FIM Superbike World Championship
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France
September 28, 2019
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
- Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 21 laps, Total Race Time 34:37.686, Best Lap Time 1:37.970
- Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -0.240 second, 1:37.759
- Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -6.839 seconds, 1:38.504
- Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), -8.497, 1:38.367
- Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), -9.368, 1:38.512
- Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -15.129, 1:38.496
- Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -25.067, 1:39.450
- Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -26.869, 1:39.329
- Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Duc Panigale V4 R), -32.091, 1:39.419
- Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -32.823, 1:39.160
- Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -35.409, 1:39.483
- Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -41.945, 1:39.890
- Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -46.640, crash, 1:38.089
- Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -63.136, 1:40.216
- Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -67.315, 1:40.528
- Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -67.679, 1:40.448
- Sylvain Barrier, France (Duc Panigale V4 R), -68.300, 1:40.708
- Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -71.449, 1:40.450
- Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -5 laps, DNF, crash, 1:38.921
- Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -17 laps, DNF, crash, 1:39.638
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
#FRAWorldSBK – Day 2:
WorldSBK 800th race sees Razgatlioglu taking his first WorldSBK victory ahead of Rea and Sykes
First Turkish winner in WorldSBK history as Razgatlioglu charges from 16th on the grid to deny Rea on the last lap
The Pirelli French Round produced one of the races of the WorldSBK season so far as five different riders lead at various stages, before Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out of the lead three laps from home, seemingly handing victory to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), before a stunning final lap saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) take the spoils, despite starting from the sixth row.
As the race got underway, Jonathan Rea came under immediate pressure from Michael van der Mark with two almost colliding into the Adelaide hairpin on lap one. Their duel allowed Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to storm through from sixth on the grid to second by the end of lap one.
Sykes’ progress continued on Lap 2 as he used the corner speed of the BMW to overtake Rea at Estoril, although the leading group was growing and growing with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) joining the action from 11th on the grid, while a remarkable early charge brought Toprak Razgatlioglu into play, despite starting down in 16th.
On Lap 3, Davies became the third different leader in as many laps but the Welshman’s challenge came to a dramatic end moments later with a crash into Turn 15. Davies’ lost the front end of his machine with second-placed Toprak Razgatlioglu fortunate to stay upright despite slight contact from the errant Ducati. The chaos allowed Sykes a moment of breathing space but the BMW rider was quickly reeled in, losing the lead to Michael van der Mark on Lap 6.
With the battle continuing to rage in the leading group, van der Mark was able to open up a slight advantage while Jonathan Rea came under intense pressure following a moment at the Nurburgring chicane. Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to edge ahead, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Rea ultimately regained P2 from the Turkish rider shortly after half-distance, allowing him to give chase after van der Mark who was 1.2 seconds to the good.
Behind the leading trio, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) had established himself in an excellent fourth with Tom Sykes settling in fifth after an all-action start. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was holding sixth but the Briton was coming under increasing pressure from Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) as the Spaniard chased valuable championship points. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was also in the thick of the action but a highside at the final chicane eliminated him five laps from home.
With clear track in front, Jonathan Rea began his relentless chase of Michael van der Mark, wiping out his advantage heading into the closing stages. With three laps remaining, the leading pair were together but van der Mark’s hopes of a second victory of 2019 were extinguished when the front end of his Yamaha folded into the Adelaide hairpin, the pressure proving too much.
Rea seemed on course for a 12th victory of the season, beginning the final lap one second clear of Razgatlioglu but a stunning final lap from the Turkish rider brought him right into the tail of the Ulsterman entering the last sector. Under braking for Turn 15, Toprak dived up the inside with Rea keen to avoid a costly collision, opting to settle for second.
The fight for the final podium spot also went down to the wire with Tom Sykes rallying in the latter stages to overhaul Loris Baz, securing BMW’s fourth podium of the season. Baz held on to fourth while Alvaro Bautista recovered up to fifth in the end.
Alex Lowes faded to finish a distant sixth while Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) marked his return from injury with a sensational ride to seventh, Honda’s best result of the 2019 season so far. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) finished eighth, his best result since Misano, with Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Sandro Cortese completing the top ten.
