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 8th. 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