Light rain was falling at the start of Free Practice 3 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship which limited running considerably at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Very few riders set a lap time, with none of them representative, as Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) claimed top spot. He was just 0.127s clear of Petrucci as Day 2 of the Motul French Round got underway.

With rain greeting the field, initially in the final sector four before spreading over the circuit, there were no representative times in the 20-minute session. A handful of riders, including Friday pacesetter Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), ventured out as soon as the session started, although all immediately returned to the pits without setting a lap time. With around 12 minutes remaining, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) went on track, followed shortly after by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

Rinaldi set the first lap of the session with a 1’51.343s before improving by a huge four seconds to a 1’47.985s although drops of rain started to fall again in sector four, which the #21 unable to improve his time any further. A few minutes on and rain was reported in all sectors again, although Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) posted a 1’53.173s to move into second place before improving to a 1’48.112s.

In the final minute of FP3, several riders posted lap times that didn’t trouble Rinaldi’s time, with Petrucci securing second ahead of Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth with Alessandro Delbianco, Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) completing the field of seven riders who set a lap time.

The top six from WorldSBK FP3, full results here:

1. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) ‘147.985s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.127s

3. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +3.3692s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.726s

5. Alessandro Delbianco (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Tram) +8.566s

6. Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) +13.724s

Watch WorldSBK Tissot Superpole from 11:00 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Italy’s Alessandro Di Persio has secured his first Yamaha FIM R3 bLU cRU World Cup pole position at the penultimate round of the season in Magny-Cours, France. Fellow title contenders Marc Vich and Eduardo Burr completed the front row.  

There were a few damp patches when the R3 riders took to the track in the morning’s Free Practice session, but the youngsters used it to gain experience with mixed weather conditions expected for Race 1 on Saturday. It was Spain’s Vich who had the early pace, setting a time +0.947 seconds faster than his rivals – this was made more impressive by the fact the 18-year-old lapped alone for the entire session. Local star Dorian Joulin placed second in the morning and Japan’s Shoma Yamane rounded out the Top 3. Title contender Gonzalo Sanchez was seventh fastest as he got to grips with the unfamiliar circuit.

In the Superpole session it was all change as Vich, who had been leading the way, lost out at the last moment to Di Persio who took over pole position by the tiny margin of just +0.017. Close behind the pair in third was Burr, +0.185 from the top. Sanchez found his feeling and finished Superpole in fifth, he is joined on the second row by Yamane and Cameron Swain.

Just 51 points separate the Top 5 in the title chase, with Sanchez and Vich split by only 10 points. Watch every moment of thrilling Race 1 action on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel LIVE at 11:50 CET.

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – FREE PRACTICE

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – SUPERPOLE

Alessandro Di Persio: “It was a very difficult Superpole, it was tricky to take the slipstream and to set a fast lap. This morning I concentrated on Free Practice to try and find the best possible feeling and setup with my bike, and in the end this paid off. I managed to set a very strong lap in Superpole, and then I tried to improve it but there was a lot of wind and it wasn’t possible. However, this pole position, my first, is very nice. I think there will be a lot of riders in the main group tomorrow, and I simply plan to do my best. I’d like to say a big thank you to Yamaha and to my team AG Motorsport.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will take no further part in the Motul French Round after his crash during Free Practice 2 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The 2021 Champion crashed at Turn 14, heading into Turn 15, on his first timed lap in the 45-minute session which briefly brought out the red flags. He was taken to the medical centre and diagnosed with a back contusion, before being transported to hospital for further assessments. Following those evaluations, the #54 has been ruled out of action with mild traumatic pneumothorax.

Razgatlioglu had laid down his marker in Free Practice 1 by posting the fastest time with a 1’36.347s, one of only two riders in the 1’36s bracket and more than three tenths clear of his nearest rivals. He had a delayed start to FP2 but looked rapid on his first flying lap as he set three red sectors – faster than anyone in that session – before his crash in the final sector. 