In the end, van der Mark remounted to finish 13th to secure three points which may prove valuable in the ever-tightening race for third in the championship standings. At the top, Jonathan Rea has extended his advantage to 100 points over Alvaro Bautista, and the possibility remains of a fifth title being clinched tomorrow.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
“I am so happy! The last lap was so stressful for me because I knew I was faster. I tried to pass Johnny, but the front was sliding a lot. I pushed hard and tried to keep the bike straight, and I made it. It is my first victory, and I extremely pleased with this! I am crying! It has been my dream for this season, and I achieve that. Now we see what will happen next race. I don’t know how tomorrow will be. I hope it won’t be raining! Thanks to all my team because today that have done an incredible job”.
P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“I was expecting a fight because with these conditions no ones had the chance to work on the bike setup, so today was the same for everybody. I was a little bit worried in the beginning because the conditions were not perfect and in the first ten laps, I felt like we were racing like kids, but it was a lot of fun! When the race settled down, Van Der Mark kept a good rhythm, he went away and slowly I could catch him. I put my head down in the last laps, but I made a big mistake in the last lap and gave a big opportunity to Toprak to come and make that move. I am a little bit frustrated but happy with the result because the podium is a good result. I want to congratulate Toprak because he deserves this win, but we will try to change the order tomorrow”.
P3 – Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I enjoyed riding today. I did a good start, and I settled in nicely. With the team with a made a small change to the bike between the last race and now that allowed me to ride with a little bit margin, so I really enjoyed riding my bike today. In the beginning, I swept positions with a few guys who were trying to get a better position, and we were able to fight. The chassis and the tyres stayed consistent throughout the race, sure we still to find some things in some area, but overall a podium is promising here giving that we are only tenth months now into the program. We are thrilled with our efforts, and hopefully, we can keep up the pace for tomorrow”.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Second As Razgatlioglu Wins His First
Jonathan Rea (KRT) came within 0.240 seconds of winning an unpredictable and exciting 21-lap WorldSBK race at Magny Cours today but it was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) who won for the first time in WorldSBK. Leon Haslam (KRT) was unfortunate to fall exiting the final chicane on lap 17 and no scored today.
After qualifying on pole, for the sixth time this year and for the 22nd time in his career, Jonathan became the fourth most successful qualifier in WorldSBK history.
In WorldSBK’s 800th race – also the 800th participation for Kawasaki as a manufacturer – Rea and Haslam had very little dry track time to prepare a full-distance race set-up, especially after Superpole had dawned wet.
From pole position on the grid Rea was unable to get clear in the early laps and was involved in many close battles, providing fantastic entertainment for the fans but making it a nervous time for much of the race.
After long-time leader Michael van der Mark fell, with Rea closing in behind, Jonathan took the lead for two of the final three laps. Razgatlioglu closed in on the final sector of the 4.41km circuit and took advantage of an opportunity to pass, winning his first race at this level and delivering the first FIM Superbike World Championship race win for his Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team.
Haslam felt strong in the morning sessions today, qualifying third in the wet Superpole, but was racing for seventh place when a landing from the lip of the kerbs in the final chicane saw his machine get crossed up. Leon fell, without injury. He now looks to what all hope will be two dry races on Sunday to get back into podium contention.
The ten-lap Tissot Superpole race on Sunday morning will be followed by a 21-lap Race Two.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I made a small mistake in sector two. With the gap on my pit board with a few laps to go, I was convinced that by keeping a good rhythm it would be OK, but that mistake gave Toprak the opportunity to make a manoeuvre in sector three. That is how it is. So if I try to look from the outside, from the championship point of view, it has been a strong race. But I am also a little bit disappointed because I did most of the work to put myself in a good position at the end, and we couldn’t finish the job. We have got two more chances tomorrow.”
Leon Haslam, stated: “Superpole was good in the wet but the race was a disaster. I kept losing the front brake so we struggled the whole race. We ran on a few times, with the brake lever coming back. In the end I must have clipped the kerb going onto the start/finish straight. The best I was going to be in that race was seventh and for me it was quite disappointing because this morning I felt really confident to run with Toprak, Johnny and the guys. So from my point of view it was a disappointing race.”
