Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France
October 1, 2016
Race One Results (wet-to-dry conditions, all on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 21 laps, Total Race Time 38:51.932, Best Lap Time 1:44.175
2. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -9.871 seconds, pitted, 1:42.442
3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -10.218, pitted, 1:40.491
4. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -18.031, pitted, 1:42.156
5. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -19.974, 1:48.246
6. Matthieu LAGRIVE, France (Kaw ZX-10R), -24.661, 1:47.586
7. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta 1000 F4), -25.743, 1:49.416
8. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -27.409, 1:44.602
9. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Yam YZF-R1), -49.455, pitted, 1:41.813
10. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -52.570, 1:51.039
11. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -52.788, pitted, 1:43.388
12. Josh BROOKES, Australia (BMW S1000RR), -53.947, 1:42.696
13. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -54.929, pitted, 1:42.988
14. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -82.280, pitted, 1:43.798
15. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -87.383, 1:47.401
16. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, pitted, 1:46.492
17. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, pitted, 1:48.786
18. Saeed AL SULAITI, Qatar (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap, 1:50.862
19. Peter SEBESTYEN, Hungary (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1 lap, pitted, 1:48.611
20. Matthieu LUSSIANA, France (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, pitted, 1:50.307
21. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap, 1:52.967
22. Alex PLANCASSAGNE, France (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, pitted, 1:54.751
23. Imre TOTH, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), -3 laps, DNF, pitted, retired, 1:57.664
24. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -12 laps, DNF, 1:54.793
25. Dominic SCHMITTER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -13 laps, DNF, pitted, retired, 2:01.624
26. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), DNS
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Magny-Cours: Day 2
Davies Repeats Winning Form In France
– Ducati unstoppable in final stages of Race 1 –
At 13:00 local time in France, the stars of WorldSBK took to the track for Round 11 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with points leader Jonathan Rea from Kawasaki Racing Team starting from pole. Saturday’s thrilling race saw Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Chaz Davies win in a style similar to that seen in Race 1 at the previous round, with Michael van der Mark in second while Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes took third.
It was Rea who took the holeshot, leading into the first corner with teammate Tom Sykes hot on his tail, as the sun shone down at Magny-Cours. Honda World Superbike Team’s Michael van der Mark showed his prowess in the mixed conditions finding grip on the outside where no one else could to make up two positions, as his teammate Nicky Hayden followed his lead close behind. By the end of the first lap Sykes had taken the advantage from his teammate as the two Honda’s closed in.
As the battle heated up at the front between the two Kawasakis and the two Honda’s, MV Agusta Reparto Corse rider Leon Camier silently closed in. With his MV Agusta running at its peak Camier became relentless, hunting down the leaders within a couple of laps and easily pulled away in the lead.
By lap 7 the track was almost dry and the Kentucky Kid was the first man into the pits for a tyre change, followed a few laps later by the KRT duo who struggled with grip on the drying track.
Camier’s stint at the top was short lived as IodaRacing’s Lorenzo Savadori was first to catch him before a rush of activity in the closing laps saw Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Chaz Davies eventually catch up to steal the lead from the young Italian. Once in front, Davies was unstoppable and went on to win nine seconds clear of second placed Michael van der Mark, who stayed consistent throughout the race. KRT duo Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea pushed to make up for lost time spent changing tires to finally finish in third and fourth respectively.
Savadori eventually finished in fifth ahead of first Frenchman home, Matthieu Lagrive for Pedercini Racing in sixth. Leon Camier came home in seventh after his intermediate tires eventually lost their grip on the dry track. His impressive race will be fueling his fire in race 2 to see his performance through to finish on the podium.
Barni Racing’s Xavi Fores ended the day in eighth ahead of Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s Sylvain Guintoli in ninth, who will also be aiming for the podium on Sunday, while IodaRacing Team’s Alex De Angelis locked out the top 10.
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s Alex Lowes gave a solid effort to finish in P11 after his crash in yesterday’s practice saw him limping to ad from his bike today. Milwaukee BMW’s Josh Brooke’s finished in P12 while Roman Ramos rode a consistent race to finish in P13. Althea BMW Racing Team’s Jordi Torres and Luca Scassa (VFT Racing) locked out the last of the points places in P14 and P15.
