WorldSSP: French homecoming

Mahias prepares for his home battle as the championship fight continues

As the FIM Supersport World Championship title fight heats up, the Pirelli French Round will hold even more importance for Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), as he prepares to ride in front of his home crowd with the battle intensifying. Fans were treated to a stunning battle last time out in Portimao, and with the WorldSSP action returning to Circuit de Nevers Magny Cours, it promises to be an adrenaline fuelled weekend of action.

28 year old Lucas Mahias has put up a strong fight to the reigning champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) so far this season, and lost clinch of the world championship lead two weeks ago after he held his own in a strong battle in Portugal. Taking a stunning victory around the French circuit last season on board a Yamaha in the STK1000 class, the French rider also took home a WorldSSP trophy in 2015, so with the home advantage he will be a force to be reckoned with. Sitting just four points behind Sofuoglu in the championship standings, anything can happen in WorldSSP and Magny-Cours is the perfect setting for the drama.

After a tough start to the season, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) has stepped up to the plate and is doing what he does best – win races. The five time WorldSSP champion is gunning for his sixth title and with a four point lead and a dazzling display of pure determination in Portugal, he will be a hard force to be reckoned with. However the Turkish rider will be hoping to improve on last season’s result as he was unable to score points in France after crashing out of the lead. But despite this he has only been off the podium on one occasion out of all seven races he has finished at Magny-Cours. If 2017 has taught fans one thing, it’s to never count Sofuoglu out.

Home hero Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) has won every WorldSSP race he has entered around Magny-Cours, but has been unable to secure a victory so far in 2017. Still in with a chance of battling for the title with three rounds remaining, the 28 year old sits 41 points behind Sofuoglu as he heads home. With four podium finishes so far this season, Cluzel could be in a strong position for spoiling some parties throughout the weekend.

Follow the WorldSSP action with the WorldSBK VideoPass as the battle for the championship continues, and see how the local fans cheer on their heroes. All action begins from Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours from 29th September to 1st October. 

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Three To Go For WorldSSP Leader Sofuoglu

Round ten of the 2017 WorldSSP championship will take place this coming weekend at Magny Cours in France with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Kenan Sofuoglu leading the championship points table for the first time. Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) is looking to score strongly and enhance his overall championship position.

Having won five of the previous six races and finishing second in the other, Sofuoglu has overcome his unlucky start to the season in peerless fashion and took the points lead for the first time at the recent Portuguese round.

Kenan, a five-time world champion and 43-time race winner in this class, is now four points ahead of his nearest rival Lucas Mahias. Sofuoglu has been on the podium six times before in France, with two of those visits being to collect a winner’s trophy.

Young British rider Kyle Ryde will continue to try to work his way back to the kind of early season form he displayed in finishing fourth in the opening round in Australia, and then fifth at the subsequent event in Buriram, Thailand.

Qualifying well is Kyle’s first goal at Magny Cours, to enable him to run inside the leading group in the early laps. He is currently tenth in the championship rankings and aims for a top ten race finish at least this weekend.

Given the location of Magny Cours in the centre of France the well-attended race meeting can sometimes be affected by changeable Autumnal weather, but little can dampen the enthusiasm of the local fans, no matter the conditions.

After Magny Cours two more well-known WorldSSP championship circuits, Jerez and Losail, will host the final dramas of this intense and exciting 12-round season.

Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “Now we are approaching the end of the season and this is the most exciting time of year. The championship right now is very close, and we are leading it, but it does not mean so much to me until we get the title. Now all my focus is on Magny Cours and I will try my best to win the race. There are only three races left and I am just planning to do my best. In the end, if we get the title, that is my bonus but my goal is to win the races. It is still the same goal and still the same plan as every race so far. Magny Cours is normally a good track for Kawasaki. It has smooth parts and very hard braking areas, which is good for my bike. Now I am just waiting to get started.”

Kyle Ryde, stated: “I am looking forward to the weekend, even if the weather forecast says it is probably going to be wet. This weekend is all or nothing for me. I have to do a good job. Looking back at the last race it was a shame that I crashed while in a good position in Portugal but I like the track at Magny Cours. I finished 12th there last year so this time I am looking at a top ten finish.”

Michael Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) arrives in France in 15th place overall, with Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) two places behind.

