WSBK France

[Skub]

This weekend starts part 2 of the season at Magny-Cours.

Returning to Ducati in 2022 has seen Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) revitalise his aspirations and ambitions of becoming World Champion; leading the way by 31 points, Bautista hopes that his hand injury from Donington Park has gone, although at the recent Barcelona test, he stated that it wasn’t 100%. He’s never won at Magny-Cours, nor has he had a podium there, so will this be a weekend of damage limitation for the 37-year- old, or will he and the Ducati work well in 2022? Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi enjoyed a positive test in Barcelona but will have his future in the back of his mind coming into the round; just 14 points off fourth overall, will Rinaldi surprise in France?

MAGNIFICENT AT MAGNY-COURS: another Razgatlioglu vs Rea duel ahead

Giving chase in the standings is six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). He’s been majestic at Magny-Cours over the years, notching up nine wins, more than anyone else. Although he only won one last year – the Tissot Superpole Race following a race direction sanction for Toprak Razgatlioglu – Rea has still won five of the last seven races there and is keen to claw back the Championship lead. In 2019, the last time Bautista was aboard a Ducati, the points swing between the two was 38, with Rea taking the title in Race 2. Teammate Alex Lowes always features strongly at Magny-Cours and has been on the podium five times, with four coming since 2019. He’s yet to be a winner at the circuit though; could Lowes be the dark horse?

Whilst Jonathan Rea has the stats at Magny-Cours, reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) has the recent form and the poetic story. In 2014, as a wildcard in Superstock 600, he won after an incredible final lap battle, his first win in the WorldSBK paddock. Then, in 2019, from 16th on the grid, he blasted through to beat Rea in an epic final lap thriller in Race 1, his first WorldSBK win, before repeating it in the Superpole Race. A wet 2020 saw him off the podium but in 2021, he was back with a bang and two full-race victories. Can he do the triple at his favourite circuit in 2022? He has six wins in the last eight races and is 38 points behind Bautista. For teammate Andrea Locatelli, he’ll hope for a podium chance, having taken a third in Race 1 last year.

HONDA AND BMW: are they about to join the battle for regular podiums?

Team HRC are fresh from a positive test in Barcelona, with Iker Lecuona ready to get back in the chase for a top five overall in the Championship. A new chassis bracing and new swingarm are just some of the items that have been brought in recent rounds, confirmed and trialled further in testing and now ready to further improve results. For Lecuona, Magny-Cours is yet again a circuit he doesn’t know but after quick learning at Donington Park and Most, expect him to be strong come Saturday’s Race 1. For Xavi Vierge, he’s now got his future secured, remaining with Honda for 2023, meaning that he’ll have his mind relaxed and can now focus on a strong end to an injury-hit but impressive rookie season. He too hasn’t been to Magny-Cours, but with Honda enjoying a top six last year, a strong weekend awaits.

Over at BMW – like for Honda – it was a strong test in Barcelona which saw Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) work extensively on electronics and also a new Nissin braking system, whilst it was also the return of Michael van der Mark from injury. Redding is a race winner at Magny-Cours from Race 2 in 2020 in the wet but struggled in 2021, whilst with the BMW M1000RR, it will be a new challenge again, although the bike does work well at the circuit, with a top five achieved last year. That was achieved by van der Mark, who enjoys the Magny-Cours circuit with six podiums, all since 2016, missing out last year. Now the team is back at full strength, expect to see the BMWs make good ground on their rivals.

INDEPENDENT CHARGE: can anyone catch Bassani in the second half of 2022?

Leading the Independents, it’s Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), with the Italian continuing his quest for a factory seat, just 19 points behind Rinaldi. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) is in 11th place overall and aiming to have a home round to be proud of, whilst he’s ten points clear of Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who shows well at Magny-Cours. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) is next in 13th ahead of home-hero Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing); Mahias has three wins at the track (two in WorldSSP and one in STK1000). Behind them, the ever-improving Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team), who has had a back operation during the break following a long injury after a crash at Magny-Cours in 2021’s WorldSSP Race 2.

Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) gives chase behind the Independents ahead of him and hopes for a career-first top ten, whilst Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) gears up for his final French Round as a rider. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) has his sights on a first top ten of 2022, whilst fellow Yamaha rider Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) is keen to show strongly at home. Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) and teammate Leandro Mercado hope Magny-Cours is a turning point in their season, with Mercado coming from a difficult Barcelona test. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) continues his chase for first points whilst Oscar Gutierrez (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) will make his debut in WorldSBK.

[Yorick]

Can we have a short version?

[Skub]

This weekend starts part 2 of the season at Magny-Cours.

[wull]

Proper racing is back, well BSB is proper too.

Can’t wait for this, fingers crossed for good close racing with Toprak coming out on top.

[Skub]

Proper racing is back, well BSB is proper too.

Can’t wait for this, fingers crossed for good close racing with my hero JR coming out on top.

[wull]

Proper racing is back, well BSB is proper too.

Can’t wait for this, fingers crossed for good close racing with my hero JR coming out on top.

[Skub]

BSB Snetterton on this weekend too.

[wull]

I really hope JR goes well.

[Skub]

I really hope JR goes well.

You lying bastrid.

