Yamaha Revved up and Ready for the Last European WorldSBK Weekend in Magny-Cours
Setup
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK pairing of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark head into final European round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours this weekend with their sights set firmly on the podium, as they continue to dispute third place in the championship standings.
It was Lowes who held the advantage going into the Portimão weekend, only for the Briton, who celebrated his 29th birthday in the week after the Portuguese round, to be demoted to fourth place in the standings by van der Mark, who finished on the podium in WorldSBK Race 1. Lowes bounced back on Sunday, with a podium finish in the Superpole sprint race and a fourth place in WorldSBK Race 2 enough to see him reclaim third place in the standings with a five-point advantage over his teammate.
Van der Mark and Lowes have enjoyed success at Magny-Cours in the past, with the Dutchman finishing on the podium in France in every year except his rookie WorldSBK season, while the Briton joined his teammate on the podium in second place two years ago. Both Pata Yamaha riders head into this weekend determined to add to their podium tally, which currently stands at six for both, including a race win in Jerez for van der Mark.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri, are both looking forward to racing at Magny-Cours, a circuit that combines both fast and slow corners with a number of tricky chicanes. Cortese showed last time out in Portimão that he is now fully recovered from the injury sustained before the summer break, with the reigning Supersport World Champion racking up three top ten finishes in Portugal. Cortese is keen to build on these results this weekend in France, even though it will be his first time at Magny-Cours racing a Superbike.
Melandri bounced back from a difficult start to the Portimão weekend to pick up a top-ten finish in both WorldSBK feature races. The veteran Italian is keen to get back to work this weekend in France, at a track that he rates as difficult but well suited to his riding style and one at which he’s won races previously and been a regular podium presence.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Loris Baz can count on strong support in Magny-Cours this weekend, as he heads home to race in front of the French WorldSBK fans for the first time since returning to the championship in Jerez. Baz, who was unfortunate to crash on oil at last weekend’s Bol d’Or while leading on the YART YZF-R1, is confident he has the pace to challenge for a top-three finish in front of his home crowd in Magny-Cours.
The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is located in central France, 250km south of Paris. The track was originally built back in 1960 but has been revamped a number of times, most recently in 2003. It is 4.411km long, consists of 17 corners – nine rights and eight lefts – and has a start/finish straight just 250m in length. Most of the corners are modelled on famous turns from other tracks and bear the names of the circuits that inspired them.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to getting to Magny-Cours this weekend, for the final European round of the season before heading to the two overseas races in Argentina and Qatar. The weather has been a bit unpredictable in the past, and it looks like it’s going to be the same this weekend, but I’ve enjoyed some good results in all conditions there in the past. The goal this weekend is to challenge for the podium in all three races and give the French fans, who are always so enthusiastic and welcoming, something to cheer about.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I can’t quite believe we’re heading to the final European round at Magny-Cours this weekend, the season seems to have flown past! I like the track and I’ve had some decent results there in the past, so I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead. Top-three is the target, as I’m determined to return to the podium after a disappointing Race 2 in Portugal. Hopefully the notoriously changeable weather will be kind to us again this year!”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to heading to Magny-Cours, as it’s a great track. I’ve only raced there once before, last year on the Supersport bike, so it will be new to me on the Superbike. Hopefully the weather will be okay, at least for the two free practice sessions on Friday, to allow me to learn the track as quickly as possible. After a solid weekend last time out in Portimão I can’t wait to return to the track this weekend in France, where I hope I can do the same.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“Magny-Cours is a really nice track for me; very difficult and technical, with some fast corners, some slow corners and some chicanes that look very similar from the outside but require a very different approach. The weather is traditionally very unpredictable, and the grip can be the same, changing from corner to corner. I hope we can find a stable condition for the weekend, as I think this track will be better for me than Portimão and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“If there’s a positive to take from the Bol d’Or crash then it’s that it didn’t take as long to recover as it normally would after finishing a 24-hour race. It will be great racing in front of my home crowd in Magny-Cours, although we know from the Bol d’Or test that it will take a few laps in FP1 on Friday to get a feel for the WorldSBK specification R1 and the Pirelli tyres again. The plan for this weekend is the same as it was for Portimão, but we need to ensure we do better in qualifying than we did in Portugal. If we can do that and get a good start in the races, then I think we can fight for a podium finish. Of course, it’s Magny-Cours, so we also need to keep our fingers crossed for good weather, especially as the bad weather seems to be following me around at the moment!”