A statement from BMW read: “ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) has to sit out the remainder of the eighth round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Magny-Cours (FRA). Following his heavy crash in Free Practice 2 and medical checks in Moulins hospital, he has been declared unfit by the WorldSBK medical team for the rest of the weekend.”

“The entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport family wishes Toprak a very speedy recovery,” said Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “After his great success this is obviously a setback, but health is the most important thing. We are looking forward to having him back at the racetrack as soon as possible. An update on his recovery will follow at the given time.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

Following this week’s news of the renewal of World Champion Alvaro Bautista’s contract with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati for 2025 the Spaniard arrived at this week’s Motul French Round in great spirits and a light crash in FP2 did not dampen his mood on Friday. Bautista finished the afternoon practice in France in sixth place and was P7 on the combined timesheets after the first day at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. He trailed Friday’s fastest rider Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) by 0.758s and was just over sixth tenths off the pace of his Ducati colleague Nicolo Bulega, who was second quickest in free practice.

Nonetheless, Bautista is positive about whatever comes his way this weekend. Asked if the recent improved feeling that he has expressed noting at the last two rounds is still with him at Magny-Cours, Bautista answered, “Yes for sure, this morning straight away I felt the same feeling as I felt at Portimao and Most, only the tyres were different. But in FP2 I started and I felt suddenly very, very good on the bike, so I’m happy about that. It’s a bit of a pity because we didn’t find an improvement with the changes we tried but it’s normal. You make some changes sometimes and you don’t always find what you hope for. But I’m happy with the feeling that I had with the bike.”

Playing down his FP2 crash, the double WorldSBK title winner stated, “I was feeling good, good pace and good feeling with the bike. Then was the practice was stopped we made some adjustments on the rear of the bike, but I didn’t like it and in fact I crashed on Turn 8. But it was an easy crash, no problems for me.”

Looking ahead to what Saturday and Sunday may bring, if it rains at Magny-Cours, Bautista is upbeat about his prospects. “It’s a bit unpredictable so we have to see and we have to adapt to the conditions. For sure in the wet it would be a challenge for everybody, because for a couple of years it hasn’t rained, so it will be new for everybody at Magny-Cours,” he added. “We have to prepare for all situations and do out best. I think in the wet I have felt less differences than in the dry, because in the end in the wet you can’t push to the limits like in the dry so it’s more the feeling you have with the bike that allows you to push more. So I think in the wet the new regulations could effect things less than in the dry.”

On the other side of the factory Ducati pitbox, Bulega explained his Friday feelings, stating positively, “I feel good because honestly sometimes on my first day at a new track with this bike it is a bit difficult, like at Most and Donington where I was struggling a little bit more on the first day. Then step-by-step I was getting faster. Today I already started well, because I felt good on the bike from the first laps. So I’m happy and I’ll try to improve again tomorrow.”

Giving his assessment of his potential this weekend at Round 8 of 2024, the 2023 WorldSSP Champion admitted: “Honestly I don’t know. I always try to do my best when I jump on the bike and I go at my maximum so I will try to do the same as I’ve done all year. I’ll try to fight for the podium if I can.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

While the majority of BMW’s headlines this year have been written by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), teammate Michael van der Mark was creating his own at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on the French venue. The Dutchman topped Free Practice 2 and the combined classification at a circuit he’s enjoyed success at before as he laid down a marker for his rivals on the opening day of the Motul French Round.

While Razgatlioglu was the fastest rider in FP1, a crash on his first flying lap in FP2 meant he didn’t set a time. Van der Mark was running well across the whole day but improved his time by around a second in the afternoon session to post a 1’36.010s to claim P1 in Friday’s classification. He was 0.149s ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second while Razgatlioglu claimed third with his FP1 time of a 1’36.347s.

Van der Mark has had plenty of podiums at Magny-Cours, claiming six podiums between 2016 and 2020 across Honda and Yamaha machines, although he’s yet to reach those heights in France with BMW. He was also on the rostrum in 2014 in WorldSSP in his title-winning campaign. Despite not standing on the podium at Magny-Cours with BMW, it’s a circuit the M 1000 RR has gone well at with Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) on the rostrum in 2022 and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) on pole last year.

