WorldSBK/SSP/SSP300 Friday wrap from Magny-Cours

2022 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Seven – Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France

The return to competitive action for the FIM Superbike World Championship, after the long summer break, saw Alex Lowes (KRT) top the timesheets on the opening day at Magny Cours.

The opening FP1 session saw spots of rain fall and then even heavier rains appear soon after the session had got under way. This left some riders with an early dry lap time to their name and others with a Friday personal best only set in the slower wet conditions.

Rains continued for a time in FP2 in the afternoon, with another disruption when a red flag stopped the session. A crashed machine had left some debris on the track surface, making conditions unsafe and causing a short delay before FP2 could be concluded.

After FP2 was complete Rea was the fastest rider in that session, riding confidently in the slippery conditions. Lowes was a strong third quickest, proving his pace in both dry and wet conditions.

A recent mid-season Barcelona – Catalunya test session for both Alex and Jonathan played its part in the arrival of some set-up improvements, particularly in the case of Lowes, who ended day one fastest of all in France.

Jonathan Rea

“On my out lap this morning I felt it OK then during the first chrono I started to get spots on my visor. Then the rain kept coming, so it is how it is. In the wet conditions this morning it was a bit wetter than it finished this afternoon in FP2. I felt good in the full wet. In the afternoon we went to work on a drying track/wet set-up because in 2020 I got caught out with a dry line appearing but getting no drive out of the corners. I felt we made a good improvement. It would have been good to get a dry session today, given the weekend is going to be dry. FP3 could be a very important session tomorrow morning.”

Alex Lowes

“I am not worried about being fastest as everybody got a couple of dry laps this morning. I am always good at getting down to pace quite quickly. I was more happy with my pace in the rain; I felt really good on the bike in the rain. We have improved the rear of the bike at the last test, trying to get more grip in the dry and that has transferred over to the rain too. I am happy with the first day while understanding that it was a bit strange with the weather. Hopefully we will have a bit more consistent weather for Saturday. But the initial feeling here with the bike is good.”

Whilst the factory riders and teams were scattered throughout the order, there was plenty of reason to smile inside the top ten for the Independent riders.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) led the majority of the session before being pushed back to second, the only rider (apart from Rea) to lap in the 1’50s, of which Rea got down to a 1’49.379. Bassani was second ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), with the American sixth, although he crashed with a highside on the exit of Turn 12, resulting in a red flag for debris. His team-mate, Kohta Nozane, had his strongest Friday of the year and was eighth in the wet afternoon session.

Garrett Gerloff

“The crash felt quite big, but thankfully I’m fine! I thought there was no way we were going to be back on track, but the team did an unreal job and we managed to end the session inside the top six. In the morning I had one lap in dry conditions, but here you never know what will happen with the weather. I actually felt good on that single lap and didn’t feel bad in the wet, so we’re ready.”

Kohta Nozane

“Not a bad way to start the weekend, our Friday was a consistent one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do too many laps in dry conditions in FP1 and the afternoon session was completely wet. I didn’t feel too bad in the rain, the tyres felt good and the pace was OK. We’ll try to be ready tomorrow for any condition and have a strong Tissot Superpole and Race 1.”

In the factory Ducati camp, it was a mixed day as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished fourth overall after one dry run but he was also fast in the wet track conditions. However, his day didn’t end in the best way as he crashed at Turn 15 in the tricky conditions. Despite a wing flying off the Ducati, the Championship leader was back up on his feet and rode back to the pits, before returning to the circuit, albeit without his right front winglet.

Alvaro Bautista

“I can say it was a positive day, both because we got back to work on the bike and above all because from a physical point of view, I felt comfortable straight away. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but we have to be ready for all situations. The crash? Nothing serious and no consequences for me or the bike“.

For Michael Ruben Rinaldi, he crashed at Turn 5 when the rain started falling in FP1, before he was up inside the top five in the wet conditions in the afternoon.

Michael Rinaldi

“It was a peculiar Friday. This morning we only had two dry laps then it started raining. We weren’t able to collect much data but we’re all in the same condition. We’ll try again tomorrow, hoping for weather conditions that allow us to work in one direction”.

For BMW, it was a solid opening day despite tricky conditions with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) taking seventh at the end of FP2. Redding was just half a second from a top six placing in the wet and will hope that if the weather is tricky in the races, the valuable 17 laps from FP2 will put him in a good place to make the most of the M1000RR package.