WorldSBK will be back on the grid on Sunday 2nd of October at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for another thrilling race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.
Quotes from top 3:
Davies: “I tried to use my brain as much as possible and way up all the factors, which is a lot. The drying speed of the track, how wet the track was, how many bikes are out there, the wind, the temperature, everything. You have to take it all into account. This isn’t a track that dries very quickly, so I was a little worried about the first laps more than anything because it was proper wet and you know the intermediates aren’t much different to the slicks in terms of compound. The first laps were a battle of survival just trying to stay upright. If I didn’t crash in the first laps I was expecting to get taken out because I was so slow. But anyway, I stayed upright, didn’t get taken out and I could see the guys going away but I was happy because they didn’t disappear into the distance. Then I was thinking, ‘Stay on and don’t do anything stupid, see what happens, let it play out.’ Sure enough I started taking two and three seconds a lap and at that point I knew it was game on for the win so I was very, very happy.”
Van der Mark: “It was a difficult decision and I took the gamble. To be honest I don’t have a really good feeling on intermediates. So I gambled and went with wet tyres. It was just frustrating so I decided to relax and change to slicks. Lap by lap we were getting faster and faster. It is a really important podium for us. We made an important decision. I think at the end it was almost quite close but I think a podium is what we needed after a couple of rounds without a podium. So we are really happy. It was a difficult race but I really enjoyed it.”
Sykes: “It was wet and we had already had a problem in the last race in Germany so to finish was important. I almost came in two laps earlier for the slick tyre but it was still quite dangerous on the slick with the three left-handers, so that almost caught me out. I think we did quite a good race. Our calculations weren’t quite correct so we ended up third, but I’m happy with this and tomorrow we’ll try again.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Weather Plays Its Part As Sykes And Rea Go Third And Fourth
The opening race of the Magny Cours FIM Superbike World Championship weekend had begun in wet conditions but the track dried out through all 21-laps, after which Tom Sykes (KRT) had taken third place and Jonathan Rea (KRT) fourth.
Both Superpole winner Rea and second fastest qualifier Sykes started out on full wet tyre options at the start of the first race but changed them after making a pit stop as conditions improved. Sykes took on slick tyres and almost took second place as a result, on the very last lap. Rea earned fourth place on a set of intermediate tyres.
The entire race was punctuated by many riders moving rapidly back and forward through the rankings but early leader Sykes led, with confidence, for eight laps. Rea was in second place until lap eight, as a dry line appeared more emphatically with every passing lap. Realising they had to stop for tyres, the KRT riders entered pitlane together, and went out together, dropping to the lower reaches of the top ten as a short-lived consequence of their pit lane entry.
On their different tyre choices they rode at the same pace for some time but eventually Sykes passed by Rea and then made up ground and positions, running at a high pace. Tom eventually got to within touching distance of second place on the very last lap. He set the fastest lap of the race on the very last circuit, posting a 1’40.491.
Rea had played a patient game to take a fourth place finish, passing one rider on the final lap to end up just one place behind his main championship rival Sykes. Jonathan had won Superpole in wet conditions earlier in the day, his seventh Superpole success of his career but his first in 2016 on the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.
Chaz Davies won the opening Magny Cours race, with Michael van der Mark second. In the championship points, Jonathan has 406; Tom is 44 behind on 362, with Davies now 86 points behind Jonathan and in third place overall.
Race two at Magny Cours will take place on Sunday October 2nd, at 13.00. Dry weather is expected but KRT is ready to face any condition after Saturday’s ever-changing wet and dry experience.
Tom Sykes, stated: “That was a really tricky race. Some riders went on intermediates and some on wets. I was one of those on full wets, as I wanted to be a bit safer in the early laps. Chaz went on intermediates, and it paid off for him in the end. I think we had a good race, considering we had a pit stop. After that it was definitely a good comeback through the field. The lap times were really competitive compared to the others guys. We just ran out of time, but that is racing. I am grateful to be on the podium in such tricky conditions, which could have easily gone another way. Tomorrow I hope it is fully dry and we can improve the result. In fully wet conditions we were good, also in dry conditions, so we are prepared for any of those. It is just that you can’t really make a perfect set-up for those ‘in between’ conditions. Tomorrow we will be prepared in any case.”