Part-time ESS rider Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) is now 19th overall, Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 21st.

Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) holds 27th place, Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) is 28th and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) lies 34th.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

GRT Yamaha Focused & Ready for Magny-Cours

The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team are excited and ready for round ten of the 2017 FIM Supersport World Championship in Magny-Cours, France this weekend, buoyed by the news they have secured both of their riders for the 2018 season. Lucas Mahias is second in the championship standings, trailing the leader by just four points with three races left to go, and is looking forward to taking the fight to his rivals at his home round. His teammate Federico Caricasulo is hoping to continue the impressive pace he has shown throughout the season and is ready for whatever weather conditions the weekend has in store.

Yamaha Motor Europe and the GRT team earlier announced the both Mahias and Caricasulo will be staying with the team for the 2018 season and that the GRT squad would remain as the officially supported Yamaha team for 2018.

Mahias has shown incredible consistency this season, highlighted at the last round in Portimao where he crossed the line in second to record his seventh podium of the season, although he lost his championship lead to race-winner Kenan Sofuoglu in the process. The 28-year-old French rider has led the way in the championship since his round 3 victory at Aragon but now sits second in the overall standings, trailing Sofuoglu by four points with just three races left in the season. The former French Supersport Champion has good memories of the Magny-Cours circuit, having finished third at the track on a Yamaha in the 2015 WorldSSP race and winning last year’s STK1000 race. With the championship battle so close, Mahias knows the importance of a good result at his home round in Magny-Cours and is determined to fight for the win in front of the passionate French support and retake his championship lead.

Caricasulo showed good pace all weekend in Portimao but finished in seventh after making the wrong tyre choice. Determined to bounce back and build on the undoubted pace he has shown this year – highlighted by his stunning victory in Thailand – the 21-year-old is keen to get back on track in France with his Yamaha R6 having recorded a top-six finish at the circuit last year. Caricasulo knows that the weather can play a big role in how things play out at Magny-Cours, but is confident that no matter what the conditions he can be competitive around the French circuit. He currently lies sixth in the WorldSSP Championship standings with 60 points, just 19 points behind PJ Jacobsen in fifth.

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 right and eight left-handed – and has a start/finish straight of just 250m. Most of the corners are modelled on famous turns from other tracks, with the corners bearing the track names that inspired them, and it comprises of a mix of slow, technical hairpins and high-speed chicanes, with hardly any elevation changes.

The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team take to the track on Friday morning at 11:00 am local time for Free Practice 1, with Saturday’s qualifying starting at 14:00 pm and Sunday’s race at 11:30 am.

Lucas Mahias

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team – 2nd – 141 points

“I like Magny-Cours a lot, not so much for the layout of the track, but because it is my home race and I have a very good record there! The circuit has lots of chicanes, which are more suited to cars and on a bike, it is not as much fun, although there are a few corners which I really like and the fast sections of the track are incredible. They are really exciting to ride on the R6. The track tends to lead to some excellent battles during the race, but the grip levels suffer when it is wet, so I hope the sun will be out this weekend. I am excited to be racing in front of my fans and I will do my best to fight for the win!”

Federico Caricasulo

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team – 6th – 60 points

“I am ready for Magny-Cours! I like the track, but it is one of those circuits where the weather can play a big part in things. That never makes it easy, but we are confident we can be competitive in any conditions. We will work hard from Friday’s FP1 to try and get a good feeling with the bike, as that can be crucial at this circuit. I am looking forward to getting back on track and, as always, I will try to fight for the podium.”

Filippo Conti

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team Manager

“I am very happy to have extended the contracts for both riders for next year and this means we can go to Magny-Cours completely focused on this race. We have high expectations for Lucas here at his home race and we hope to get an important result for the championship. Lucas knows the track well, he has always been very fast here and we will work hard to make sure we give him the best package possible. It is his home race and while that can distract some riders, he is very professional and I think it will be a boost for him to ride in front of his fans. For Federico, it is important for him to reach the best performance he can at every track for the rest of the season and we will try and get the best result possible. He is excited to race here and, after a disappointing race in Portimao, the whole team will be working hard to get him back on the podium where he belongs. The weather looks quite mixed for the weekend, but we are ready for whatever happens!”