Razgatlioglu’s historic first win makes him the 13th rider to take a race win for Kawasaki, the first ever Turkish rider to win a full WorldSBK race, and the fifth different rider to take a win in the 2019 season – all in what was arguably its most exciting and dramatic race so far. Toprak is still the top independent rider overall.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, stated: “I think I had the right conditions in the race because in the wet I am not fast. Superpole qualifying was very bad in 16th position but I am happy because in the dry and I thought I had a chance at the podium. In the last two laps I felt it as possible to win, so I pushed. On the last lap I pushed hard and took my first win. Tomorrow? I do not know, but if it is dry again I will try to win.”
Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) qualified way down in 20th position on the grid but fought through, on basically dry asphalt, to score 11th, place and earn five championship points.
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 18th on the starting grid but came through to finish 12th.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Van Der Mark Denied Victory Fight in Magny-Cours as Baz Narrowly Misses the Podium
Race
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider, Michael van der Mark, looked set to claim his second win of the 2019 season in WorldSBK Race 1 at Magny-Cours this afternoon until, with just two laps of the race remaining, the Dutchman lost the front under braking for Turn 5 and crashed out of the lead. Van der Mark remounted to finish 13th, leaving Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, and home hero, Loris Baz, to lead the Yamaha riders home in fourth place, only narrowly missing out on his first podium finish.
Technical set up for the race, which was held in the driest conditions seen at Magny-Cours so far this weekend, was a calculated gamble given the lack of dry practice time, but it was obvious from the start that van der Mark’s crew had gone in the right direction for both the track and the conditions.
Starting from the front row of the grid having qualified second in Superpole, van der Mark was in the thick of the action from the off, making aggressive moves to get the better of a five-way battle and take the lead seven laps into the race. As soon as he hit the front the Pata Yamaha rider immediately upped his pace and pulled a gap on the four riders disputing second place. Van der Mark maintained an advantage of around a second to his pursuers until reigning World Champion, Jonathan Rea, managed to close the gap with four laps to go.
One lap later van der Mark made an error under braking for Turn 5, running in a little bit too aggressively, losing the front and sliding off, handing the race lead to Rea. The Pata Yamaha rider remounted to finish 13th and is determined to make amends in the two races tomorrow.
After a strong start from the second row of the grid, Alex Lowes fought valiantly within the group contesting second place until a severe drop off in grip from the front tyre forced him to moderate his pace and settle for a solid sixth place at the line. The result consolidates his third place in the championship standings, giving him an 11-point advantage over today’s race winner, Toprak Razgatlioglu in fourth and 12 points over his fifth placed teammate, van der Mark.
After a strong showing in the wet and mixed conditions yesterday, Marco Melandri’s race aspirations took a blow when he crashed in Superpole and was forced to start today from the fourth row of the grid. Despite a less than perfect set-up on his GRT Yamaha YZF-R1, the Italian managed to fight his way through the pack to finish a creditable eighth in the 21-lap race.
The weather at Magny-Cours couldn’t have been less kind to Sandro Cortese, who was making his debut at the French track aboard a Superbike. The reigning Supersport World Champion was hoping for dry conditions in which to adapt to the demands of the Superbike but was left disappointed when rain disrupted every practice session and Superpole was held on a fully wet track. Despite the limited dry track time, Cortese rode a solid race from 17th on the grid to secure another top ten finish this afternoon.
