There was drama everywhere you looked in Race 1 as Bautista extended his Championship lead…
P1 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Taking the lead of the race on Lap 7 of 21, Bautista claimed his first win at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
He increased his Championship lead to 56 points over Rea.
“I saw Jonathan crash, and then Toprak made some mistakes and then went into the gravel, so I decided to stay calm and not make mistakes, just to finish the race and get a good feeling with the bike. Lap by lap, I started to feel better and better and decided to try and get the lead, get my pace and push to my feedback. I did a couple of good lap times to get some advantage with Scott, and then in the last laps I just had to manage the distance. It was an important victory especially here at a track that is never good for us.”
P2 – Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Battling at the front with Bautista, Redding took second place, his best result so far with BMW.
Redding’s Race 1 podium was his 40th in the Championship.
“It was a good day. I was really happy with the front row. In the race, I got a good start and I felt strong and I thought “let’s go” and let’s get stuck in from the start. And then it just went wild for a few laps. I think I took the lead at some point, and then Toprak came and passed me, and then Jonathan passed me, and then Jonathan crashed out … and I was pushing again to catch up Toprak. Then I looked ahead, and he was just bucking and bucking and bucking. Then I found myself in the lead, and I thought ‘stay calm, push, find your rhythm’. I did what I could. I had Alvaro catching me. I tried to fight with him for as long as possible. I did what I could. And then I had Alvaro catching me. I tried to fight with him, but it was impossible.”
P3 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing)
Bassani benefitted from Rea, Razgatlioglu and Baz going down to finish third and claim his second WorldSBK podium.
It was Bassani’s first podium in dry conditions as he took third place
“Finally, we got a podium! It’s really good for me and the team; we made good work this weekend and I’m really happy! I want to enjoy the moment and nothing more. Now is the moment to push and to try and continue in this way. It will be difficult but we’re here for this and we will try. It’s really important for me to beat the other Ducatis, especially the factory Ducati. I think it’s normal; I want to continue in this way and I hope it’s possible to beat Alvaro and not just Michael.”
P4 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Lowes finished just outside the podium to claim his best finish since Donington Race 1.
"I’m disappointed with my race. I felt like my pace in practice was good. In Superpole, I did four laps the same but I couldn’t do one lap that was good enough to be on the front row. I was so expecting to be on the front row. Then in the race I felt good, I just couldn’t get pass Rinaldi at the start. He was passing on every corner. The Ducati is so hard to race against. 10 laps sort of messing around… I’ve lost my rhythm a little bit. But I came back at the end. Fourth place. There were some parts of the track where my bike was working really well and I was able to capitalise on that. I’ve felt like I could have done better but we have two more chances tomorrow and I’ll try to get a podium.”
P5 – Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
Running Pirelli’s new development soft front tyre, Gerloff dropped back as the race progressed to cross the finish line in fifth place.
“It was nice to be top five in Superpole and then top five in the race. It’s my best of the year and I hate saying that because I was hoping that already we would be on the podium by now but it’s going the right way. I’ve felt good all weekend. As soon as we got here everything seems like it was working very well.”
P6 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
While battling for third place with Bassani, Rinaldi went through the gravel on the exit of Turn 1 and through Turn 2 on Lap 14. He was able to recover to finish in sixth place.
“We had a really good speed today. It was a strange race today because we usually don’t see Toprak and Jonny make this kind of mistakes. Anyway, I felt good on the bike during the race. I was fighting a lot with Lowes in the first laps, then I was able to put my pace, catch Bassani and then my aim was to also overtake Baz, but he crashed out. I was then third and I saw Scott and I thought we could make a 1-2 today. But unfortunately, I had a problem with the gear box on the bump, and I went on the gravel which make me loose the podium. We can improve from today and I think that a podium is possible tomorrow.”
To note:
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed on the exit of Turn 17 at the end of Lap 2. He was able to re-join the race to finish 24th. Rea’s crash extends a winless run to 10 races; his worst since 2019 when he went 11 races without a win. Discussing the crash, Rea said: “It’s frustrating because the crime didn’t really fit the penalty. I was in the last chicane. Just got caught out. Part of my front fork sensor touched the kerb on the left, just enough to pick up the front. Such small margins to put me down. My bike was pretty bent, so I tried, on the side of the track, bend the handlebars as quickly as good. It was so bent I needed to put it into position. I had to stop in the pitlane. The guys adjusted it and we were able to do the rest of the race, so we got 20 laps of data."
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) also crashed out in the early stages of the race at Turn 13. He was able to continue to cross the finish line in 11th place. Reacting to wild Saturday, Razgatlioglu said: “We started really well in the race, but just the big problem for me is the braking. In the race, I’m always changing the setting for the brake lever. I arrived at Turn 11, and I felt the brake lever was very close with my finger. At Turn 13, I’m feeling my finger and the brake lever very close. I tried to brake the same as Turn 11 but the brake lever came more open, I felt too much braking and the rear went up.”
Local hero Loris Baz was fighting for a podium position but crashed at Turn 13. He was able to re-join the race to take 14th position. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in the top 10.
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and Race 2 at 15:15.
WorldSBK Results Race 1
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.079s
3. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +6.751s
4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +8.531s
5. Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +9.022s
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +17.260s
Championship standings (after Race 1 - Round 7)
1. Alvaro Bautista (ESP) Ducati (323 points)
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (267 points)
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) Yamaha (265 points)
WorldSBK Results Tissot Superpole
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’36.124s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.000s
3. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.109s
Baldassarri wins red-flagged Race 1 to close the Championship gap to Aegerter to five points
Shortened to 12 laps but no shortage of drama as Baldassarri closed the gap in the Championship
P1 – Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
Baldassarri won Race 1 to take his fourth WorldSSP win, his third one in a row.
