Acerbis French Round
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours, France
September 30, 2018
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 21 laps, Total Race Time 34:16.364, Best Lap Time 1:37.397
2. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), -1.804 seconds, 1:37.363
3. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -3.552, 1:37.558
4. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -4.879, 1:37.791
5. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -6.505, 1:37.510
6. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), -11.477, 1:37.790
7. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -15.077, 1:37.888
8. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), -17.339, 1:37.970
9. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -17.655, 1:38.291
10. Loris Baz, France (BMW S1000RR), -22.725, 1:38.079
11. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4 RF), -23.257, 1:38.011
12. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -23.637, 1:38.233
13. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -26.756, 1:38.608
14. Jordi Torres, Spain (MV Agusta F4 RC), -28.178, 1:38.665
15. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -29.292, 1:38.491
16. Jake Gagne, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -38.534, 1:39.080
17. PJ Jacobsen, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -42.776, 1:39.025
18. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -46.765, 1:39.475
19. Jeremy Guarnoni, France (Kaw ZX-10RR), -51.689, 1:39.576
20. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (Yam YZF-R1), -4 laps, DNF, crash, 1:39.806
21. Matthieu Lussiana, France (Apr RSV4 RF), -19 laps, DNF, retired, no lap time recorded
World Championship Point Standings (after 22 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 470 points, clinched 2018 World Championship
2. Davies, 335
3. Van Der Mark, 309
4. Sykes, 273
5. Melandri, 250
6. Lowes, 213
7. Fores, 194
8. Laverty, 134
9. Savadori, 125
10. Razgatlioglu, 120
11. Baz, 115
12. Camier, 102
13. Torres, 98
14. Rinaldi, 77
15. Mercado, 62
16. Ramos, 56
17. Gagne, 51
18. Yonny Hernandez, 28
19. Jacobsen, 21
20. Leon Haslam, 14
21. Davide Giugliano, 11
22. Niccolo Canepa, 7
23. Karel Hanika, 5
24. Bradley Ray, 3
25. TIE, Luke Mossey/Ondrej Jezek, 2
27. Alessandro Andreozzi, 1
More, from a press release issued by Gulf Althea BMW:
Baz rounds out his home round in tenth place at Magny Cours
Magny Cours (France), Sunday 30 September 2018
On track at Magny Cours in France, the Gulf Althea BMW Racing Team and rider Loris Baz have closed the weekend’s second WorldSBK race in tenth place. Young Italian Alessandro Delbianco crossed the line sixth in the final Superstock 1000 race of the season.
Superbike – Race 2 – lining up on row four of the grid today, the Frenchman lost a few positions off the line, caught up in traffic and lying fifteenth through the first corners. Moving up three positions over the course of the first three laps, the Frenchman was lapping twelfth until almost the mid-race point when he was able to pass both Laverty and Razgatlioglu to move up into tenth place. A constant pace throughout the final stages allowed him to hold his position to the line, thus replicating yesterday’s race 1 result.
Loris Baz:
“It went a little bit better than yesterday if I’m honest. I made a terrible start and then had to fight back but I was able to make up some positions, getting past both Laverty and Toprak. I had a big battle on my hands, as I had to pass them more than once and this meant I lost valuable time. If I hadn’t lost so much time off the line I could have done more, but anyway, my performance was a little better than yesterday’s, despite my still finishing tenth.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda:
Resurgent Camier claims ninth place in Race 2 at Magny-Cours
French Round
Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, France
A determined ride from Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team’s Leon Camier saw the Briton claim ninth place in Race 2 at Magny-Cours, while Jake Gagne finished just outside the point-paying positions in P16.
Starting Race 2 from thirteenth on the grid, Camier bolted out of the blocks and made up two positions to move into eleventh place on the opening lap. From there, Camier’s strong pace saw him work his way through the field to ninth place by the halfway point of the race, a position he held until the chequered flag was waved.
After a good race yesterday, today proved to be more challenging for Gagne, who made up positions early in the race but struggled for grip to finish the race in sixteenth place.
With just two rounds of the 2018 season remaining, Camier moves up one place in the championship standings to thirteenth overall on 102 points, while Gagne remains in seventeenth position with 51 points.