It was home hero Baz who eventually led the Yamaha riders home in fourth place today, despite struggling throughout the 21-lap race with the setup on his Ten Kate Yamaha YZF-R1. The Frenchman was poised to challenge Tom Sykes for the final podium place on the final lap, but a near highside at Turn 8 left Baz with too much ground to make up in the final two kilometres and he was forced to settle for a still impressive fourth at the chequered flag.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P13 – Championship P5 – 247 Points
“I made a mistake today. I was starting to struggle with the front a little in the later stages of the race, but I had too much brake and too much lean angle going into the hairpin at Turn 5 and I went down. I’m really sorry for the guys, who did an incredible job with my R1 given the lack of dry track time this weekend. There was a bit of chaos in the first few laps, but the bike felt really good and I felt really strong. Towards the end I was pushing, maintaining my rhythm, but I didn’t feel on the limit. I could see Johnny was closing, but I wasn’t stressing about that, but just trying to keep my own pace. The crash was down to a mistake on my part, but we know we have a good set up for the dry, which we’ll work to improve further tonight, so I’ll be out to make amends in the two races tomorrow. I enjoyed myself a lot today apart from the crash, the R1 was really fun to ride so thanks to Yamaha and my crew for a great package.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P13 – Championship P3 – 259 Points
“I knew from the start that it was going to be a difficult race, because our dry track time this weekend has been so limited. I got a good start and made my way up to fourth, but then six or seven laps into the race I started to struggle a lot with the front tyre and by the end of the race, one side was completely destroyed. This meant that, unfortunately, the second half of the race was about making it to the finish rather than pushing to gain places, as there wasn’t much more I could do. While we didn’t have the package to fight today, we’ve got plenty of time to think about it tonight and a couple of races to try and do better tomorrow.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P8 – Championship P9 – 161 Points
“We’ve had different conditions for every session this weekend and even the race wasn’t so easy, as there were still damp patches on track at the start. It was a difficult race for me. I was with Leon Camier for most of the race and, while sometimes I felt a bit faster than him, the only time I was able to try a pass I ended up running wide. We still have the same issues and I feel more of a passenger on the bike rather than the rider, but we will try again tomorrow to do better.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P10 – Championship P10 – 122 Points
“With only a few laps in the dry and this being my first time here with the Superbike, we weren’t really sure of the direction to take with the set up for the race. I’m happy enough with the result today, given the difficulties we’ve faced so far this weekend with the weather conditions. I’d have preferred not to have lost a place on the last lap, but tenth in the race today is a reasonable start. Now I know the track a little better, and we have a clearer idea of what we need in terms of set up for the dry, so we will look to improve in tomorrow’s two races.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P4 – Championship P13 – 100 Points
“I was too close to the podium to be happy with today’s result! A few months ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d be disappointed to finish fourth here at Magny-Cours, as it’s my best result at this track for a long time. It was a great race. In the beginning it was really tricky with the track and, as we have no experience with the YZF-R1 here at Magny-Cours, we only changed the set up a little bit after FP3 and it wasn’t perfect. It made the bike quite difficult to ride, especially in one sector where I lost the rear so many times. When Tom Sykes passed me, I tried everything to stay with him, to try something on the last lap, but then I nearly high-sided out of the 180 degree and wasn’t close enough. It’s a shame, but it’s still a fourth place and all the team are happy – maybe more than me – so we will try again for the podium tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team:
Podium for Tom Sykes and the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Magny-Cours.
Tom Sykes comes home third on his BMW S 1000 RR after an exciting race in the FIM Superbike World Championship.
Tough Saturday for team-mate Markus Reiterberger.
Tom Sykes: “It was an eventful race and an absolute pleasure”.
Magny-Cours. Tom Sykes (GBR) claimed another WorldSBK podium for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the new BMW S 1000 RR. Sykes ended an exciting Saturday race at Magny-Cours (FRA) in third place, having actually led the race in the early stages. His team-mate Markus Reiterberger (GER) endured a difficult Saturday, finishing in 16th place. Magny-Cours is the venue for round eleven of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
The morning’s Superpole was delayed by half an hour due to a dirty track. Earlier rainfall meant conditions were still wet and the special qualifying tyres could not be used. Sykes was sixth fastest on his RR, earning him a spot on the second row of the grid. Reiterberger qualified 19th.
By the start of the race at 14:00, the majority of the track was dry. Starting from sixth place, Sykes soon worked his way through the field and took the lead on his RR on lap two. He fended off all the attacks from behind and held onto first place in a fiercely-competitive leading group until lap six. The battles for position continued at the front of the field, and initially saw Sykes drop back to fifth place. When Michael van der Mark (NED / Yamaha) crashed out of the lead, Sykes adopted fourth place. However, the Brit was not happy with that position and pulled off a courageous manoeuvre on the penultimate lap to overtake Frenchman Loris Baz (Yamaha) and went on to claim another podium in third place. Reiterberger came home 16th, narrowly missing out on the points by just 0.3 seconds.