He reduced the gap to just five points to Aegerter in the Championship standings.
"After the two wins in Most, it was important to win here today. It was a new track for us. We made a good improvement since this morning! I’m happy. The team did a great job. Now we need to stay focus and make some small improvements for tomorrow.”
P2 – Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team)
Van Straalen took second place to claim his second podium of 2022.
The Dutchman challenged Baldassarri at Turn 5 on several occasions but was unable to make a move stick
“It’s really good to come back after the summer break with a podium finish. I think we had a good pace in the race so that gives us confidence for the rest of the weekend. After Assen, it’s good to take another podium. We were quite fast during the whole season, but the podium didn’t work out … but now it did!”
P3 – Dominique Aegerter (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
Aegerter finished in third place after battling from the second row
He remains the Championship leader but with a shortened advantage to Aegerter.
“Happy to be back on the podium, happy to be back racing here in the WorldSSP paddock. Today’s race was tricky. We had a big fight in the first few laps. I couldn’t overtake as fast as I wanted. Then after 12 laps, the race was red-flagged. I was expecting that we could restart the race so that we could fight until the end. But luckily, we always have a second chance on Sunday so I hope that tomorrow we can fight for a solid result.”
To note:
Fighting at the front of the race in the early stages, Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) dropped down the order to finish in fourth place. He finished less than a second clear of teammate Yari Montella. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) completed Race 1’s top six.
The race was red-flagged after 12 of the scheduled 19 laps following a Turn 5 incident between Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Kyle Smith (VFT Racing), with Sofuoglu taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Sofuoglu will be transported to Nevers Hospital for further assessment, after being diagnosed with a pelvis, right thigh, right elbow and chest injuries.
A technical issue for polesitter Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) meant he retired from the lead of the race.
Wildcard Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) fought back to claim seventh place whilst Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) rounded out the top ten.
WorldSSP resumes on Sunday from 9:25 (Local Time) followed by Race 2 at 12:45.
WorldSSP Results Race 1
1 Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
2. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +0.219s
3. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.669s
4. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +2.775s
5. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
6. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
Championship standings (after Race 1 - Round 7)
1. Dominique Aegerter (SUI) Yamaha (261 points)
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) Yamaha (256 points)
3. Nicolo Bulega (ITA) Ducati (152 points)
WorldSSP Results Tissot Superpole
1. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) 1’40.565
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.097s
3. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +0.127s
Vannucci claims Race 1 win at Magny-Cours after Garcia’s track limits penalty
The Italian Rookie took his second win of 2022 with Garcia and Diaz completing the podium
P1 – Matteo Vannuci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha)
Vannucci claimed his second WorldSSP300 victory after battling with Championship leaders Diaz and Garcia.
He became the first Italian rider to win more than one race in the Championship.
"At the start I lost my front brake, and I dropped to the back of the grid. I tried to improve my rhythm every lap and finally I was able to win the race. I think it is the best race of my career. Tomorrow I’ll try to repeat but you can never know in this category.”
P2 – Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing)
Garcia crossed the finish line in first but was penalised for a last-lap track limits infringement which dropped him down to second place.
He closed the gap to Diaz in the Championship standings and now stands 20 points behind the leader.
“The race was very hard, there were many crashes and the pace of the race was very fast. I made a mistake at the last corner in the chicane of the last lap, the bike was outside the line. I crossed the line in first place, but I had to drop a position for that. I’m happy about my race, but not about the result. But tomorrow we have another chance.”
P3 - Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team)
Diaz completed the top three after battling for victory with Vannucci, Garcia and Lehmann.
Claiming his eighth podium of the season, he is tied for the all-time podium record in the Championship.
He remains the Championship leader with a 20-point advantage over Garcia, and five-point advantage over Di Sora.
“The race was difficult because many riders crashed. Tomorrow we will need to change the bike set up. I need to change the front brake because I didn’t have a good feeling in the first part of the race. Anyway, I’m really happy with today’s third position, it’s good for the Championship.
Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) finished in fourth place missing the podium by just two tenths. He completed yet another stunning comeback having lost ground over the opening few laps of the race. Both Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) and Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) had to serve penalties during the race, with Iglesias penalised one Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Free Practice 2, while Di Sora had a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start, but both were able to finish in fifth and sixth respectively.
To note:
On Lap 9 of 13, there was a pile-up at Turn 5 which involved Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse), Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) and Hugo De Cancellis (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300), all in the lead group, with Gennai and De Cancellis retiring.
WorldSSP300 Results Race 1
1. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsports Italia Yamaha)
2. Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) +0.078s
3. Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) +0.430s
4. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +0.636s
5. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) +1.140s
6. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +5.647s
Championship standings (after Race 1 - Round 6)
1. Alvaro Diaz (ESP) Yamaha (177 points)
2. Marc Garcia (ESP) Yamaha (157 points)
3. Samuel Di Sora (FRA) Kawasaki (127 points)
WorldSSP300 Results Tissot Superpole
1. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) 1’51.859
2. Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +0.661s
3. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.961s
Full Superpole Results
Over 300 fans took the track after Saturday's proceedings for a Parade Lap led by French WorldSBK riders Christophe Ponsson and Lucas Mahias in the Official WorldSBK Hyundai N Safety Car and with Loris Baz, Jules Cluzel, Andy Verdoïa and Valentin Debise signalling the start of the lap.
DORNA WorldSBK