Razgatlioglu takes WorldSBK Championship lead at Magny-Cours

WorldSBK Race 1: Razgatlioglu romps home to break deadlock at the top

Dramatic racing, incredible battles and more featured throughout Race 1 at the French Round

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) has broken the deadlock with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the top of the championship leader board, scoring victory with an impressive performance of pace and consistency to win the 21-lap race one at France’s Magny-Cours cicuit by more than four seconds. The young Pata rider has gained a five-point swing over Rea in the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with further round points up for grabs with two races on the Sunday agenda. Meanwhile title rival Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) endured a difficult Saturday in France as he finished 12th in race on, and trails the lead duo by more than 50 points.

THE TOP TWO BATTLE IT OUT IN THE EARLY STAGES

Razgatlioglu got a good start and took the lead through turn one but soon found himself shuffled back thanks to the run down to the turn five hairpin of Adelaide. He responded when Rea took the lead and made a move on lap four at Adelaide to reclaim the lead of the race before he was able to pull out enough of a gap to keep Rea at arm’s length.
Rea was able to respond as the laps progressed, closing the gap to just a couple of tenths but could not make a move stick before Razgatlioglu extended his lead out in front to more than a second ahead of Rea, holding on to secure his second victory in a row following on from his win in race two at Navarra. Rea’s second place extends his winless drought to seven races since he won at Assen in race two. Razgatlioglu showed remarkable consistent pace throughout the 21-lap encounter, always lapping in the 1’37s bracket and he also becomes the first Yamaha rider to take 18 podiums in a single season.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed his third podium in WorldSBK with third place after he got a good start to the race to move up the field from fifth place, before battling the even faster-starting Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for fourth place; eventually passing the Italian at turn five on lap 12. He then gained a position on lap 17 when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at turn eight on lap 17, forcing the British rider out of the race. It meant Locatelli was able to claim third place with Rinaldi being promoted to fourth

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN

Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed fifth place after battling from ninth on the grid, with the Dutchman enduring a difficult morning with no running in free practice 3. He finished two seconds clear of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) in sixth place as all five manufacturers were represented in the top six.
There was a stunning battle for seventh place during the race between numerous riders which came down to the final chicane. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) came home in seventh place with rookie Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finishing eighth and ninth. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) rounded out the top ten after starting inside the top six as the British rider fell back throughout the latter stages of the race.

TAKING POINTS

American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed 11th place, behind the incredible toussle for seventh place, just two tenths away from Haslam. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from eighth place and was unable to fight his way through the field as he fell back down through the order to take 12th place despite a lap 19 crash as he looked to make a move on Sykes at turn 13; Redding making no contact with Sykes but coming off his bike before he re-joined the race. Local rider Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) was 13th at his home round as he claimed more points for his campaign, finishing less than a second ahead of Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team), with Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounding out the points.

TO NOTE

Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) had a difficult race but came home in 16th place while Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) had a battle for 17th place that went down to the line; the duo separated by just 0.082s as Nozane beat Cresson. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was the only other retirement apart from Lowes after he crashed out turn 13 in the early stages of the race.

WorldSBK Race 1 Podium

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.467s
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +10.285s

Toprak Razgatlioglu: “For me, a very good race. I want to thank my team for an incredible job this weekend, we improve the bike a lot. I like this track and on Friday, we did a race simulation and I focused on consistent lap times. When I passed Jonny today, I tried to do consistent lap times, and I won the race.”

Tissot Superpole Race: LATE DRAMA – Rea claims Superpole Race victory after Razgatlioglu penalised

The battle raged on between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea as the race victor was decided on the final lap

With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heading to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the Motul French Round, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was the victor after a late penalty for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) for a track limits infringement on the final lap, with the pair battling it out throughout the 10-lap race.

THE TOP THREE…

Rea and Razgatlioglu lead the way from the start with Razgatlioglu taking the lead of the race on the second lap of 10 at the Turn 5 Adelaide hairpin. Rea was able to keep Razgatlioglu under pressure throughout the ten laps and this paid off into the Imola chicane on the final lap as Rea made a move for the lead on the final lap. Rea’s lead lasted just a few seconds, though, as Razgatlioglu responded almost instantly as he got up the inside of Turn 15 to take the lead. However, Razgatlioglu was deemed to have exceeded track limits at Turn 10 on the final lap meaning he was demoted one place by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards for the infringement.

Despite their battle throughout the entire race, the duo were able to pull away from third-placed Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who took his first podium since Donington Park, securing a front row start for this afternoon’s Race 2. Lowes had to battle with Italian rookie Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) with the British rider coming out on top.

RACE 2’S SECOND ROW

Locatelli will lead away the second row for Race 2 after finishing in fourth place, while Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was able to bounce back from a difficult Saturday to claim fifth place in the Superpole Race meaning he will start from fifth place in Race 2 as he looks to get back on the podium. He will start alongside his 2022 teammate, Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with the Dutchman claiming sixth in the Superpole Race.