Quotes after race one at Magny-Cours.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Tom’s third place is a strong result after chaotic weather conditions on Friday and Saturday morning. The practices on Friday, which took place in unsettled weather, were positive for Tom, although that was not reflected directly in the results. We were not able to take full advantage of our qualifying performance on wet tyres, as we did not select the ideal tyre type in the unsettled conditions. We had targeted the front row of the grid, but Tom at least managed to limit the damage with sixth place. Tom’s first lap was simply fantastic. By lap two we were running P1. From then on, the race was very eventful and full of changes. In all the commotion, we dropped back to fifth place. However, Tom delivered a really strong performance in the closing stages too, which allowed us to claim our next podium finish – with a little help from our rivals. That is very pleasing and confirms that our updates are performance-enhancing. Markus has been struggling with his confidence in the set-up of his RR all weekend. Unfortunately, he was also plagued by a problem with the electronics in the race which made his performances look worse.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Tom was disappointed with superpole. We were happy with the result; Tom was focused on the front row but unfortunately we made the wrong choice in the tyre, nevertheless we were pleased with P6. Markus really struggled with the bike and felt as though he was riding on ice which reflected in his time. Unfortunately this continued into the race and he was too far back to really make an impact. Overall, race one was probably the best race of the season. Tom took the lead and battled really well, he conserved his tyre well and set a solid pace and maintained that pace to the very end. As expected, he got closer to the front guys towards the end of the race and picked off Loris Baz in the final few laps so we are extremely happy to add another podium to the season. We have gained a lot of information ahead of tomorrow and taken a great step forward in the development of the BMW S 1000 RR which is a credit to the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.”
Tom Sykes: “It was an eventful race and an absolute pleasure. I really enjoyed riding that one. A credit to the whole team; we’ve made some changes to the bike in between Portimão and here and it’s just nice as I am able to do things a little bit better on the track. I really enjoyed that race, especially in the beginning, battling with a few guys and just feeling in a better position and being able to fight. The chassis and the tyre really stayed consistent throughout the race. Certainly we need to find a little bit in some areas but overall a podium with just the two Kawasakis in front is really promising here given that we are only ten months into the programme. I am really, really happy with our efforts and hopefully we can keep this pace for tomorrow.”
Markus Reiterberger: “Unfortunately, I had issues with the electronics in practice this morning. As a result, I was only able to complete four or five laps when the track conditions were a bit drier. However, that was still good enough for 13th place. It then poured down again in the Superpole. As I spent more time than anyone on the track in these conditions yesterday, I did hope that this might play into my hands, however, I did not feel at all comfortable on the bike. The rear wheel was like riding on soap and I was unable to get any purchase. It was very difficult to ride. 19th place on the grid is not where I want to be starting from. Unfortunately, I did not get off to a good start in the race. It was generally very difficult to ride, partly because I had electronics problems again. I really hope that we identify the issue quickly and are soon able to find something that helps me.”
More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Team:
Camier makes a strong return to racing with a positive seventh place finish in Race1 in France.
Leon Camier made a convincing return to action, both in terms of result and pace, on the first race day of the Pirelli French round.
After qualifying in tenth place at the end of a wet Superpole session, Leon scored a positive seventh place finish in Race 1, in dry conditions, the best result of the year so far for him and the team.
For teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari, the day had a more disappointing outcome, especially after qualifying in which he closed in ninth place, the fastest Honda rider. Ryuichi was not able to replicate that performance in the subsequent race and was forced to settle for eighteenth place.
Leon Camier
7TH
“I’m happy enough with today. I pushed as hard as I could and did as much as I could, even though I was struggling in some areas, especially at the end. My shoulder was fine, it was more my hands and arms, having not used them for a long time. By the end of the race, mainly in the changes of direction, I was hanging on by my fingertips and it was challenging, because you need good control in that area. There were also some damp patches on the asphalt. Anyway, I managed not to make any big mistakes and we scored a result that’s not too bad. I feel like the bike has improved in a couple of areas and the handling was also better. This was another of the day’s positives.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari
18TH
“I’m very disappointed with today’s race result because the weekend had started well already yesterday, and things went even better in qualifying this morning. I like this track and so I was hoping for quite a different result. Instead I struggled with rear grip at the beginning of the race and although I improved my pace lap after lap, I honestly wasn’t quick enough in adapting to the changing conditions. An experience we will try and utilize in order to do better tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing:
Rinaldi fourth in Superpole, struggled in Race 1
Magny Cours (FRA), 28th September 2019. Bittersweet Saturday for the Barni Racing Team at Nevers Magny Cours circuit, which held the eleventh round of the MOTUL FIM WorldSBK Championship. Michael Rinaldi hit a splendid fourth place in Superpole, the best qualifying of the season – on a wet track – but the race was below expectations and saw him crossed the finish line in 14th position. With this result the flagbearer of the team from Bergamo team gathered two points in the championship standings where he is now twelfth with 111 points.