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was a race of strategy today and unfortunately we were not on the winning one. The bike was working OK and in the first part of the race I was patient, just marking time behind Tom. Our main opposition right now is Tom so when he was on rain tyres it made the decision of when to come into the pits much easier. I am just a little bit disappointed in myself for not being clear to ask for slick tyres at the pit stop. I did not have complete confidence and I expected the intermediate would last much longer, as the track was taking a long time to dry. When I saw that he had exited from the pit stop with slick tyres it was very difficult to find the same edge grip as the slick tyres had. All in all, I am happy, because we made some mistakes today but we finished fourth in the race and did not lose too many points. Being the championship leader we had to adopt the more conservative option today, rather than the more aggressive one.”
Behind the top two KRT machines stand-in rider for the Pedercini Racing Kawasaki squad, Matthieu Lagrive, was an impressive sixth at his home circuit, after choosing a mixture of a full wet front and intermediate rear for the whole race. Roman Ramos (GoEleven Kawasaki) placed 13th, Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 18th and Gianluca Vizziello (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) 21st. Vizziello’s team-mate Dominic Schmitter had to retire from the race.
More, from a press release issued by Honda WorldSBK Team:
Van der Mark takes second place in thrilling race one at Magny-Cours
Round 11 – France
Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, France
Michael van der Mark completed a stellar recovery in today’s 21-lap FIM Superbike World Championship race one at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to take second place in spectacular fashion in front of the French crowd. After a promising start, his Honda WorldSBK team mate Nicky Hayden was forced into an early retirement at the end of lap 10 due to a technical problem.
The race got underway on a wet – but drying – track, with both Hayden and van der Mark able to get a great launch off sixth and seventh places on the grid. In the early laps, they ran as high as third and fourth, while swapping positions between themselves several times. After losing one place to Leon Camier, on lap six Hayden was the first rider to opt for a tyre change. After a couple of tentative laps, the American rider started to settle into a good rhythm and made up several places; unfortunately, by the end of the tenth lap he had to make his way back to the garage after suffering a technical problem, which put an end to a promising performance.
Van der Mark’s choice to pit at the end of lap 8 proved to be an excellent one: the 23-year-old from Rotterdam made perfect use of Pirelli’s slick tyres to storm past his rivals and, during the penultimate lap, he overtook Savadori for second place. He then managed to hold his position up to the chequered flag despite a resurgent Tom Sykes and crossed the line with a 0.347s margin over his rival.
Courtesy of his sixth podium finish of the season, van der Mark consolidates his fourth place in the championship standings.
Race two will take place tomorrow at 1pm local time (GMT +2) after the traditional 15-minute warm up scheduled at 9:25am.
Michael van der Mark 60
2nd
What a crazy race! The track started to dry before the race started and that made the tyre choice a quite difficult one. I decided to stay on wet tyres after the sighting lap because I wasn’t sure if it was dry enough for intermediates. I had a good start and battled at the front in the first laps, but after that I couldn’t get up to speed on the straights and that was quite frustrating. I decided to calm down, wait one lap and then go back to the pits for a tyre change. It proved to be the right decision and especially at the right time. In the end Chaz was the one who got it perfect and congratulations to him for the win. I’m extremely happy with my second place; it’s nice to get back on the podium and to consolidate my fourth place in the standings.
Nicky Hayden 69
DNF
he race started out really well for us, especially compared to how I felt yesterday. We got the bike working much better in the wet than at the Lausitzring. I made a good start and was feeling quite good; then the sun came out exactly on the main straight and, at that point, I knew the track was going to dry very quickly. I opted for a little bit of a different strategy and pitted quickly; on the second lap after returning to the track I was already matching my previous lap times on wet tyres as I had a good feeling. Ultimately we had a problem, I started to lose power and by then I knew my race was over. For sure we wouldn’t have beaten Chaz Davies today: he made the perfect choice and his times on intermediate tyres were really impressive, but I think we had a really good shot at the podium. Too bad I also missed the chance for some laps in the dry; that was something I really needed.