Reviewing his Friday, van der Mark said: “It’s a track I love. I enjoy coming here and today I enjoyed it even more because, from the first lap this morning, the bike was feeling good. We didn’t change a lot today because the bike felt good and I was just trying to be precise, have a good pace. It’s nice to be fast, but also to finish the day fastest is very nice. This morning, we made a good start and had good pace. In WorldSBK, the margins are very small so when you analyse things, you see small differences, but you can see BMWs are on the pace.”

Van der Mark is yet to stand on the podium in 2024 despite fighting close to the top three, particularly in the recent visit to Portimao. He secured fourth in the Tissot Superpole Race and was in the top seven, while he was also fifth in Race 2 at the Autodrom Most. He’s also been fourth in Barcelona Race 2 and, more often than not, has been a top ten runner throughout the season.

Discussing his hopes for the French Round, van der Mark stated: “Of course, every weekend I hope to be on the podium and Portimao was pretty close. We’ve started the weekend very well, the bike is feeling fantastic and I’m feeling very good, so we’ll just see what the weather will do and what conditions will be during the weekend. I think my confidence is growing and hopefully I can be on the podium.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The competition was red hot in Tissot Superpole session in the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Friday afternoon, with a new Superpole lap record from Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) giving him pole. Following an early red flag Huertas was already on lap record pace (1’39.793s) with just over 30 minutes of the restarted session remaining, before the Ducati rider then improved to 1’39.705s for P1 in the final five minutes.

LATE IMPROVERS: Mahias and Navarro on front row

With Huertas’ move to Moto2™ for 2025 now confirmed the standings leader made it a fifth pole position this season, with the second best lap time set by Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) late in the session. A light crash for Mahias at Turn 5 earlier in Superpole did not hinder his efforts severely and the French rider made it P2 with a strong 1’39.854s time. Completing the front row is Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who also produced his best effort in the final seconds of the session, trailing pole man Huertas by 0.171s

ALL-ITALIAN SECOND ROW: big names behind front three

Italian trio Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) are all on row two, having lapped respectively 0.181s, 0.185s and 0.505s down on Huertas. Title contenders Montella and Manzi are therefore well positioned to keep the pressure on Huertas in Race 1, with Caricasulo also primed to continue his good recent top six form.

DEBISE HEADS THIRD ROW: Can he repeat 2023 podiums?

After his excellent two podium results last year at Magny-Cours Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) heads row three, in front of Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), despite a technical issue for the German in FP. Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) rounded out the top ten to head the fourth row. Khairul Idham Bin Pawi (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was taken to the Medical Centre for a check-up with the session red-flagged after just over two minutes, due to an incident at Turn 1 involving the Malaysian rider. Bin Pawi will be checked again tomorrow morning before the Warm Up session after sustaining a left thigh contusion.

The top six from WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’39.705s

2. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.149s

3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.171s

4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.181s

5. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.185s

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.505s

Make sure you tune in for WorldSSP Race 1 on Saturday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC +1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the fastest rider on Friday at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours by more than a tenth in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The Dutchman posted a 1’36.010s in Free Practice 2 to claim top spot on the opening day of the Motul French Round, while teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu was third despite a FP2 crash before he’d set a timed lap.

BMW FAST, RAZGATLIOGLU CRASHES: van der Mark leads the way as ‘El Turco’ doesn’t set an FP2 time

In contrast to FP1, Razgatlioglu was one of the last riders to hit the track in FP2 although he was on track after just a few minutes of green flag running; however, he returned to the pits after just an out lap. He was posting red sectors – the fastest of the session – on his first flying lap before he crashed at Turns 14-15, which brought out the red flags. The #54 was taken to the medical centre for a check-up where he was diagnosed with a back contusion, and he was transported to hospital for further assessments; he’ll be re-assessed on Saturday morning. Van der Mark took up the mantle of lead BMW rider on Friday as he set a 1’36.010s to claim P1 by 0.149s.