Argentina’s new Circuito San Juan Villicum will host the next round of FIM Superbike World Championship, the action taking place from the 12th to the 14th of October.
Leon Camier 2
I felt a lot happier in today’s race, the changes we made to the bike helped the bike turn so I could really attack and make my way through the field. It was definitely a positive step we made with the Fireblade, my pace for the second half of the race was good for a top-six place, and that’s where we should have been had our starting position been a bit better. Our performance in Race 2 was a good way to finish the weekend and we’ll try carry the momentum into the next round at Argentina.
Jake Gagne 45
It was a struggle today for me, the changes we made in Warm Up actually worked quite well and I had better pace, but in the race it was really hard. Already after a couple of laps I struggled a lot with the front tyre which basically meant I had to manage my pace and couldn’t push at all, so in the end it was a lonely race back in sixteenth. It’s a shame as I was a lot more confident going into this race than yesterday, but we’ll take a look at what happened and get ready for Argentina in a couple of weeks time.
Kervin Bos
Team Manager
Today was a better day for us given Leon’s performance. Although on paper ninth place isn’t where we want to be, his pace was good enough to have him in the top six which is a step in the right direction. We were able to make a change which made his CBR1000RR better on corner entry without sacrificing his corner exit, so credit to him and his team for their hard work all weekend. On Jake’s side of the garage a step was also made in the Warm Up session this morning, but unfortunately in the race Jake struggled a lot with his front tyre which compromised his race.
The results still aren’t where we want them to be, but in terms of bike performance we moved in the right direction this weekend and we’ll be looking for more of the same in Argentina.
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta Reparto Corsa:
TORRES CLOSED 14TH RACE 2 AT MAGNY-COURS. DE ROSA GOT THE 7TH POSITION IN WORLDSSP
Jordi Torres closed 14th in Race2 at Magny-Cours, home of the last European round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship 2018. De Rosa and Badovini ended up the WorldSSP race in P7 and P12 respectively.
WorldSBK – Race2
With the second WorldSBK race of the week-end, it ends an uphill round for Jordi Torres, who wasn’t able to find the right feeling with the 4-cylinderItalian machine on the French circuit of Nevers Magny-Cours. Starting from the 15th position on the grid, Torres struggled to recover the gap with the top positions, also due to the strong traffic of riders involved. In the final stages, the Spaniard engages a close battle with Leandro Mercado, before being able to pass him three laps from the end of the race, crossing the finish line in 14th position.
WorldSSP – Race
De Rosa opens with a solid start the 19-lap race of the French Round of WorldSSP, with the Italian settling stable in the seventh position. The solid and constant race pace on the MV Agusta F3 675 allows the Italian to ends up 7th under the chequered flag. With this last placement, it ends the series of six podiums in a row obtained by De Rosa in the last six races.
Starting from the third row on the grid, Ayrton Badovini gave battle inside the score-point area, going to cross the finish line in the 12th position.
Jordi Torres – During the warmup, we managed to make some changes to the bike but the race was really tough. We made some steps forward with the feeling at the rear but we still lack something in the entry and during each turn. The new big tire at the rear made the bike more nervous and difficult to ride, so we still need some time to refine the setting in the most appropriate way. The team always does a great job and I’m confident that in Argentina we will be able to aim for a much better position.
Raffaele De Rosa – All in all, it has been the race we expected. Unlike the last rounds, we met some problems with the bike that did not allow us to aim to the podium. In any case, we have certainly collected the best possible result and we are ready to be back with the front guys in the last two races.
Ayrton Badovini – It was a very difficult weekend and we couldn’t fully express our potential. I’m sorry because on several occasions we have shown to be fast but unfortunately in this race we lacked a bit ‘of constancy. There are two races left and I will do my best to close the championship in the best way.
More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:
Eighth place for Forés in race 2 at Magny Cours
Magny Cours (FRA), 30th September 2018. Eighth place for Xavi Forés in race 2 at Circuit de Nevers-Magny Cours, round 11 of MOTUL FIM WorldSBK and last European round. Due to the starting grid revised from yesterday – when Xavi and Barni Racing Team took a fantastic podium – Forés was forced to start from the seventh spot. Avoiding any drama and contact in the busy rider pack as they all flicked it left he had a good start but he had to struggle in the first few laps with Razgatlioglu and he lose ground from the first pack. Xavi than passed Toprak after three laps and took seventh place.
