One of the most dramatic rounds in recent memory concluded with the end of a winning streak and perhaps, the start of a new one. With injuries, Championship twists and familiar faces returning to the podium, Magny-Cours in 2024 brought all of the action with interest. Right across both race days, there were plenty of epice quotes coming from the key stars.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It was difficult for me to keep believing”
Talking about his win after a 1070 day wait, Michael van der Mark spoke of the intense conditions during Race 1 and how support at home got him through the tough times: “Alex passed me and I tried to stay with him without taking too many risks but he pushed quite hard and crashed. It was a long race after that, trying to find the balance. It feels really weird right now; we wanted to fight for the podium this weekend and on Friday, we showed strong pace. Even though the conditions were horrible, you still have to finish first. It feels unreal; it’s a shame Toprak isn’t on the podium with me but the team get another win. It’s been a tough two years with the injuries and it’s difficult to come back in WorldSBK now. It was difficult for me to keep believing. Everyone here just sees me at the race track and it hasn’t been easy to be at home for so long many times. My girlfriend never complained about it, she always supported me and my son too. Without them, maybe I’d have retired. It was good to see Toprak here, he’s very lucky. I said to him before the race, ‘my goal is to steal away as many points as possible’ from your rivals. I also said that if you can’t get another win, I’ll try and get BMW a win, so now they have 14.”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “To be P2 after starting P17 is like a big victory”
Continuing with the wet weather race on Saturday, Alvaro Bautista evaluated his Race 1 – he was unfit for Sunday after a crash in the Superpole Race left him with a broken rib: “The feeling in Superpole was terrible and it was like riding on ice, the rear was sliding aggressively and I had zero confidence. We went with a full dry setup for the slicks and I was hoping it wouldn’t rain, thinking that if the full wet setup was bad at the start of the day, it’d be worse in the rain with a dry setup. I was the first rider in the pits because I know that at this track, the grip is very low in the wet. I nearly crashed at the last chicane like Nicolo and Jonny! I felt good after the pitstop; I could push and when I saw my lap time, it was faster than in Superpole. I tried to survive to finish the race and to be P2, after starting P17, in the wet, is like a big victory.”
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “If it was a motocross Grand Prix, I’d have won with the most points!”
Scoring the most points out of anyone from the round with a hat-trick of rostrums, Danilo Petrucci can be happy: “If it was a motocross Grand Prix, I’d have won with the most points! Jokes apart, I’m really happy because finally, we showed our potential. Today, Nicolo was unbeatable for me as he did a great job in the first laps. I tried to manage the tyre but from then, it was very clear that I was a little bit in trouble. I can’t complain, the team are doing a great job and the bike works perfectly. We still need to improve because we have been quite lucky yesterday, with all the crashes but we still miss a bit compared to the factory Ducatis and the BMWs. I’m really happy because I’ve never scored three podiums in a weekend. I still need to train and I’m focused on the right arm. There are a lot of muscles, especially around the shoulder but Sunday Race 2 is always the most difficult. I wasn’t expecting this kind of race though, more of a group race with Nicolo and Alex.”
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Sunday was perfect, Saturday was not”
A crash on Saturday left Nicolo Bulega with a collarbone contusion for Sunday but that didn’t stop him inflicting maximum damage on Toprak Razgatlioglu’s Championship advantage, taking a Sunday double: “Sunday, perfect! Saturday, not! I want to say thanks to the doctors as they helped me a lot because I had pain after the bad crash in Race 1. My neck and shoulder has pain but the important thing is that I was able to ride well. I felt inside of me that I had the speed but it was difficult to put it all together, along with the difficult weather. I don’t have a lot experience when the weather changes a lot of times like this. Saturday was difficult because it was a bad crash and unexpected with the throttle closed. It was a bad moment and, in the night, I was thinking whether or not I could race. I only wanted to recover the bad result from Saturday.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I hope to be back at Cremona… my recovery is the most important thing”
Speaking on Saturday at the circuit about his recovery and his teammate’s win, Toprak Razgatlioglu is still the Championship leader despite his big FP2 crash that ruled him out of the round: “I hope to be back in two weeks’ time at 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. Michael did an incredible job in Race 1. 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.”
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW): “Michael had tears on his eyes on the podium… that’s what racing is all about”
It had been just under two years since Garrett Gerloff stepped on the podium but he got his first with BMW, which was also a first for the team: “It’s so nice that I was able to do it with the BMW and I’m so happy to have given Bonovo their first podium too. I love all the guys down there and I’m sad we’re having to part ways at the end of the year; they’re awesome and we’ve had a great time. I don’t know why it’s been so difficult but for us to have a couple of good weekends in a row, it means a lot. To come from what feels like rock bottom and to then climb all the way back up to the podium, it’s really nice and means a lot. I’m so happy for Jurgen and Michael Galinski; Michael had tears in his eyes on the podium! That’s what racing is all about.”
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “We need to look at what went wrong”
A Race 2 of what could have been for Alex Lowes, who suffered a mechanical glitch on the opening lap: “We need to look at what went wrong. I made a good start again – we’ve been having good starts this weekend. At Turn 6 and 7, I had an issue with the bike; it felt big enough to end the race. I heard a strange sound, as if it was coming from the engine. I pulled the clutch in, got off the line and then did all the resetting that we have to do now with these bikes! I kept going and tried to do one more lap to see how it was. I was convinced there was something wrong but, in the end, it was all OK and I had no lack of speed; it was performing well. What’s disappointing is that I had the chance to win Race 1 and I also had the chance to fight again with Nicolo in Race 2. We didn’t do that and it’s a shame but the bike is working well, the team are doing a great job and it was a successful weekend. It was positive to pass all the guys, keep my focus and get to the end.”
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “We’re in the mix and in the fight”
One of the standout performers of Magny-Cours was Xavi Vierge, who was in the podium fight during both Sunday races as Honda take a big leap forward: “Already in the last few rounds, we’ve improved a lot but we couldn’t demonstrate it because I’ve had a lot of problems with arm pump but I’ve had the operation. We took to advantage of the wet conditions in Superpole to start from the second row, which is mandatory in WorldSBK. I had an opportunity to fight for the podium on slicks in Race 1 but unfortunately, the rain came and didn’t give us the opportunity. We were close on Sunday in the dry too so I’m super happy. We’re understanding how to take the most out of the bike’s performance and I hope to continue like this for the next races. It’s a completely new bike for this year and we didn’t have enough time to understand the new things. We followed one way that we thought was correct but after a few rounds, we discovered it was the opposite was, so we found a new base and made small steps. The teams here have their test teams in Europe and they’re getting so many kilometres in with different riders. Like this, you can improve much faster. It’s one of the keys. I can’t say anything but for sure it’s on the table and we’re all pushing for that. At least now, we are in the mix and in the fight.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com