[weeksy]

Lowes leads the way as rain interrupts WorldSBK FP1 at Magny-Cours

The British rider was on top with all of the fast times coming from the opening five minutes before the rain came

The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action after the summer break as the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours welcomed back the stars of 2022. However, it was a wet start to the weekend, with a rain shower coming just five minutes into the session, seeing a pause in action that lasted for 20 minutes. Come the end of the session and relying on the times from earlier in the session, it was Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who led the way. Riders returned to the circuit for the final 15 minutes of action, getting a feel for the wet weather coupled with the Magny-Cours circuit.

Getting a fast time in before the rain started falling heavily, Alex Lowes topped the opening session of the day, with a 1’39.107 seeing him lead the way. Lowes has good podium form from the past two seasons with Kawasaki, as well as with Yamaha previously, and he hopes he can return to the rostrum again. Second place was the top Ducati of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), just over a quarter of a second behind Lowes, and he crashed at Turn 5 in the wet conditions before the pause in action; he was the first rider back out on track. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), four-times a winner at Magny-Cours in WorldSBK, clinched third, whilst Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) completed the top five but suffered a late fall at Turn 5 with 3 minutes to go in the wet conditions.

[weeksy]

1 22 A. LOWES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1'39.107 11 160,227 282,0
2 21 M. RINALDI ITA Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 1'39.377 0.270 0.270 14 159,792 285,7
3 1 T. RAZGATLIOGLU TUR Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.433 0.326 0.056 11 159,702 285,7
4 19 A. BAUTISTA ESP Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 1'40.106 0.999 0.673 13 158,628 291,9
5 55 A. LOCATELLI ITA Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 1'40.425 1.318 0.319 9 158,124 281,3
6 47 A. BASSANI ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4R IND 1'40.745 1.638 0.320 8 157,622 279,1
7 5 P. OETTL GER Team Goeleven Ducati Panigale V4R IND 1'41.220 2.113 0.475 7 156,882 279,8
8 97 X. VIERGE ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 1'41.254 2.147 0.034 11 156,829 285,0
9 45 S. REDDING GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000RR 1'41.432 2.325 0.178 9 156,554 285,0
10 29 L. BERNARDI SMR BARNI Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R IND 1'42.056 2.949 0.624 10 155,597 276,2
11 7 I. LECUONA ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 1'42.605 3.498 0.549 10 154,764 270,7
12 3 K. NOZANE JPN GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 1'42.930 3.823 0.325 10 154,276 276,9
13 60 M. VAN DER MARK NED BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000RR 1'43.305 4.198 0.375 3 153,716 283,5
----------------- Out 105% in this Session -----------------
14 99 O. GUTIERREZ ESP TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 1'44.107 5.000 0.802 10 152,532 276,2
15 36 L. MERCADO ARG MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 1'44.687 5.580 0.580 9 151,686 278,4
16 52 O. KONIG CZE Orelac Racing Verdnatura Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 1'45.761 6.654 1.074 12 150,146 279,8
17 23 C. PONSSON FRA Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha Yamaha YZF R1 IND 1'47.216 8.109 1.455 2 148,108 276,2
18 2 R. TAMBURINI ITA Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 1'48.658 9.551 1.442 12 146,143 247,1
19 65 J. REA GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1'50.854 11.747 2.196 10 143,248 288,8
20 44 L. MAHIAS FRA Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 1'55.974 16.867 5.120 6 136,924 252,3
21 35 H. SYAHRIN MAS MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 1'56.204 17.097 0.230 11 136,653 279,8
22 31 G. GERLOFF USA GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 1 278,4
23 50 E. LAVERTY IRL Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000RR IND 0 248,8
24 76 L. BAZ FRA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000RR IND 0 243,2

[weeksy]

FP2 times below.

POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME
1 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 1:49.379s
2 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +1.028s
3 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +1.639s
4 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +1.739s
5 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +2.014s
6 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +2.376s
7 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +2.827s
8 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +3.044s
9 Michael Van Der Mark SPA BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +3.108s
10 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +3.159s
11 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +3.173s
12 Lucas Mahias FRA Puccetti Kawasaki +3.208s
13 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +3.410s
14 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +3.514s
15 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +3.691s
16 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +3.721s
17 Hafizh Syahrin MAL MIE Honda Racing +3.773s
18 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati +4.146s
19 Oscar Gutierrez SPA Pedercini Kawasaki +4.382s
20 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Motor Sport Yamaha +5.462s
21 Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW +5.646s
22 Roberto Tamburini ITA Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team +6.025s
23 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki +6.486s
24 Luca Bernardi SM Barni Spark Ducati Team +9.362s

[ChrisW]

Being reported that Gardner has signed with GRT Yam for WSBK next year

"After losing his MotoGP spot with KTM, last year's Moto2 World Champion Remy Gardner has to reorient himself. In the coming days he will sign with GRT Yamaha for the 2023 Superbike World Championship. "

https://www.speedweek.com/sbk/news/1978 ... rdner.html

[Skub]

The K team have that thing well sorted if there's any wet races. Rea looked untouchable.

It's supposed to be dry on Sunday at least.

[ChrisW]

Odd little crash for Rea at the end there.

[ChrisW]

Identical times for the top two.

[Yorick]

Chuffed for Redding

[Yorick]

Go Scotty

[ChrisW]

Well...

[Skub]

Toprak and JR really are Bautista's bitches now.