Wet start in France for WorldSBK

Wet conditions provided tricky conditions for Friday’s Motul FIM Superbike World Championship action with three of the top four riders having incidents at the end of Free Practice 2. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha) topped the combined classification on Friday at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the Pirelli French Round.

Gerloff put in a late lap in Free Practice 2 to stop Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) having a clean sweep on Friday as the American rookie topping the session by just 0.015s ahead of Rea.

Rea had an off-track excursion in FP2 when he almost came off his bike at the Turn 6-7 Nurburgring chicane.

Jonathan Rea – P2

“Normally I would spend a bit of time in the box in the wet sessions, because we know our wet set-up works, but I felt good so I just wanted to keep doing laps and understand the new asphalt. We needed to understand the tyres as well. I tried both the wet tyres and the new one is incredible, definitely a step in the right direction. We got a lot of good info in the afternoon session. I had a moment between T6 and T7 today but I got away with it. We put a new tyre on the bike in the middle of the first session and we just ran it the rest of the day. I was feeling more confident and giving it more and more and we just found the limit. There was a bit too much confidence today, to be fair, so I will try and take it back a notch tomorrow.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Ducati) made it two Independent riders in the top three as he finished in third place as the Italian continues to impress throughout 2020.

Home hero Loris Baz (Yamaha) was in fourth place for the day as Rinaldi edged out his rival in the battle for Independent honours.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) was in fifth place with Tom Sykes (BMW) in sixth; Sykes going top of Free Practice 2 briefly before a crash under braking for the Turn 5 Adelaide hairpin shortly after with the British rider able to get up without assistance.

Alex Lowes – P5

“This morning we knew it was going to be wet all day and because it has been resurfaced here it is like a different track. I have memories from how the track was in the wet in the past but it is completely different. The surface feels a lot gripper to me and the times are a lot faster. The left side of the tyre still gets a little cold but in general the grip is a lot more. I actually enjoy riding here in the rain rather than just being nervous. This morning was not too bad and this afternoon I was one of the fastest guys all session. I am looking forward to riding again tomorrow and I understand a lot more about the bike now.”

Tom Sykes – P6

“The BMW S 1000 RR is making big steps forward, and we have shown that today. The general set-up of the bike has been good, of course in the wet conditions the competition becomes a bit more level, which coincidentally is where the majority of our podiums came last year. We did have a crash during this afternoons FP2 coming into T5. I was marginally on the left side on corner entry, which as a rider you tend not to do as it is very slippy on that corner, this unfortunately caught us out. I am looking forward to tomorrow. The weather is looking a little unpredictable from the morning to the afternoon which will be interesting, but for sure we will be coming out fighting whatever the weather.”

Scott Redding (Ducati) was classified in seventh place for the day despite a crash in Free Practice 2 at Turn 15, just ahead of Leon Haslam (Honda) in eighth place.

Scott Redding – P7

“If I have to be honest, I had fun today. It is always good to race on a new circuit and this one is really exciting. I would have loved to be able to race here in dry conditions. I was however satisfied with what we did in wet conditions, even with Pirelli’s new rear tire. I think we have great room for improvement“.

Leon Haslam – P8

“This morning we didn’t make so many laps as we were working on a few different things. My feeling wasn’t immediately great in the wet conditions, but we continued to work this afternoon and have made some good steps. Using the same tyre as the other guys, we were able to get faster and faster throughout the session, and I think I set my best time right at the end. We have some areas on which to work tomorrow, but I’d say we’re getting there. Now we just have to see what the weather brings tomorrow.”

Eugene Laverty (BMW) completed a strong day for the BMW outfit with ninth place, edging out Michael van der Mark (Yamaha) in tenth place.

Eugene Laverty – P9

“I really enjoyed today. The first real outing on the BMW S 1000 RR in the rain was in Catalunya, and I felt comfortable back then so with the running time today we felt fast and consistent. The grip level on the rear today was really strong so I could push the bike to feel the limit. The grip also on exit with the BMW S 1000 RR is good, we just need to potentially find some more grip on corner entry to improve the performance. The new tyre Pirelli have brought here has also worked well, especially when there is more standing water. This has also helped with the new asphalt that has been laid here as the lap times have been a lot quicker than in previous years. My aim for tomorrow is to keep enjoying my riding, the bike feels good and I am enjoying my riding, so let’s see where we end up.”