It was a welcome return for his team-mate Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with the Dutchman making his second comeback from injury this year and placing ninth, with both factory BMW riders in the top ten in the wet conditions.

The rider in form and one of the fastest around the Magny-Cours circuit, reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was fast in the morning to finish third overall, but in the wet he was also on the pace. Building up slowly from 18th after his first flying laps, he was inside the top eight before ultimately finishing in tenth at the end of the session.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“Today we ride just the wet conditions and this morning it was not bad, and this afternoon we try to improve. Every time I am learning and improving in the wet! For some things we could improve in FP2 but the rear grip is still the same – we see the problem in the data and we can make this better. It looks like tomorrow morning we will also have some rain, we will try again to improve the set-up and now my feeling is we are nearly ready to race in the wet! But I hope this weekend we have dry conditions and we will try again for three wins. I’m not looking so much at the weather, I am just waiting to race now!”

Pata Yamaha team-mate Andrea Locatelli had an eventful day, with the Italian going down in the closing stages of FP1 in the morning, before securing 11th in the wet afternoon.

Andrea Locatelli

“It was a strange day, we did just three laps in the dry conditions and then it started to rain and we waited a bit in FP1 to see if it would stop. The feeling was great immediately in the dry conditions but to be honest in the wet it was not so good – but, in FP2 we understood something more and we understand what we want to do on the bike if it’s raining again. I wanted to ride and enjoy the dry track today but unfortunately it was wet, so we hope for the good weather because we have a good set-up and a good reference for me here in the dry conditions. In any case wet or dry, we will fine tune the set-up try to stay closer with the front guys and try to get the maximum.”

At Team HRC, it was a day of discovery as Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge took to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the first time in their careers. Having been going strong earlier in the wet afternoon session, come the end of it, Lecuona took 13th, gaining valuable track time, although he’ll hope for a fair crack at the action in dry conditions throughout the remainder of the Pirelli French Round.

Iker Lecuona

“A tough day for us today. Firstly, because it’s not ideal to have to learn a new track in this kind of weather of course. We completed exactly one and a half laps in the dry today. This morning a deluge came just minutes after the green lights signaled the start of the session. After spending some time in the garage waiting for conditions to improve a little, we put in wet tyres and went out to try and get as much info as possible. But the feeling never really came, despite some progress on our final run. This afternoon, we again struggled to find good feeling in the wet and I can only imagine that it will be even tougher in the dry unless we come up with a useful setting solution. We’ll work hard on this of course and see what tomorrow brings.”

Xavi Vierge finished in 16th but with over 30 laps set in the FP2 conditions alone, valuable data has been garnered for the pairing moving onto the two race days that lie ahead.

Xavi Vierge

“Not the best day on which to return after the summer break or get to grips with a new track. I was able to complete just two laps in more or less dry conditions in this morning’s FP1 and then we had to spend the rest of the day working with a rain setup. We have quite a lot of work to do in this regard, as we haven’t had many opportunities to test in the rain. We made a few steps with the bike throughout the sessions, so we can say it’s been a constructive day, but we need more. Let’s see how the weather is tomorrow and, either way, we’ll try to be as ready as we can be for Race 1.”

Amongst the Hondas were the next two Independent riders were both home heroes, as Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) took 12th, whilst Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was 14th.

The 4.411km long Magny Cours circuit is expected to feature dry conditions for FP3, Superpole Qualifying and then Race One on Saturday, with the potential for even greater improvement in time for Sunday’s two races.

WorldSBK Friday Practice Results

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP600 Friday Practice

Weather played havoc with the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, with track conditions constantly improving throughout the 45-minute session, while a red flag also briefly stopped the session. In the end, it was wildcard rider and home hero Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) who took top spot in Free Practice 2 by just 0.023s as he ended the day quickest.

A rain shower during the second WorldSBK practice session left the track damp despite starting to dry out before WorldSSP hit the track, which meant times at the start of the session were well off the pace. However, as the 45-minute session progressed, the times started to tumble and French rider Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) took full advantage to post the fastest of the day with a 1’41.776s, although there was little to separate him and the chasing pack.

Debise’s time was just 0.023s clear of Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) who finished in second place on a strong day for the Italian rider, with Caricasulo just a tenth ahead of Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). Aegerter spend a good portion of the session in the garage but took to the track with the circuit at its driest during the session to move into third place after setting a 1’41.915s.