Unfortunately his pace today was slower than yesterday. Engaged in the battle for 7th place with Lowes, the Spaniard was not able to follow him when the Yamaha Factory rider passed him. Securing his eighth position until the checkered flag Xavi put in his pocket eight point more and he has now 194, still seventh in the overall standings.
Marco Barnabò, Principal Manager
“Today we are not satisfied because thinking of yesterday something more was expected. The key point was the start from the back. On the first lap Xavi lost lot of time and the group get immediately broken. Despite being a slower race than yesterday we did not have the pace to recover. Anyway we are happy for the weekend because we got another podium and many points for the standings Championship.”
Xavi Forés, #12
“Starting from the third row was bad for me. I had a strong battle with Toprak and Eugene in the first lap, than a gap from the others at the front was already opened. I hoped to be able to fight for the top 5 but for me it was hard to stop the bike and to overtake. It was not possible to reach the first group because the pace was similar and I had no more. Therefore it was a good weekend for us after the disaster in Portimao. Now I’m waiting Argentina, as new track for all of us looking for other good result.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes Double Win With Sykes Fourth
Jonathan Rea (KRT) completed his championship-winning weekend with a second race win on Sunday, after securing his fourth consecutive WorldSBK title on Saturday. His team-mate Tom Sykes (KRT), like Rea, started from the third row today under the reverse grid rules, and he finished fourth.
After his unprecedented fourth consecutive championship win on Saturday Jonathan Rea rode in celebration livery today, unfettered by thoughts of potential championship positions.
Starting from the ninth grid slot and with data from his first race win to help his cause in race two, he rode with freedom to go third on lap three and take the lead on lap 12.
Rea eventually beat Chaz Davies by 1.8 seconds to record his 14th win of the season so far, and his fourth double win in succession. It is still possible for Rea to even exceed the record of 17 race wins in a single season, as there are two rounds and four races remaining.
In race two Rea also set a stand-alone record for the number of podium places in WorldSBK, with a new total of 131 across his career.
Now almost fully recovered form a training injury suffered during the summer break, Sykes pushed in the early laps to go from eighth on the grid to fifth. He passed Marco Melandri in the final two laps to add a fourth place to his second place finish on Saturday.
In the championship, after 11 of 13 rounds have been completed, Rea has 470 points, Davies 335, Michael van der Mark 309 and Sykes 273.
The next round will be held at the all-new Argentine circuit of El Villicum, between the 12th and the 14th of October.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) followed up yesterday’s eighth place with 12th today. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) got a point for 15th as he approaches his home round next time. Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) ended his Sunday in France 18th. Substitute rider Jeremy Guarnoni (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 19th.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was an awesome weekend. With the pressure off I was able to ride a bit more aggressively. I put myself in great positions in the first laps and found great track position early on. It proved pretty hard to get past van der Mark, as he kept counter-attacking but once I got clear track I was able to catch up to Davies. But he had, again, proved quite difficult to pass. My team gave me the perfect bike today, also in terms of final gearing. Especially on the straight, I could really make some inroads into Chaz and draw alongside. I tried to outbrake him twice and just went long, missed the apex and then he cut back. So I readjusted the strategy a little bit to go and pass on one of the other corners. My bike was turning really tight and I could see he was struggling to find that apex in turn eight. Then I made my rhythm and rode to my pit board. It was a really nice feeling.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “Overall it was not too bad and consistently we were there, but it is a little bit of the same story as we had at previous events, where we have not got the initial lap time from the race tyre. Pirelli has two rear tyre solutions and we tried both of these of the races and finally our set-up is really quite good. It has advantages and disadvantages. I felt quite comfortable on the bike in race two, but I just missed a little bit of turning. I felt good while turning yesterday but missed a bit of edge grip. We started from row three and got through the traffic, but this race was a lot closer than yesterday and there were two guys in between Jonathan and me. It was nice to actually close some guys down at the front and make some passes at the end of the races, but we just lacked the initial speed again.”