Superpole
The weather conditions were protagonists also on Saturday: the rain that fell in the morning forced the riders to hit a wet track for the Superpole. Rinaldi once again was very good at exploiting this condition, scoring a lap in 1’54.563 which allowed him to take fourth place on the staring grid.
Race 1
The race instead took place on dry asphalt and the riders could race with slick tires. Starting from the second row the # 21 from Romagna had a good start but after a few turns he was moved down to 13th position.
Due to a poor feeling at the front he lost other positions up to 16º. From mid-race , when the asphalt temperature rose, Rinaldi significantly improved its pace, managing to lap in 1’40’’ of pace, cheating and overtaking Kyionari and Del Bianco.
Marco Barnabo, Team Principal:
The Superpole on the wet track went very well, the rider showed great sensitivity managing to place himself in the second row. In the race, unfortunately, the same situation that we had experienced in Assen occurred: on dry, but cold track, Michael had not the right feeling and he was not able to push as he would like. This heavily affected the race, especially in the first part where we accumulated much of the gap.
Michael Rinaldi
SUPERPOLE: P4 – RACE 1: P14
These results comes out due to some problems that we cannot solve from the beginning of the season. On one hand we can be competitive in the wet and today’s qualification proved that, but in the dry we really struggle too much. I am very sorry and not being able to prove what I’m able to do do makes me very angry, but neither I nor the team are going to give up, we will do everything to find a solution, until the end.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
World Superbike at Magny-Cours: Álvaro Bautista finishes Race 1 in fifth place after a great run through the field from row 5, while Chaz Davies crashes on lap 4 after running up at the front in the early stages
For the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, the first race in the French Round at the Magny-Cours circuit – and race number 800 in the history of the Superbike World Championship – concluded with a good fifth place for Álvaro Bautista and an unexpected DNF for Chaz Davies in the early laps.
Starting from row 5 in fourteenth place on the grid, the Spanish rider tried to build up his confidence in the dry conditions before beginning a great fightback through the field to finish in fifth place.
Team-mate Chaz Davies on the other hand went on the attack from the fourth row, immediately passing a number of his rivals and taking the lead of the race. Unfortunately, when he was fighting for second place, a glitch while entering into Turn 15 led to unintentional contact with Razgatlioglu, causing Chaz to crash and putting an end to his race, luckily without consequences.
Tomorrow the ten-lap Superpole Race will be held at 11.00 CET, with the 21-lap Race 2 starting at 14.00.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati #19) – 5th
“Fifth place was not a bad result for sure because there were a lot of difficult situations to manage during the race and because it was basically my first ever exit on this track in these conditions. I started far back on row 5 and seeing as the track in some places was still wet, I tried to get the references and then went faster and faster. I’m happy with fifth place because I learnt the track but I’m not happy because I lost more points. We’ll see if we can go faster tomorrow now I have more experience on this track.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – DNF
“My race was good while it lasted seeing as I was fighting for the lead, it’s just unfortunate that it didn’t last very long! In the early laps certain parts of the track were still a bit damp and everyone was slightly conservative, maybe letting the conditions improve before going on the attack, so I decided to push hard. The Panigale V4 R was seemingly working well from a set-up point of view, but as we hadn’t lapped in the dry in the previous sessions unfortunately we couldn’t work fully on the electronics settings and this caused a wrong calibration in Turn 15, which led to contact and my crash. I just did all I could to try and avoid Toprak and ended up by hitting him. I’m really frustrated to go out of the race like that, not only for the result but also for the information we could have learnt for tomorrow. Anyway, that’s racing.”