at Imola and Most have cost ‘Carica’ a title challenge, but he’s now 47 behind Schroetter in P3.

WHO WILL MOVE AHEAD IN THE BATTLE FOR P6? An unpredictable show in store

The battle for a top six place is fierce however, with 22 points covering P6 to P12. Flying Finn Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) currently occupies the place, just ahead of Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team), both of which completed testing at Aragon last week. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) flies the home flag for himself but also Christophe Guyot’s team and will pursue a first podium of 2023 on familiar soil. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) complete the top six fight; Navarro tested at Aragon with teammate Manzi last week, whilst in the WorldSBK test, 20-year-old Huertas got a chance to prove himself on the ZX-10RR of Jonathan Rea, with praised heaped on the Madrid-born 2021 WorldSSP300 Champion. A side-note further down the field is that after testing multiple engine configurations at the Aragon test, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) will hope to be a regular points contender after becoming the latest WorldSSP winner last time out.

RIDER NEWS AND LINE-UP CHANGES: Oncu plans to return, Jespersen back in WorldSSP

There’s plenty of housekeeping to get on with, as Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing Team) misses the round due to MotoE™ World Championship duties with the Italian being replaced by Danish hotshot Simon Jespersen. However, the big news in terms of returns is that Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) is back in action. He took part in a test at Cremona in Italy last week, completing 82 laps and over 300km, and after a five-month absence due to nerve damage, he’s aiming to pass his mandatory Thursday medical check and get back racing. The same can’t be said for Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing), who misses the Pirelli French Round after injuries sustained following a crash at Donington Park, with Andreas Kofler – Maximilian’s brother, Bayliss’ teammate – once again stepping in. Elsewhere, Ondrej Vostatek (PTR Triumph) is back after Most as he replaces Harry Truelove for the end of the season, while Andy Verdoia once again steps into the fold at the Yamaha Thailand Racing Team in place of Apiwath Wongthananon. Two wildcards will race in France, with Johan Gimbert (GMT94 Yamaha) and Matthieu Gregorio (Moto Ain) aiming for glory on home soil.

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Source: WorldSBK.com