Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France

September 30, 2016

Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 1:37.836

2. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), 1:38.046

3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:38.068

4. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:38.145

5. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.193, crash

6. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:38.384

7. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), 1:38.495

8. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:38.564

9. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Yam YZF-R1), 1:38.618

10. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:38.686

11. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:39.041

12. Matthieu LAGRIVE, France (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.092, crash

13. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), 1:39.099

14. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:39.418

15. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), 1:39.954

16. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:39.958

17. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), 1:40.001

18. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), 1:40.427

19. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:40.513

20. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), 1:40.548

21. Peter SEBESTYEN, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:41.201

22. Matthieu LUSSIANA, France (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.455

23. Alex PLANCASSAGNE, France (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.977

24. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:42.275

25. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:42.385

26. Imre TOTH, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), 1:43.081

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:

Magny-Cours: Day 1

Davies on Fire as Friday’s Fastest Overall

Davies unstoppable as fastest man on Friday.

Chaz Davies was the man to beat on Friday at Magny-Cours, after finishing at the top of the time sheets in both practice sessions. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider consistently put in faster and faster lap times that saw him break into the 1’37 bracket to earn the first seeding to Tissot-Superpole 2 qualifying on Saturday. Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) said he has his sights set on a podium position this weekend and his FP2 performance showed promise to that as he finished the combined times in second, ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes.

The sun was shining at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours and with temperatures rising, WorldSBK riders were blessed with perfect conditions to prepare for the weekend’s races. The early laps of FP2 saw Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s Alex Lowes slide out on turn three, with the number 22 rider limping away on his already injured foot.

Tom Sykes’ session was riddled with bike problems, as his back wheel locked up three times during the afternoon session, forcing him into his pit every time. However that didn’t stop the Brit from momentarily setting the fastest time, as he stormed to the top of the timesheets almost instantly after the first incident, making up for the lost time spent in the garage. The continuous technical problems ended the Kawasaki rider’s practice early, eventually relegating him to third overall.

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) finished fourth in the combined standings ahead of Alex Lowes who rejoined the session to finish in the top five. Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) came home in sixth after sitting out of FP1 as a result of technical issues, while Barni Racing Team’s Xavi Fores ended the session in seventh.

IodaRacing Team’s Lorenzo Savadori finished eighth while France’s hopes for a victory remain alive with Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) finishing in ninth. Althea BMW Racing Team’s Jordi Torres ended the day in P10, securing his entry to the Tissot-Superpole 2 shootout tomorrow.

Kentucky Kid Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) missed out on the top ten and will have to fight it out in Saturday’s Superpole 1 at 10:30am if he wants a chance at the top grid positions. Tissot-Superpole 2 will begin at 10:55 local time (GMT+2) ahead of Race 1.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Third And Fourth For Sykes And Rea On Day One At Magny Cours

The Magny Cours round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway on track today, with Tom Sykes eventually third fastest and Jonathan Rea fourth on their Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10Rs.

After two dry practice sessions of an hour each Sykes proved to have few chances to improve on his already impressive morning lap time in the afternoon session, due to a technical issue with his rear brake system. Despite his reduced lap count in the second session Sykes still finished third quickest from a field of 26 riders.

Rea, working towards an ideal set-up to tackle the middle section of the 4.411km long Magny-Cours racetrack at the end of day one, is also well inside the leading mix in fourth place. Jonathan is just 0.077 seconds from Sykes on the other official Kawasaki machine, with both riders confident of finding further improvements if Saturday provides a dry track surface.

Should the second day of track action prove to be wet then Sykes and Rea have the FP3 practice session, before Superpole 2, to make preparations for the first race of the weekend. The green light is scheduled for 13.00 local French time and race duration is set to be 21-laps.

Both riders have won races at Magny-Cours in the recent past and will be looking to do the same this time round as they each aim to become world champion for the second time. Rea currently leads Sykes by 47 points as they sit 1-2 in the championship rankings.

Tom Sykes, stated: “I had some issues with the rear brakes sticking on this afternoon and I only did a few laps because of this. I still feel we are ready for the race because we have good consistency. I never tried for one really quick lap, which is a shame because I wanted to see how the bike felt. There were some things we wanted to try, including a different tyre option, but we never got to. But the good thing is we are ready for the race if the weather stays dry. If tomorrow is wet we can start again with our set-up in FP3.”

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It is quite close in the lap times but I am still getting comfortable on the bike. I had some rear chatter but generally the bike feels good in some sections of the track. I am losing some time in the middle of the lap, which is similar to last year. I feel quite good in the first chicane and even in the next part, but there is definitely room for improvement. I am not sure about the weather forecast for tomorrow, but it will be a shame if it is wet because everybody has done a lot of track time in the dry now. The weather will be what it will be and we will be ready.”