STARTING FROM THE THIRD ROW

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) will line up in seventh place in Race 2 after battling back to finish seventh in the Superpole Race, alongside Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) and Leon Haslam (Team HRC), with all five manufacturers starting from inside the top nine in the afternoon’s Race 2.

Tissot Superpole Race Podium

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.148s
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.634s

WorldSBK Race 2: Razgatlioglu battles to hard-fought Race 2 victory in Magny-Cours masterclass

Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed three wins out of two at the French Round after another hard-fought victory in Race 2 at Magny-Cours

Race 2 for the Motul French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours gave Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) his second win of the weekend to extend his Championship lead over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). A race that saw their rivalry ignite was relentless from the start, with the two putting on a spectacular show clear of the opposition.

THREE-WAY FIGHT AT THE FRONT

Razgatlioglu got the better start from pole position and initially held the lead of the race but used a wider line through the long right-hander of Estoril, allowing Rea to sneak up the inside to take the lead. On the run down to Turn 5, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) wanted to get involved in the lead battle but Razgatlioglu and Rea were able to keep him at arm’s length.

Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was running in third from the early stages of the race after jumping up from the second row of the grid as he claimed his first podium of the weekend after a challenging weekend for the British rider. Third place for Redding meant he lost ground in the Championship to leader Razgatlioglu, while Rea also gained on Redding in the standings.

The race-winning move came on Lap 11 after an incredible two laps of battling between Razgatlioglu and Rea with the Turkish star overtaking Rea into the Turn 5 hairpin of Adelaide on Lap 10 before the six-time Champion responded into the Imola chicane. Rea retained the lead of the race for just another lap before Razgatlioglu was able to pass Rea again into Adelaide. The pair battled it out throughout the race before Rea settled for second after making a save in the closing stages of the race.

TAKING HOME A TOP TEN FINISH

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed fourth place after another strong weekend for the Italian rookie, finishing two seconds behind Redding at the end of the race. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) claimed a top five finish for his first since Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen, with Davies and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) both putting pressure on Locatelli for fourth place.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was seventh, around two seconds back from Bautista, with Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in eighth. Dutchman van der Mark had been running in the top four but a scary incident with Locatelli on the start-finish straight meant he lost time and positions and was unable to respond to get back to the front of the group. He faced let pressure from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) for eighth but held on with the American in ninth, with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten.

COMPLETING THE POINTS

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his strong form with 11th place although the Italian rider did lose time to the group ahead, with Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) claiming 12th place for a strong result in front of his home fans. He battled throughout the race with compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) directly behind Ponsson.

Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed his best result of the French Round with 14th place and two points, with Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) completing the points. Rabat had got ahead of the Ponsson-Mahias battle but fell back in the latter stages of the race.

TO NOTE

Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) claimed 16th place, missing out on a point by just over a second, while Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was two seconds back in 17th place. Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was the last of the classified runners in 18th place.

Despite a strong start to the race, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed out of the race in the early stages of the race with an accident on the entry of the Nurburgring chicane, with Lowes retiring from the race. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) had an accident at the same corner shortly after, forcing the Honda rider out of the race.

WorldSBK Race 2 Podium

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.908s
Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.406s

WorldSBK Championship Standings After Round 8

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 370 points
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 363 points
Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 298 points

WorldSSP Race 1: Aegerter claims win in shortened WorldSSP Race 1 as Odendaal battles back for second

A dramatic Race 1 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours ended with the Swiss rider extending his lead at the top of the Championship

The opening race of the FIM Supersport World Championship was full of drama after a restart caused by a Red Flag shortened the race to 12 laps, with Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claiming victory in Race 1 for the Motul French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, extending his lead in the Championship to 52 points over nearest rival Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

The original race of 19 laps was Red Flagged on the opening lap after an incident involving Michel Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti), with the Italian coming off his bike before his Kawasaki machine went barrel rolling on the grass. With the amount of damage to his bike, the decision was made to Red Flag the race, with Race 1 restarted after with a 12-lap distance. Fabrizio was taken to the medical centre for check-p following the incident, before being declared unfit with multiple contusions and abrasions. The restarted race also gave Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) a second chance after his MV machine suffered a technical issue on the opening lap, but he was able to join the restarted race.

START OF THE RACE AND PODIUM BATTLE

Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) was unable to keep the lead from the start as Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) jumped the Sammarinese rider into Turn 1, with Bernardi falling to fifth before he started to fight his way back through the field. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) had a good start as well as he looked to claim a home victory, applying pressure to Aegerter in the first part of the race

Spanish rider Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) had an eventful race as he battled for a top four finish with Championship contender Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), with the South African rider battling back after a difficult Tissot Superpole session. Aegerter was able to go on to take his ninth victory of the season but Odendaal was able to claim second place with a Lap 11 move on Cluzel at Turn 5, with French rider Cluzel claiming his fourth podium of 2021 with third.

THE TOP TEN…

Gonzalez finished in fourth place as he narrowly missed out on a podium place by just 0.168s ahead of polesitter Bernardi in fifth with the pair separated by just one second. Bernardi was able to maintain a top five finish despite a challenging race, finishing ahead of Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing).