2018 KRT Rider Statistics
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018
2018: Races 22, Wins 14, Podiums 19, Superpoles 2
Career Race Wins: 68 (53 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 131 (89 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 16 (12 for Kawasaki)
Tom Sykes: World Champion 2013
2018: Races: 22, Wins 1, Podiums 7, Superpoles 5
Career Race Wins: 34 (34 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 107 (106 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 47 (47 for Kawasaki)
6 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
3 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017)
3 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016 & 2017)
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 124 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 375 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 80 – second overall
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team on the podium in Race 2 at Magny Cours with Davies (2nd), Melandri 5th
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team stepped back on the podium in Race 2 at Magny Cours, home of the 11th round of the 2018 WorldSBK Championship, with Chaz Davies. The Welshman, fifth in Race 1, got off to a blistering start from first row and led the race until lap 12 despite his far-from-optimal physical conditions, finishing second to seize his 12th rostrum this season. Marco Melandri also put up a fight, fighting in the leading group until half-way through the race. The Italian eventually suffered some cornering issues, but gave his all to finish in fifth.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi, at his last race with the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team, finished 13th at the end of a weekend hindered also by some technical problems. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action in San Juan – Villicum (Argentina) for the penultimate round of the season, scheduled for October 12-14.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“It feels great to be back on the podium after a difficult few months. We had a tough summer with the double collarbone injury, but here we are, back on the box after a couple of races. Magny Cours is definitely not a friendly track for my kind of injury, because there are a couple of really hard braking areas followed by right-hand corners. The plan was to get a good start and drop the hammer for as long as I could, and we did that. We tried to make it a little bit difficult for Rea, hitting my marks and making sure that, if he tried to pass, he was on the limit just as much as I was. He made a few mistakes and I was able to cut back on the inside, but eventually he passed me and we lacked a bit of efficiency while turning and picking up the bike. We weren’t far off in the end anyway, so there’s a lot to be happy about. Now I’m really looking forward to Argentina.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 5th
“I’m a bit disappointed because, while trying to improve the bike under braking compared with Race 1, we unfortunately took a step back in terms of handling. I was struggling in direction changes and, to make up for that, I was forcing a lot with the front. After the mid-point of the race, the front grip decreased significantly and I couldn’t do more. It’s a shame because a podium was within our reach, but we look ahead and we’ll try to be back on the rostrum in Argentina.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #21) – 13th
“We did our best as always, but it’s been a below-par last round for us. Unfortunately we encountered some issues and we couldn’t really show our potential to finish on a high note. I’m sorry but I want to thank the team for giving me such a great opportunity to grow as a rider and as a person. Now we’ll recharge and continue preparing for the future.”
Serafino Foti, Team Manager
“After a difficult Race 1, today we managed to be more competitive with both our riders. Chaz rode a superb race, fighting the pain and pushing hard to finish very close to the winner. Marco encountered a bit more difficulties but gave his all as usual, taking home the best possible result. Now we head to Argentina, a new track, so it’ll be a very interesting round.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
#FrenchWorldSBK Day 3 – No easing off for the champion: Rea makes it a double in France
Eighth consecutive win for the KRT rider who matches best WorldSBK winning streak since 2006
No risks for Rea with the gold faring for Race Two
The champion is not taking an early vacation just yet: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) roared ahead to grab a phenomenal double at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship shut up shop for Round 11 and the European season. The Northern Irishman has now made it eight consecutive victories in a row, matching the best WorldSBK winning streak since Troy Bayliss did the same back in 2006.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from second on the grid and immediately grabbed the holeshot, powering away from Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), while Race Two polesitter Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) quickly fell down the order. But inside just half a lap Rea had already managed to climb into third position and set his sights on the race lead, eventually managing to outpace van der Mark at the Imola chicane in lap 3.