Michael van der Mark – P10

“The first day here in Magny-Cours and it was properly wet! Things felt alright this morning, I was OK with the bike and felt that we could improve in the rain. In the afternoon – at the beginning of the session – the conditions were better, I was feeling good and the speed was ok, but as soon as the track started to get a bit drier, we couldn’t make a step forward. I struggled a lot on corner entry so I’m a bit disappointed with the end of the session, couldn’t improve as much as I wanted but I don’t think we’re really far off. If we change a bit on my Yamaha R1 and I get my good feeling back in the rain, we’re ready to be at the front again.”

Chaz Davies (Ducati) was in 11th place, edging out Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) in 12th with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 13th; the Spanish rider had been in the top five in the first practice session. Leandro Mercado (Ducati) continued his comeback from injury with 14th place, ahead of Valentin Debise (Kawasaki).

Chaz Davies – P11

“We made progress in the two sessions. We have tried the new Pirelli rear tire and the feeling is that we have made a good step forward. I was able to improve lap after lap but it is clear that the gap is still quite wide. I’m sure we can make more progress tomorrow. At this point, I have to work mainly on my feeling with the bike“.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P12

“This morning we had good pace in the rain, and it was also the first time back on the R1 after the crash in Barcelona. In the past, I have found the wet conditions difficult but it was a great start for me, the Yamaha R1 gave me better confidence than last year’s bike. This afternoon, I wasn’t able to find as much rear grip so we still have some work to do, also my physical condition is not perfect. But overall, I’m actually happy so tomorrow we will see what is possible.”

Federico Caricasulo (Yamaha) bounced back from a Free Practice 1 crash to finished in 16th for the day while Alvaro Bautista (Honda) finished the day down in 18th place out of 21 competitors.

Alvaro Bautista – P18

“Today conditions were full wet. This morning I had some difficulties, especially with my feeling at the rear because I basically had no grip. So for the afternoon we tried two different settings and, while the first one didn’t help me, the second has been interesting because it also incorporates some little improvements, some links, that Honda has brought here. My feeling improved as a result, and although it’s not yet where it was at Barcelona, it’s still a step compared to this morning. The low temperatures don’t help and the wet conditions are quite new for us to interpret with our bike, but we are working hard, also with the electronics, and continue to learn and get closer to what we need with every session. So, all in all, a bit of a different day in these conditions but always on the road to improvement. We’ll see what conditions are like tomorrow.”

WorldSBK Friday Combined Times

World Supersport

FIM Supersport World Championship action resumed with the Pirelli French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours and it was a new face on top of the standings as Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) mastered the wet conditions at the French circuit to go top of the standings as he continues to stand in for the injured Jules Cluzel.

Times for the front of the field were faster in the second Free Practice session with Smith lapping the Magny-Cours circuit in 1’54.549s to go fastest after the two sessions, heading off the challenge from Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) by nearly a second. Mahias bounced back from a crash at Turn 13 in Free Practice 1 to finished second overall for the day with the Kawasaki rider finishing just ahead of newly-crowned World Champion Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team); the Italian being pipped at the end of the second session by Smith and Mahias.

South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished the day in fourth place, despite a crash in Free Practice 2, after a strong showing in wet conditions as he finished ahead of Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team), with Manfredi the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider. Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) was sixth fastest overall for the day but had topped the opening Free Practice 1 session.

Hungarian Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) was seventh after both sessions with Karel Hanika (WRP Wepol Racing), Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) completing the top ten; de Rosa suffering from a crash at Turn 5 in Free Practice 2.

Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was classified in 11th place with Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) in 12th overall; Viñales was in the top five during FP1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was 13th with Glenn van Straalen (MPM Routz Racing Team) and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) rounding out the top 15; van Straalen having a crash late in Free Practice 2.

Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) and teammate Andy Verdoïa both suffered crashes during the day as they finished in 17th and 25th respectively, while Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team) had an off at the end of the session.