It had looked like Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) would be Razgatlioglu’s nearest challenger from the German manufacturer but van der Mark’s late lap demoted the American. However, Gerloff was still able to secure third in FP2 and fourth overall with a 1’36.390s while it was also a strong day for teammate Scott Redding. The #45 was 11^th overall after setting a 1’36.984s, around a second down on van der Mark’s ‘ace.

BULEGA STARTS STRONG AS BAUTISTA CRASHES: #11 just over a tenth behind

Bulega was demoted to second on Friday as he posted a 1’36.159s in FP2, after it looked like he would claim top spot with just a few minutes remaining. He was just 0.149s away from the Dutchman ahead. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was Bulega’s closest Ducati rival as he secured sixth overall with a 1’36.609s, with ‘Petrux’ finishing directly ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) after the Spaniard had a dramatic session. He was fourth in the FP2 standings when he had a Turn 8 crash in FP2, although he was available to remount his Panigale V4 R and ride it back to the pits for his mechanics to repair. He returned to the track in the final few minutes and he secured seventh place overall, 0.609s down on his teammate.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was 11^th in the standings despite an FP2 tech issue, but he was able to get on track after the issue in the opening stages of the 45-minute session. He was half-a-tenth clear of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) with the Brit making his return from injury, and lapping nine tenths off van der Mark’s time, while Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was outside the top 15 on his first visit to the circuit.

LOWES INSIDE THE TOP FIVE: a podium charge to come?

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led Kawasaki’s charge on the ZX-10RR although it was a good Friday for both the #22 and teammate Axel Bassani. Alex Lowes set a 1’36.592s to secure fifth overall, and fourth in FP2, while Bassani took ninth in the combined classification. After a struggle in FP1, the #47 crew opted for a different setup approach for FP2 which allowed him to fly up the order. The final Kawasaki rider was Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), with the Spaniard in 20^th place.

FP1 TECHNICAL ISSUE DISRUPTS REA: eighth and lead Yamaha for the #65

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claimed eighth place on Friday after a tricky morning due to a technical problem, with the six-time Champion running the hardest SC0 tyre during Free Practice 2. He set a 1’36.778s, finishing two places and a tenth ahead of teammate Andrea Locatelli. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was a further two places back in 12^th after posting a 1’36.994s, with his teammate Alessandro Delbianco – standing in for Dominique Aegeter following his training crash – in 21^st place as he adjusts to WorldSBK-spec machinery. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) took 18^th place with Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 19^th.

NOTHING TO SEPARATE: Lecuona and Vierge closely matched

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and teammate Xavi Vierge, as so often during their time as teammates, had little to separate them once again. Lecuona was the faster of the two in 15^th place after posting a 1’37.801s, with Vierge a place and a tenth behind. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda), returning to action following injury, was 22^nd with teammate Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) in 23^rd; Lopes is replacing Adam Norrodin this weekend.

The top six from Friday’s running, full results here:

1. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’36.010s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.149s

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.337s

4. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.380s

5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.582s

6. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.599s

Next up for the WorldSBK field, Free Practice 3 on Saturday at 09:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Tissot Superpole session for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship class at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours saw title contender Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) take the pole with a stunning late dash. A best time of 1’52.513s for Mahendra was enough to secure a fourth pole in the history of the class for an Indonesian rider, with double World Champion Jeffrey Buis (KTM Freudenberg-Paligo Racing) in second place, just over one tenth of a second off P1.

ON THE FRONT ROW: Gennai joins the party

Mahendra’s excellent lap will boost his title bid, whilst Buis looked strong again at a circuit where the Dutchman has previously achieved three victories. The leading pair are joined on the front row at the Motul French Round by the in-form Italian Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki), on the back of his two wins at Portimao. Gennai trailed Mahendra by 0.136s making it three different manufacturers at the front of the grid.

ALL SPANISH SECOND ROW: Iglesias leads the Garcias

The second row of the WorldSSP300 grid at Magny-Cours is an all-Spanish affair, with the rider in second place in the Championship Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) in fourth place, followed by KOVE Racing Team pair Marc Garcia and Julio Garcia.