Despite the difficult conditions on track, Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) finished as the fastest Kawasaki rider as he took fourth place, just three tenths off Debise’s pace. He was less than a tenth clear of Nicolo Buelga (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in fifth place while Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), who recently announced his retirement at the end of the season, also had a strong day as he took sixth spot in FP2.

Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Dynavolt Triumph), who took his first WorldSSP podiums at this circuit in 2020, took seventh spot with just 0.006s separating him and Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in eighth, with the Finn posting a 1’42.580s in the second practice session. Home rider Andy Verdoia (GMT94 Yamaha) took ninth place just ahead of Kyle Smith (VFT Racing), with Smith rounding out the top ten although he did lead at times during the session.

Turkish star Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed 11th spot during FP2 ahead of Italian duo Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP) and Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) in 12th and 13th place respectively. Hungary’s Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) finished 14th as he separated Manzi from compatriot Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Montella’s session was disrupted by a Turn 9 crash around halfway through the session.

Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP) crashed at Turn 9 in the early part of the second half of the session, with the track conditions at Turn 9 required a brief red flag period with a little over 10 minutes to go to allow marshals to clear up gravel and debris. Booth-Amos had a second crash at Turn 3 when he hit a wet patch on track and lost the front of his Kawasaki machine. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Even Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) also had a disrupted session as he crashed at Turn 2 in the latter stages of the session, with the Italian ending the session in 27th place.

After their respective crashes in Free Practice 1, wildcard Matthieu Gregorio (GMT94 Yamaha) and Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) were declared unfit. Gregorio suffered a right wrist contusion and has functional impairment, while Brenner fractured his fourth metacarpal bone on his left foot.

Oli Bayliss had a technical glitch affect his FP1 but picked up pace throughout FP2 to finish day one in P17.

Oli Bayliss – P17

“Today was quite a good day all in all. In the first session, we had a small problem and so I could only complete a few laps on a track that was half wet, half dry. In the second session, the first half was wet and I was able to find good feeling and then the track fully dried out, conditions in which we have a good setting. My last lap would have been my fastest, but I ran long through the last sector, at turn 15. Overall, a good first day and I think we can be fast tomorrow.”

Countryman Ben Currie was P22 in what was a 32 rider field.

WorldSSP600 Friday Practice Results

WorldSSP600 Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Friday Practice

Friday’s action for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was a dramatic affair at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the Pirelli French Round, with difficult track conditions providing challenges as lap times improved throughout the second 30-minute session of the day, with most of the field setting their best lap time in Free Practice 1. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) topped both sessions as he started the weekend in perfect fashion as he looks to add to his win tally.

The first times in the session were around 14 seconds slower than in Free Practice 1, but the times tumbled as the 30-minute session progressed with them around a second slower than this morning. Steeman’s time of 1’53.262s was the fastest of the day, set in Free Practice 1, with only four riders improving their time in Free Practice 2. German rider Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed second spot ahead of Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) in the combined classification for the day.

Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) finished the day in fourth place with a 1’54.546s, as well as finishing third in FP2, while Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) claimed fifth spot, just 0.020s behind Okaya. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) was sixth as he ensured all three manufacturers were represented in the top six.

Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) claimed seventh spot in the combined classification but his FP2 session was disrupted by a crash at Turn 5 in the early stages of the 30-minute session. He was less than a tenth ahead of 2017 Champion Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) in eighth place, with Garcia leading a Spanish trio that rounded out the top ten. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Kawasaki) claimed ninth spot ahead of Jose Luis Perez Gonzales (Accolade Smrz Racing) in tenth; Perez Gonzales had a crash in FP1 at Turn 13.

Only four riders of the 32-strong field were able to improve their time in FP2. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing), 15th in the combined classification, improved by around a tenth of a second, as did Alex Millan (SMW Racing) in 17th.

Harry Khouri (Team#109 Kawasaki) found three-tenths between FP1 and FP2 despite the tricky conditions, claiming 28th place, while Greek rider Ioannis Peristeras (ProGP Racing) found nearly a second as he claimed 31st place.

Free Practice 2 got off to a dramatic start for Italian rider Marco Gaggi (Vinales Racing Team) had a crash at Turn 5, with Gaggi taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. He was later declared unfit with a suspected left shoulder dislocation and suspected hill sachs injury, as well as a left shoulder impairment.

Championship leader Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) finished 16th in the combined classification, though was 10th in FP2.

WorldSSP300 Friday Practice Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

Magny-Cours WorldSBK Schedule
Times in AEST

2022 WorldSBK Calendar