Behind the official Kawasaki entries, wild card rider Matthieu Lagrive (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 12th fastest at his local circuit, Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 16th. Gianluca Vizziello (Grillini Racing Team) placed 19th. Dominic Schmitter (Grillini Racing Kawasaki) rode his Ninja ZX-10R to 24th, with Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Team) 25th.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

Chaz Davies sets the best time on Friday at Magny-Cours; Davide Giugliano is 15th, hindered by right-shoulder issues

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took it to the track in Magny-Cours (France) for the third-to-last round of the WorldSBK championship, scheduled for September 30 – October 2. At the end of the first two free-practice sessions, Chaz Davies stands firmly at the top of the time sheets. After posting the best time in FP1, the Welshman took four tenths of a second off during FP2 to clock a 1:37.836, a tenth faster than the previous best lap.

Davide Giugliano, hindered by severe pain in his right shoulder – which was injured in a crash during Race 2 in Germany circa two weeks ago – currently sits in 15th position. While post-race medical examinations ruled out fractures, the Italian rider suffered tendon-related issues since his first laps. Having stopped before the end of FP2, Giugliano has been undergoing treatment at Clinica Mobile and will decide whether or not to participate in Race 1 tomorrow morning.

Track action will resume at 08:45 (CET) Saturday for the third and last free-practice session ahead of Superpole and Race 1, which is scheduled to start at 13:00.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1st

“It’s definitely a good day when you get P1 in both sessions. This morning we’ve been chipping away and getting some feeling, working on the minor details of the bike. In the afternoon, we started exploring the setup a bit since it could be wet tomorrow. We’ve got down to a good lap time and we also managed to be consistent with used tyres, but towards the end of the session we went a little bit in the wrong direction and lost some grip in the long corners. All in all, we collected some good data for tomorrow and we should be OK if it’s dry, but anyway we’ll take it as it comes.”

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) 15th

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to be in so much pain. The shoulder hurt a lot after the crash but, thanks to an intense physiotherapy program, I was able to recover quite quickly. I underwent treatment between FP1 and FP2 but, despite feeling some relief, the pain intensified as soon as I stepped back on the bike so, together with the team, we decided to take a temporary break. In these physical conditions it’s hard to be competitive in the dry, but in the wet I’d give it a try. At any rate, we’ll make a decision tomorrow morning.”

More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:

SOLID FIRST DAY FOR MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE AT MAGNY COURS 

30 SETTEMBRE 2016

It was a great opening day at Mangy Cours, France, for Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse, with Leon Camier taking the 2° position after the FP2 session and entering the tomorrow’s Tissot-Superpole2. The French rider Jules Cluzel ends in 7° place the WorldSSP FP2, after getting the 3° position in FP1.

WorldSBK – FP1, FP2

The British rider and his MV Agusta F4 RC machine started at their best the French WorldSBK week-end, closing in 6th position the morning FP1 session, a few tenths of a second from the leader Chaz Davis. In FP2 Camier got an even more solide pace and – thanks also to the excellent feeling with the bike – he managed to finish in 2nd place (1’38.046) 0.2s from the first. Tomorrow Leon will be back on track for the Tissot-Superpole 2, searching for the first pole of the season, and ready for the first race of the weekend.

WorldSSP – FP1, FP2

In WorldSSP Jules Cluzel had an impressive start, managing to close 3rd the FP1 session, less than a second behind the Kawasaki duo Sofuoglu- Krummenacher. Unfortunately, in FP2 the French rider – currently 4th in Championship Standings – wasn’t able to replicate the FP1 strong performance and finished up 7th (1’42.200), entering the tomorrow’s Tissot-Superpole2. Cluzel’s teammate Lorenzo Zanetti found some major troubles during this opening day, ending in 12th position (1’42.533) but ready to begin the comeback from the Tissot-Superpole1.

Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – We are really happy since this was definitely a very good result for me and the team. We made a big change for the second session and the feeling with the bike was really good so I managed to make a few consistent laps. We still have work to do but we are absolutely quite close to a good race pace for tomorrow.

Jules Cluzel #16 WorldSSP – It was a quite strange day because I started pretty well this morning, finishing in 3rd position, but in the second session I wasn’t able to improve enough to stay with the top 3. We have some work to do to try to get the best grid position tomorrow and I am confident we will be able to show something good for the Superpole.

Lorenzo Zanetti #87 WorldSSP – This morning we didn’t start in the right way, because we only focused on testing some new technical equipment for the bikes. In the second session we returned to the original bike setting and we managed to improve enough, finishing 0,3s from Jules. Tomorrow I will try to fight in Superpole1 with some top riders like me who have been left out, but I’am still confident since the way we found this afternoon seems the right one.

More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:

The French SBK weekend gets off to a good start for the Althea BMW team

Nevers (France), Friday 30 September 2016

The Althea BMW Racing team is on track this weekend at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France where round 11 of the World Superbikes is taking place.