WorldSSP Friday Times

WorldSSP300

Conditions proved to be difficult for riders up and down the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship paddock with numerous incidents across the day at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours but it was Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) who topped the day’s running ahead of the Pirelli French Round after two Free Practice sessions.

Booth-Amos set a time of 2’09.900s to top the time sheets in WorldSSP300 at Magny-Cours as he posted the fasted time of the day ahead of Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) as the Dutchman looks to regain some ground on teammate Jeffrey Buis in the Championship standings with just two rounds to go. Hugo de Cancellis (Team TRASIMENO) was third fastest after putting in a late lap at the end of Free Practice 2.

Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) made it four different nationalities in the top four as he put his Kawasaki Ninja 400 in fourth place, holding off a late challenge from French rider Tom Bercot (ProGP Racing); the Frenchman falling down to fifth right at the end of the session after being briefly top. Three French riders were in the top six with Enzo De La Vega (Machado Came SBK) in sixth place.

Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) was in seventh place after having a crash at Turn 9 in Free Practice 2; one of numerous riders to come off their bikes in tricky conditions. Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was the highest-placed rider from Group A in eighth place despite a crash in Free Practice 2, with Polish rider Daniel Blin (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) and Eunan McGlinchley (Team# 109 Kawasaki) completing the top ten.

Alvaro Diaz (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300) finished the day in 11^th place, just ahead of Ukrainian Nick Kalinin (Battley-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Victor Rodrigue Nuñez (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in 12^th and 13^th respectively. Felipe Macan (Team Brasil AD 78) finished in 14^th place despite a crash on the exit of the final corner at Turn 17, fending off Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) who completed the top 15.

Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT) could only manage 19^th place over the two sessions and will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing Friday ahead of Saturday’s Tissot Superpole and Race 1. Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) and Samuel di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) were just ahead of Buis despite both crashing in FP2 with both able to get back to their machines.

Tom Edwards was the hightest placed Aussie on Friday in 24th position on combined times ahead of Tom Bramich in 30th and debutante Sharni Pinfold was 47th outright after her first day on the Smrz Kawasaki.

WorldSSP300 Combined Times

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 WorldSBK Round Seven – Nevers Magny-Cours

This weekend the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship circus moves to France where the penultimate round of the season will take place at Nevers Magny-Cours. The French round could be a pivotal moment in the run-up to the world titles of the Superbike and Supersport 300 classes.

In WorldSBK Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) dominates the overall standings, 51-points ahead of Ducati rider Scott Redding. So at this round the five-time World Champion could win his sixth consecutive world title.

While in WorldSSP it is Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) who was crowned World Champion in Montmelò, in the WorldSSP300 class the fight for the title is still open: the Kawasaki Dutchmen Jeffrey Buis and Scott Deroue are respectively forty-seven and thirty-one points over Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha). Joining the Aussies in the category this weekend is Sharni Pinfold, who has secured a ride in the category this weekend alongside countrymen Tom Bramich and Tom Edwards.

Previously an F1 venue and a stronghold of the WorldSBK championship, having hosted its first WorldSBK event in 2003, Magny-Cours will be unique in 2020 terms as it officially welcomes spectators to the races this coming weekend. None of the top teams in WorldSBK has tested at the circuit this season, which throws another unknown quantity into the pre-race mix. Changeable weather is always a potential factor to take into account in central France at this time of year.

Inaugurated almost 60 years ago in 1960, the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit is 4411 metres long and has nine right-handers and eight to the left. This track is characterised by sudden deceleration and re-acceleration changes, interspersed with medium length straights and plenty of altitude changes. In its default layout it also provides a hairpin (Adelaide) with one of the heaviest braking points present among the international circuits after arriving from a fast straight. The asphalt has a smooth and regular surface and therefore offers little natural grip, especially in case of low temperatures or in the wet. The riders are called to brake in the downhill sections putting the front tyre under stress thus front end confidence will be key.

This is a make or break weekend for Scott Redding as he seeks to redress the 51-point deficit to Jonathan Rea. The track is new to Redding but Ducati is the most successful manufacturer at Magny-Cours with 16 wins credited to the Bologna machines.