Davies leading, Rea in hot pursuit – the same scenario we’ve witnessed countless times across the years, and as recently as Race Two in Portimao. Even with an unassailable margin of points separating them in the standings, the pair fought as fiercely as ever. Rea singled out the Adelaide hairpin as the point to make his pass, but lap after lap the moment didn’t come, the Welshman forcing his Ducati in front on the exit every time, with the Kawasaki rider twice running in too hot. But then Davies opened the door in lap 12 through turn 9, and Rea emphatically put his foot in, flying into the race lead. With an open track ahead, the KRT rider was just too strong to match, with Davies crossing the line in second and van der Mark putting his R1 onto the podium again in third.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) couldn’t return to the rostrum after his P2 yesterday, but the move he put over Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with one lap on the clock did net him P4 in Race Two, with the Italian following behind and completing the top five.
Savadori managed to steady his pace after a few dubitative opening laps and claimed sixth place, closing off his best weekend of the season. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) crossed the line in seventh and saves some points from a mostly disappointing weekend, with Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) in eighth and as the top independent rider.
Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) returns to the top ten for the first time since his injury in July, leaving Magny-Cours with a P9, with hometown boy Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) closing out the top ten. Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) crossed the line in 11th, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 12th.
That’s a wrap in France! WorldSBK now leaves Europe behind until 2019, but there’s still two rounds more to come, Round 12 kicks off at the brand-new San Juan Circuit in Argentina in just two weeks’ time.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“It’s incredibly, absolutely unbelievable and I want to thank all my team for getting me here today. I made some smart choices on the opening lap, and then I had a little tussle with van der Mark which let Chaz get a bit further away, but once I got onto the back of him he was so difficult to pass as he rode a perfect race, but I picked my moment after a few failed attempts and then got my head down. It was unbelievable. I was really worried about using the gold fairings today and the team were pushing really hard, so I thought I’d use my gold helmet as well and it paid off. I’m going to forget today, think about yesterday and go out and party really, really hard tonight.”
P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was tough, very tough! I’m super happy and I knew it was possible to have a good rhythm at the start, but I needed to make a good start in itself, which I did and then put in a move at the first corner. Then I got my head down early to try and make a bit of a gap as I didn’t know how I was going to fair in the latter half of the race; I could see on my pit board that Jonny was closing but not overly quickly, and once he got side-by-side with me it was all about trying to make life as difficult as possible for him and hit my marks so that if he tried to overtake he’d run deep, which happened plenty of times. Once he got past I didn’t really have an answer for him, but overall I’m very happy for him as it’s been a long few months since Misano – it felt like we really earned this one.”
P3 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
“Really happy with today’s result as yesterday wasn’t so good. We changed a lot on the bike this morning but it didn’t feel so good, however for the race I got a really good start and was really aggressive; I thought my pace was good but Jonny and Chaz had a little bit extra. But anyway, I’m really happy to be on podium and hopefully next time out in Argentina we can be on the podium again.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Pro Racing:
European season complete for Triple M Honda World Superbike Team
French Round
Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours, France
The Triple M Honda World Superbike team finished the European rounds of what is a rookie season for both team and rider in the WorldSBK Championship with important lessons learned for the final two rounds of the year.
The challenges of the Magny-Cours circuit were new for the Triple M team and PJ Jacobsen, and after Friday practice, Jacobsen qualified 17th of 21 riders on the grid, after Superpole 1 on Saturday morning.
The opening race took place at 13.00, the Sunday race at the new normal of 15.15, with each lasting for 21-laps of the 4.411km circuit in the very heart of the French countryside.
Moving up to 15th position in race one, a position he held from lap three to lap six; PJ would eventually drop down one place to finish 16th, and just one position away from scoring a championship point.
The second race, held in only slightly warmer conditions, saw PJ ride behind his countryman Jake Gagne for a time, ending up 17th and again just missing a championship point.
After 11 of the 13 rounds, PJ sits 19th overall in the championship standings.
WorldSBK will hold the next round in Argentina for the very first time, at the all-new El Villicum circuit, between 12th and 14th October.
PJ Jacobsen 99
It has been quite difficult here but I am still trying every weekend. We have just got to keep moving forward and think positively. We have to keep doing our thing. It was quite a rough start but race two was OK. I still think we maybe picked the wrong tyre for race two. I liked the tyre I was on yesterday even though the gap was a bit more. With the changes we made for today we could have maybe been better with this tyre.