There was a battle between the two Kawasaki Puccetti Racing teammates as Philipp Oettl and Cam Öncü fought over seventh place, with Oettl able to finish ahead of his Turkish teammate by just two tenths. Italian rider Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was ninth while Andy Verdoïa (GMT94 Yamaha), returning to the Championship, claimed a top-ten finish with tenth.

COMPLETING THE POINTS

2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Racing) battled back from 19th place to claim 11th place, while Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) was 12th as the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider. Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) was 13th for his highest-placed finished of the 2021 season. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) claimed 14th place as he secured points on his WorldSSP debut after moving up from WorldSSP300; both Orradre and Verdoïa have competed in WorldSSP300 and moved up from the class to success in WorldSSP, with Verdoïa the youngest ever race winner in WorldSSP after his win at the Catalunya Round in 2020. Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing), returning to competition following injury, secured 15th place.

TO NOTE

Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) was unable to take to the restarted race after he had an issue on the Warm-Up Lap, before his bike was collected by Vincent Falcone (TFC Racing) on the grid, with wildcard Falcone also not taking the restarted race; both riders taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Debise was diagnosed with a left wrist radius fracture and declared unfit, while Falcone was declared unfit and transported to Nevers Hospital for further assessment after being diagnosed with a cervical strain and thorax contusion. Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) retired from the race after a crash on Lap 3 at Turn 13, while Tuuli retired after an incident on Lap 8 at the same corner. Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) was another retirement in the 12-lap race, along with Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

WorldSSP Race 1 Podium

Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.869s
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +1.188s

WorldSSP Race 2: History in the making: Gonzalez claims first WorldSSP victory, Öncü secures maiden podium

Race 2 in WorldSSP provided a thrilling race that went down to the wire as Manuel Gonzalez claimed his first ever victory in the class

The final race of the Motul French Round in the FIM Supersport World Championship provided action and drama throughout the race which was Red Flagged on the opening lap, with Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) taking his first ever victory in WorldSSP, becoming the second-youngest race winner in the class, while Turkish star Can Öncü claimed his maiden podium as he finished in third place behind Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).

Like in Race 1 yesterday, there was an early Red Flag deployed after a crash on the opening lap involving Luca Bernardi (CM Racing), Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) at the Lycee Complex. Bernardi and Cluzel were taken to the medical centre following the crash, while Aegerter was able to take his bike back to the pits for his team to work on before the restart. Both Bernardi and Cluzel are conscious. Bernardi was diagnosed with a back injury and Cluzel with a head injury and cervical strain; both taken to Nevers Hospital for further assessments. The race after the Red Flag was shortened from 19 laps to 12.

THE BATTLE FOR THE PODIUM

Aegerter was able to re-join the race when the restart got underway and found himself as the de facto pole sitter with Bernardi not in the race, with the Swiss rider getting a good start to move into the head of the field. He found himself under pressure from Spanish rider Gonzalez and Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) with the Turkish star making a move at the Turn 5 Adelaide hairpin as he gained around five positions.

Aegerter soon reclaimed the lead of the race and Gonzalez followed him through on Öncü to move into second before he made a move on Lap 2 on Aegerter into the Nurburgring chicane to take first place, although Championship leader Aegerter responded into the right-hander hairpin of Adelaide a lap later. The battle raged on until the final laps with Aegerter and Gonzalez going elbow-to-elbow right until the Lycee Complex; Aegerter looking to make a move into Turn 15 but Gonzalez was able to cut back to take the lead through the chicane.

Öncü dropped back from the lead two as the race progressed into the clutches of teammate Philipp Oettl, with the pair separated by just 0.195s at the finish line as Öncü claimed his first WorldSSP podium and the first for Turkey since Kenan Sofuoglu at Qatar in 2017. Oettl came home in fourth place as he responded from a difficult Saturday.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN…

Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) claimed his best result of the 2021 campaign with fifth place after starting from the front row; and his first top five since his victory at Magny-Cours in 2017. Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) claimed sixth place as he battled his way through the field after a difficult Superpole result.

Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) was seventh as his resurgence continued while Andy Verdoïa (GMT94 Yamaha) was eighth on his return to the Championship as the youngest ever race winner secured another top ten finish. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed ninth place ahead of Hungarian rider Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

TAKING POINTS HOME

Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) was the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge competitor with 11th place, finishing two seconds clear of fellow WorldSSP Challenge competitor Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) in 12th. Swedish rider Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team) was 13th ahead of 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) in 14th. Federico Fuligni (VFT Racing) was the last points scorer in Race 2 as he secured 15th place, resisting the challenge from teammate Marcel Brenner and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing).

TO NOTE

After an impressive debut in WorldSSP Race 1, Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) had a more difficult Sunday after he crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 4 of 12, dropping the Spanish rider to the back of the grid. He was able to remount his Yamaha machine and made up enough time to challenge Eduardo Montero Huerta (DK Motorsport) for 24th place. Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) crashed in the closing stages of the races at Turn 1 on Lap 10, forcing the Finnish rider to retire.