Scott Redding

“I don’t know the Magny-Cours circuit very well and have never competed there in my career. However, it seems a very interesting circuit and also suitable for the Ducati Panigale V4 R and this could be a good starting point. I really like to race on new circuits and I’m very motivated. We will find unpredictable weather conditions and this will make the weekend even more exciting. I know the team is already working and I can’t wait to get back on track”.

This weekend offers Jonathan the first arithmetical opportunity to secure the Riders’ Championship itself, should the overall results go in his favour strongly enough. If his 51-point lead grows to 63 points or more by the end of the weekend in France, Rea will be crowned champion no matter the results of the final round, to be held at Estoril in Portugal, in mid-October. Of his five successive championship wins Jonathan has secured three of them at Magny Cours, in the 2017, ‘18 and ‘19 seasons. He has taken six of his all-time record 97 race victories in WorldSBK at Magny Cours.

Jonathan Rea

“Magny Cours is a circuit I have a lot of special memories of in the past. Recently they have resurfaced the circuit so we need to pay attention to that. In Magny Cours we will face cooler weather conditions than we have for most of this season’s championship. There is always the possibility that it will be wet but we will just take that in our stride. Magny is different to the circuits we have been riding on during the season so far. It is very stop and go, with a lot of hard acceleration and fast changes of direction. We have been strong in those areas in the past so we just need to understand our base set-up and manipulate that as the track requests. I have been feeling good with the bike this season and I am excited to get stuck in. Of course, while we need to keep one eye on the weather forecast, the target is always the same – to win races and go step-by-step.”

After a stunning first win of the season two weeks ago in Barcelona, Chaz Davies will try to confirm his extremely positive momentum to both consolidate his third place in the riders’ standings and contribute to the chase for the team standings as the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is second (427 points) only 8 points behind the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK.

Chaz Davies

“It’s a good time for us and after the precious results obtained in Barcelona, we want to continue in this direction. During the Montmelò weekend the feeling with the bike was really solid. If the feeling with the front end was positive in the previous races already, I think that we have also been able to fix the feeling with the rear. We will give our best in Magny-Cours even if we don’t know in which weather conditions we will race”.

After winning his first race of the season in Barcelona, Dutchman Michael van der Mark is looking to go one better than his career-best Magny-Cours second place (achieved in Race 2 last year and in Race 1 in 2016) and to add to the tally of five podiums from Nevers that he already has to his name.

Michael van der Mark

“I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours this weekend, it’s a track I’ve always had good results at and especially given the flow we’ve had at the last couple of races I think that we can be really strong. Unfortunately the weather doesn’t look amazing, but I think we have a good set-up with the Yamaha R1 both in the wet and the dry, so we don’t have to worry a lot. I can’t wait to go out on Friday.”

Although it is still only Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s first year in official Yamaha colours, the young Turkish rider has paid special attention to the double podium performances achieved by the Pata Yamaha team in the past. He himself is also no stranger to this particular rostrum, as it would be hard to forget Razgatlıoğlu’s spectacular maiden victories, both achieved after incredible fight-back performances from P16 on the grid in 2019.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“After a week of rest and physical therapy, I am already feeling much better after the big crash in Barcelona. There are still some days left between now and Friday morning, so I will continue working to come back fit for Magny-Cours. It is a circuit I really enjoy, especially after my victories there last year, and the Yamaha R1 has been strong in the past so I am looking forward to seeing what is possible. The weather prediction is not so good and wet conditions are not my favourite, but I have more confidence than before. I hope we can fight for podiums and challenge for victory once again.”

Starting his 2020 campaign on the Ninja ZX-10RR with a win and another podium finish at the opening round in Australia, Lowes is keen to get back into top-three contention to move himself up the championship table after experiencing some tough luck in recent rounds. Lowes is sixth overall, just 12 points from the rider ahead of him.