Manuel Cappelletti
Team Manager
It was not so bad this week but yesterday we struggled a bit with rear grip. Today the grip was not so bad; it is just that the tyre dropped after 15 laps. But the rhythm in the beginning was quite OK. It was the best of the weekend and we found something that worked well with this track. It is just sad that there was a drop with the tyre. We were close with Jake Gagne in the race and the rhythm was similar.
More, from a press release issued by Milwaukee Aprilia:
Race 2 at Magny-Cours yielded a double points finish for Milwaukee Aprilia
After finishing fourth in Race 1, his season-best result, Lorenzo started on pole position for Race 2. After a torrid time on Saturday Eugene aimed to make amends from P6.
A slow start saw Lorenzo drop to P6 on the first lap. A pass on Razgatlioglu who forced his way past at the start initially worked to regain P5, but opened the door for Sykes to push through and demote Lorenzo to sixth. His race then ebbed between closing the gap to Sykes ahead, before dropping back and managing the barrier to Fores and then Lowes behind. After a lonely final stage of the race Lorenzo held on to P6 across the finish line, earning 10 points and capping off a strong weekend for him after disappointing races in Misano and Portimao.
Eugene’s unfortunate run of pace this weekend continued on Sunday, losing out at the start to Rea, Sykes and Fores to end the first lap in P9. He held position until Lap 6 when Lowes passed, and dropped further back to P12 on Lap 11 after a mistake let Camier and Baz through. He eventually forced his way past Razgatlioglu in the closing stages, taking P11 with 7 hard-fought points.
After mixed fortunes this weekend, highlights including Lorenzo’s third place in qualifying and fourth place finish in Race 1, the team and the championship leave Europe for the last time in 2018 for South America. Round 12 takes place at the brand new and un-ridden Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina. Presenting a new challenge a clean slate for the entire grid, Milwaukee Aprilia will aim to build on the progress shown in recent rounds to reach the sharp end of the grid and finish the season in style.
Round 12 of the WorldSBK championship takes place at the Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina, 12-14 October.
Keep up to date with the Milwaukee Aprilia team on their website, and Facebook, Twitter & Instagram channels
Shaun Muir – Team Principal
“I think Lorenzo rode with the maturity that we need to see from him this weekend, so we should be happy with fourth and sixth for him at Magny-Cours. He’s been making steps forward and that shows, and he can go to Argentina now with confidence.
Eugene conversely really struggled this weekend, he didn’t find that ideal setup and he had issues with grip here in the front tyre. It wasn’t his best weekend, but he’s been building and improving on the bike and I have no doubt he will bounce back.
We will hopefully see another strong improvement for Argentina. We’ll start there afresh with both riders, and hopefully we can get them in the top six where they should be and finish the round on a high.”
Lorenzo Savadori #32 – Aprilia RSV4-RF
Race 2 grid: Pole position
Race 2 result: P6 – 10 points
Total weekend points: 23
“It wasn’t an easy race for me today. I lost too much time at the beginning when Razgatlioglu passed me and then I had to fight again. I closed the gap to Sykes and had a consistent pace, but it was difficult to close the front riders.
Compared to yesterday we made a few changes, some worked some not so much, but I didn’t have the pace and rhythm to attack Sykes and Melandri at the end unfortunatley, so P6 was the best we could do today.
For Argentina I hope we can continue with the good work we have done recently. None of us know what the track will be like, or the lines and the surface, so it will be interesting to learn.”
Eugene Laverty #50 – Aprilia RSV4-RF
Race 2 grid: P6 – Row 4
Race 2 result: P11 – 7 points
Total weekend points: 12
“Race 2 was so tough, yesterday was bad and this was no better. I had no rear grip for most of the race, the first three laps felt good and I thought we were on to something, but again it just disappeared completely.
I just want to put this round behind me and forget the struggle, honestly we didn’t learn a great deal and whenever we tried to make positive changes it just didn’t work.
I’m looking forward to Argentina; it’s a clean slate for everyone and a good chance to make some steps on equal ground. Qatar after that is a good track for me too so I’m just aiming to finish the season on a high note.”