Pieter Breddels
Technical Manager
It was quite a hectic race one. After qualifying in sixth and seventh positions, we decided to use wet tyres for both riders. It wasn’t an easy choice to make because the track was indeed wet, but we had no idea how fast it was going to dry. Nicky decided to make the tyre change quite early, but it was a good call by him. Unfortunately, he could not make the most of that brave call as the bike soon had a technical issue. Michael pitted two laps later and that proved to be an even better choice, because when he went back out he was 10 seconds ahead of Nicky, while before they were locked together. After that Michael simply rode a perfect race, although Tom Sykes caught him at the end. On one side, I’m really happy for Michael, as he really deserved the podium today. On the other hand, we’re sorry for what happened to Nicky. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for him, too.
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
A complicated SBK race for Althea BMW at Magny-Cours; De Rosa qualifies second for the STK1000 race
Nevers (France), Saturday 1 October 2016
A complicated first SBK race today at the Magny-Cours racetrack in France, in which the Althea BMW Racing Team riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger crossed the line in 14th and 17th place respectively. De Rosa has qualified in second position for tomorrow’s STK1000 race.
STK1000 – qualifying: De Rosa again put in a convincing performance in today’s qualifying. Using the 30 minutes to make final changes to his BMW S 1000 RR, Raffaele improved on times throughout the course of the session. He was lying second when, five minutes from the session’s end, a red flag temporarily halted proceeding. Back on track, the final five minutes proved frenetic but De Rosa used them to good effect, closing in second place (1’40.120) and earning a front row start for tomorrow’s race.
Superpole 1: today’s SP took place on a fully wet and slippery track. Reiterberger tried to do his best in the difficult conditions, but was unable to move beyond tenth place, setting a fastest time of 1’59.800. The German will therefore line up on row seven of the grid.
Superpole 2: a difficult session also for Torres, who struggled to build confidence with the wet track. His best time, a 1’58.353 recorded in the final minutes, saw him close in twelfth position, which translates into the fourth row of the race grid.
SBK – Race 1: the race took place on a track that gradually dried out over the course of 21 laps. From twelfth on the grid, Torres was in tenth after lap one, while Reiti, from the seventh row, made up many positions at the start to position thirteenth. After five laps, the German picked up his pace, passing his team-mate on lap 8 to move into twelfth place. At that point both Althea BMW riders came into the pits to change over from rain to slick tyres. Returning to the track in 20th and 21st place, Jordi and Markus quickly made up places through the central part of the race, eventually crossing the line in 14th and 17th place respectively.
Genesio Bevilacqua:
“Definitely a difficult day, in wet conditions. The race fell well below our expectation and despite having gained some good indications during the Superpole, these didn’t translate into results in the race. I’m disappointed, because we had everything in line to do well, but allowed too much of a gap to be created. I also believe there is room for improvement in these conditions as far as the riders are concerned, because it’s important to always give it your all. With regard to Raffaele, he was able to really express his potential today and achieve second place and a front row start. Our aim is to finish ahead of the championship lead, and hope that other riders finish between the two of them.”
Jordi Torres:
“We had a tough race today. During the wet Superpole we were able to understand certain aspects that proved useful for the race, seeing as that also started on a wet track. During the sighting lap we could see the track was probably going to dry out, but we decided to go out on rain tyres anyway, thinking it would be too risky to use intermediates. We did our best, and then came in to change tyres when the track had dried a little. It was just a shame that a technical problem made it difficult for me to ride. Anyway, tomorrow we hope for dry conditions so that we can make a better race.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Today was again difficult. We took a small step in FP3 but we weren’t able to go as fast as the others in the wet and only qualified 20th. I made a good start to the race and made up quite a few positions, but when the track started to dry out I had to come in and change the tyres, after which I totally lost the good feeling I’d had at the start. I’m not pleased with this and will try to work harder to find a solution that allows me to be faster.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Brilliant win for Chaz Davies in Race 1 at Magny-Cours, right-shoulder issues stop Davide Giugliano
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took its sixth win of the season in Magny-Cours (France), home of the third-to-last round of the WorldSBK championship, thanks to Chaz Davies’ triumph in Race 1. Davide Giugliano was declared unfit to race after a crash during Superpole 1, which aggravated his right-shoulder injury.