The Althea BMW riders, Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger, were out on track this morning, in cool but dry condtions, for the first timed practice. Making the most of the 60-minute session to adapt their BMW S 1000 RR bikes to the French track, the performance of the two riders was similar; the German closed in seventh place, with a fastest time of 1’38.957, the Spaniard finished three tenths behind his teammate, in ninth position (1’39.246).

The work continued in the afternoon. Torres was able to lower his time by a few tenths, recording a best of 1’38.686 to position tenth at the session’s end, thus qualifying directly for tomorrow’s Superpole2. Thanks to his best time set in the morning’s session, Reiti finished in eleventh place and will therefore take part in SP1.

In the STK1000 category, De Rosa worked systematically with his technicians during the day’s two sessions, closing first practice in fifth place, thanks to a fastest lap of 1’41.533. In the afternoon session, the Italian rider was able to improve on his time by a full second, closing in fifth place with a best time of 1’40.546.

Jordi Torres:

“We’ve started the weekend quite well and it was sunny today which is quite surprising here! The track is quite a difficult one for the BMW with some fast changes of direction. This morning, we worked to try and eliminate some movement at the rear of the bike, as it was difficult to be precise on corner entry, while in the afternoon we had another issue, with the bike sliding on corner exit. So tomorrow we’ll need to find a compromise, a way to solve both problems that allows us to be more competitive. I’m confident we can do so.”

Markus Reiterberger:

“Today was tough. This morning wasn’t so bad and we were lying seventh in the first session but then we tried to make some changes to the bike to improve some movement issues. Unfortunately, the second session was slightly hotter and it was more difficult, as I didn’t have the expected feeling. I spend a lot of time in the garage, trying to find a solution. I was hoping to qualify for SP2 of course, but unfortunately Jordi’s lap in the final seconds just pushed me out of the top ten, so I’m disappointed. I’ll be doing my best to reach SP2 anyway though, and we have some ideas as to how to move forward tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda:

Solid sixth for van der Mark after morning drama at Magny-Cours

Round 11 – France

Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, France

Michael van der Mark has claimed sixth place in the combined times of today’s two free practice sessions at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, the venue that is currently hosting the eleventh round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship. Nicky Hayden’s progression for today ended with a thirteen position: the experienced American rider, therefore, will need to make his way through Superpole 1 tomorrow.

Van der Mark did not enjoy the best start to the day as he was forced to sit out the first free practice session due to a technical problem experienced on his very first out lap. Despite the setback, the 2014 World Supersport Champion did not let himself down and as soon as free practice two got underway, he took to the track and got up to speed. The real breakthrough came towards the end of the session when, after some changes made to the rear settings of his Fireblade, van der Mark bounced back to fifth position. He then lost one place before the chequered flag was deployed, but with no consequence as the Dutch rider had already successfully qualified to Superpole 2.

With no previous racing experience at this track, Nicky Hayden had to get a first taste of how the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP behaves around the French circuit. After finishing the opening session in tenth place, Hayden and the team had a tricky time in finding a good direction in terms of setup for the bike; the 35-year-old from Kentucky was able to improve his morning lap-time by 0.3s, but that was still not enough for him to earn a spot in the top-10.

Michael van der Mark 60

6th / 1’38.384

It was a good day overall, despite losing the whole FP1 with a technical problem that couldn’t be fixed in time. I was really disappointed, but instead of waiting I decided to take my scooter and have a look at the other riders from the other side of the fence, and I surely managed to learn something from that! This afternoon we decided to make a big change to the rear of the bike and that worked out perfectly. We made a big step forward and I was able to ride the bike the way I wanted. I was happy because we also found some consistency despite the lack of time. In the end we’re not too far behind and, of course, the most important thing is that we were able to qualify for Superpole 2.

Nicky Hayden 69

13th / 1’39.099

It hasn’t been a silky smooth Friday at all. We were not able to get up on pace like I would have have hoped: I think it could be a combination between adjusting back to my Superbike and being unable to properly getting up to speed at this track. Nonetheless, I’m still far from happy for being 1.2s off the pace in both sessions. More importantly, we really haven’t found the right direction in terms of setup. Basically the bike is moving a lot everywhere when banked over and there is a lack of grip; maybe it’s because I wasn’t able to give the team the right information, because I feel we have been skirting around the problem. We have to come up with some ideas because there’s very little time before race one.

Pieter Breddels

Technical Manager

After the technical problem he had in the morning, as soon as free practice 2 started we were forced to make some changes to the bike as Michael felt it was moving around too much. We changed the rear spring and that worked out really well. In the end we tried something with the front but that didn’t lead to any real improvement. By then, though, he was already up to speed and setting some really competitive lap times. He’s not far from the top despite the lost session and we’re confident he can further improve tomorrow. It wasn’t an easy day for Nicky: surely he had to reacquaint himself with the bike after racing in MotoGP last weekend, but like Michael he was also complaining about the bike moving around a bit too much. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a good setup for him today and we have some work to do, but we can compare his data with the one from Michael and see if we can come up with new ideas.