NO HAT-TRICK: Veneman on third row

There was no hat-trick of poles for Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) after his successes at Most and Portimao, with the standings leader qualifying in eighth place, behind Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) and in front of Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki), with Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) in tenth. The Superpole session was disrupted for Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) and Emiliano Ercolani (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) when they crashed, with Vannucci taken to medical centre for a check-up.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Superpole, full results here:

1. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 1’52.513s

2. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) +0.107s

3. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) +0.136s

4. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.249s

5. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.261s

6. Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.343s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

One of the long-running rider market sagas in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came to an end this week when Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) signed his new contract for 2025, committing to the Bologna-based brand for another season. During Friday in France, Team Principal Stefano Cecconi revealed his thoughts on the new deal when speaking during FP1 and explained why it took so long to conclude the deal.

Bautista’s contract renewal was announced in the lead up to the French Round, with the reigning Champion signing a one-year deal for the 2025 season. It had been a long-running story until the new deal was announced. Now, speaking at Magny-Cours, Cecconi and Foti have given their thoughts on the #1 committing to the Italian manufacturer for 2025, which means he’s got a chance to add to his 61 Ducati wins while extending his second stint with the team to four seasons.

Discussing Bautista signing his new deal, Cecconi admitted it took ‘a bit too long’ but was pleased to have the Spaniard commit: “This was our target from the beginning. Unfortunately, it took a little bit too long to fix all the details and settle all the paperwork, but we have no doubt about the plan. It’s clear now that it’s official, we will have one more year to give it a try. We know we have to work around the regulations to find out the best setup for Alvaro, but we are convinced that he can get the same results in the past.”

In 2023, Bautista was one of the first riders to sign up for the 2024 campaign, but it was a complete contrast this season. The #1 was only confirmed in September for 2025 after months of speculation about his future. Cecconi went on to explain why it took so long for Bautista to sign for next year, revealing that not having a deadline meant they could use the time they had to agree the contract.

He added: “We weren’t in a rush, honestly speaking. Having no deadline or fixed date in mind, all the phases of negotiation, including fixing all the minor details in the contract, maybe we took a bit more time. Why? When you have a deadline, a lot of stuff is going in place very quickly. If you have plenty of time, you tend to use it. Maybe not being in a rush, we took too much time… next time, we’ll be quicker!

“The contracts usually have options to be flexible but currently we’re fixed for one year. Then, we’ll see next season how Alvaro feels on the bike. Of course, knowing that, sooner or later, a new bike will be available, maybe he’s curious to see the new bike. For the time being, we’re done for one year then we will have time; we’ll try to be quicker, but we’ll have time discuss it.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship riders were back in action at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Friday morning with Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) leading the way in Free Practice as he set a best time of 1’40.569s at the end of the session. That lap put Manzi 0.041s ahead of standings leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) who was second in the FP outing at the Motul French Round.

A technical issue for Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) with 25 minutes remaining saw the red flags come out and the session was briefly interrupted. Schroetter pulled off track and waited for assistance after becoming aware of the problem which had seen smoke pouring from his MV Agusta F3 800 RR.

Huertas’ title rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) suffered a heavy crash at Turn 9 with 15 minutes of the session to go, but he was able to remount his Ducati Panigale V2 and quickly return to pit lane. Double Portimao winner Montella finished the practice in fifth place, just over half a second down on Manzi.

The opening session at Round 8 of the season for the World Supersport riders concluded with Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in third place, 0.292s back and in-form Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) in fourth, 0.361s adrift of P1, as he looks to build on his recent run of four top-six finishes in a row.

Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) was sixth quickest, with Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph), French wildcard Corentin Perolari (CBO Racing Honda France), Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and another home rider Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) completing the top ten.

The top six from WorldSSP Free Practice, full results here:

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) 1’40.569s

2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.041s

3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.292s

4. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.361s

5. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.542s

6. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha)

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Source: WorldSBK.com