Alex Lowes

“After a tough race in Barcelona last time out I’m excited to get back on the Ninja ZX-10RR. It’s a new track for me with this bike but a venue that both Kawasaki and I have had some good results at in the past. As always at Magny Cours it’s going to be about adapting well to the weather conditions but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Overall, it doesn’t seem right only having two rounds left this year. I still feel relatively new with the bike and the team so it’s about finishing this year as strongly as possible and then building momentum into next.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) is the highest placed Independent in the Riders’ Championship standings despite being outscored by Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) at the Acerbis Catalunya Round; Rinaldi suffering a technical issue towards the end of Race 2 when fighting at the front while French star Baz was able to secure his second podium of 2020 with third place in the Tissot Superpole Race. Baz was a podium contender at Magny-Cours last year on his way to fourth in Race 1 and hopes for a first home rostrum in front of his fans this weekend coming.

The Magny-Cours track will pose another new and exciting challenge for Team HRC, which fields its CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP2 machines on French soil for the first time. Both riders are keen to build on the potential seen so far and round out the season with strong results at the final two rounds.

Alvaro Bautista

“In the last few days I have worked a lot on my foot in order to recover from the fracture I suffered in the Superpole race in Catalunya and I feel a bit better. We will see when I get on my bike if I’ll be able to ride well and not feel pain. As for Magny-Cours, it’s not a track where I have a lot of experience, having raced there just once, last year. It’s quite different to the Catalunya track and we will have to wait and see how our bike will behave. The feeling we had at Barcelona was very positive and we worked well there, especially on the electronics side, the area where we actually can work the most. So, we have some ideas for the coming rounds. It looks like the weather will be a bit challenging, wet and cold, conditions that are still quite new for us and so we’ll see how it goes. The feeling was not bad in the wet in Catalunya, but temperatures were warmer and that makes quite a difference. Anyway, we hope to find the same positive feeling we had in Catalunya and to be able to continue to develop our bike’s setup.”

Leon Haslam

“I’ve had some good races at Magny-Cours in the past. This time of year, the weather can be up and down but honestly, I’d like to ride the bike in the wet, because in full wet we’ve been very fast and I have good feeling. In the dry, I feel we’re on the brink of putting things together. Although my last race in Spain was difficult, I think if we can do well right from FP1, we can be challenging for the podium, so hopefully we can try to do just that this weekend in France.”

Magny-Cours proved to be a good circuit for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team last year when Sykes finished on the podium in third with his RR in the race Saturday.

Tom Sykes

“I am very much looking forward to the French round of the Superbike World Championship. I like Magny-Cours; I enjoy the layout of the track to be honest. Last year, we had a podium there with the BMW S 1000 RR so we are certainly hoping to pick up on the results that we had there last year. This weekend certainly looks interesting in terms of the weather forecast. The target will be to try and capitalise on the handling of the bike in these tricky conditions and hopefully we can aim to get some podium finishes before the end of the season. Apart from that all ready, prepared and looking forward to start the race weekend. I’m also looking forward to having fans in the grandstands again. We’ve missed them and it’s great that they can be back.”

Eugene Laverty

“It’ll be great to have the fans back at Magny-Cours. Phillip Island was a long time ago when we last had fans trackside and since then we’ve only had tumbleweeds in the grandstands! It’s still a little too early to look at the detailed weather forecast for the weekend but we are expecting some wet weather in any case. I had the opportunity to try the BMW S 1000 RR in wet conditions during practice at Catalunya and my impressions were good. Rain or shine – my aim is to continue our forward progress of recent rounds towards that top five.”

After securing his maiden WorldSBK podium, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) comes into the French Round full of confidence; the rookie became the first American to stand on a WorldSBK podium since the late, great Nicky Hayden in 2016. His team-mate, Federico Caricasulo, has raced at the circuit four times in WorldSSP and secured one podium, in 2017, and aims to use this experience to help him secure a top ten finish.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) comes to the Pirelli French Round with four consecutive point scores and hopes to be competitive given his past podium pace from 2018. Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) will continue to substitute for the injured Sandro Cortese having scored a best finish of 14th at Catalunya. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) will be looking to make a step forward on a circuit he secured his joint-best WorldSBK result on, with tenth. Barrier and Debise being on the grid mean there are three French riders lining up for their home race.

WorldSBK Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au