With a wet track at the start of the race, Chaz Davies (who finished Superpole in third position) opted for intermediate tyres. The Welshman’s choice was nonconformist, as most riders chose wet compounds, but eventually proved to be the most ideal. Davies had to play defense early on as the track was slippery, and was momentarily pushed out of the top ten, but soon mounted an incredible comeback that – as his opponents were forced to pit-in – saw him win with a ten-second advantage. It was Davies’ sixth victory of the year, a personal record.
Davide Giugliano showed his grit to head out on track for FP3 and Superpole 1 despite the pain in his right shoulder. After crashing out during his first qualifying lap, the Italian resumed action to post the 13th best time but, since the conditions of his shoulder worsened, was eventually declared unfit to race. He will thus return to Italy to undergo further treatment before the next round.
Track action will resume at 09:25 (CET) Sunday for a 15-minute warm-up session ahead of Race 2, which is scheduled to start at 13:00.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1st
“I tried to make an educated guess on tyres, as in the past we haven’t always opted for the best strategy in these conditions. Still, it was somewhat of a gamble and I knew that early on it was just a matter of survival but the reward could be great. At first, I just tried to stay on the bike as in some points it felt like riding on ice, but when I saw the gap from the front after the first few laps I realized we could pull it off. It was fun to come back through the field. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be dry and we have a good chance, but we still have room for improvement.”
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34)
“I tried everything I could to race. Yesterday we stopped early to give my shoulder a chance to rest, and this morning in the wet I felt comfortable right away. Unfortunately the crash during Superpole, even if at a really low speed, made the situation worse. It’s impossible to do a 21-lap race with much pain and little strength. Now I will rest and undergo physiotherapy to improve the conditions of the tendons so that I can go to Jerez in a better shape. Time is on our side.”
Stefano Cecconi, Aruba S.p.A CEO and Team Principal
“Of all the wins we collected in 2016, this is probably the most thrilling one because of the way it was achieved, with a great mix of performance and strategy. Hats off to Chaz, who already took more victories than last year with five races to go. I’m sorry for Davide, who showed his courage once again, but we agree with the decision to take a temporary break from action and are keen to see him again in Jerez!”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
CAMIER FINISH 7° RACE 1 IN MAGNY-COURS
After dominating the WorldSBK Race1 in the middle stage of the race, Leon Camier had to slow down because of the rain tyre wear, finishing up 7°. Jules Cluzel closed in 5° position the WorldSSP Tissot-Superpole2 and tomorrow he will start the race from the 2nd row.
WorldSBK – FP3, SP2, Race
Right from the early morning FP3 Camier had proven to be very fast in wet condition, consolidating a solid 5th placement. In Superpole2 the British 30-years old rider managed to get the 5th place on starting grid, despite being involved in an high-side just 30 seconds from the end of the round.
When the light went off on Race1 Camier, who chose the rain tires, was able to stay with the Rea’s and Sykes’s Kawasaki machines, and managed to get the top of the race from lap 8 to lap 14. In the final laps, with the asphalt that was gradually getting dry, Camier has to slow down because of the lack of grip with the tires, but managed to bring his MV Agusta F4 RC in 7th final position, getting a +9 points in Championship Standing.
WorldSSP – FP3, SP1, SP2
During FP3 session both Cluzel and Zanetti focused on testing some technical components on their respective MV Agusta F3 675, but without getting any noteworthy results. In Superpole1 Lorenzo Zanetti was forced to drop out from the session due to a technical problem, while his teammate Jules Cluzel did a 1’58.162 lap in Superpole2 session, getting the 5th place on grid for tomorrow’s WorldSSP Race (11:20 local time).
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – It was a really good race and I am really happy. To be leading the race and pass the two Kawasaki with the same condition and the same setting is a thing proving we made a big step with the bike setting. It was really difficult to decide if and when come in and change to the slick tyre, especially because I was in front. For sure we have learnt something for the next time.
Jules Cluzel #16 WorldSSP – I can’t say I am fully satisfied because in my home race I wanted to definitely be in the top 3, even in qualifying. The second row is surely a good result and with the team we are working hard on the setting of the bike in order to get ready for the race tomorrow. As always I will do my best to stay in the top 3.
Lorenzo Zanetti #87 WorldSSP – Unfortunately, today was a bad day because due to some technical problems we did just one lap this morning and just one lap this afternoon. Tomorrow we will have to start from the back and try to comeback as much as possible in race.