2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Eight Magny-Cours

On the track Toprak Razgatlioglu made a clean sweep of all three race wins at Magny-Cours for the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship with Jonathan Rea finishing second in all three bouts.

However, a protest by KRT after the end of proceedings on Sunday saw Toprak demoted to second place in the Superpole Race results. The protest alleged that Toprak exceeded track limits on the final lap and it was upheld by Stewards.

Pata Yamaha Team Manager Paul Denning was happy neither with the process or the outcome and expressed his displeasure.

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Manager

“It’s disappointing of course. This weekend we saw incredible fighting between the two Championship protagonists. For our team, the first time we’ve won all three races. For Toprak, the first time he’s won all three races. An amazing sporting spectacle and amazing respect between these two fantastic riders. And then, after the end of Race 2 where we had been on pole position because of the result of the Superpole Race, the stewards made a decision after a protest that there was a tiny infringement on the last lap from Toprak touching the green on the exit of 9 and 10.

“This was caused by a protest from Kawasaki. It’s disappointing because honestly, genuinely, it’s not something we would’ve done. When a rider has gained zero advantage and you’re talking about 5mm of the rear tyre just touching the green, something that race direction had seen themselves, checked from the live footage, decided there absolutely was not a problem because there was not any advantage and it wasn’t clear he was on the green. But after they received the protest, they had to use all the tools they have, and this includes the onboard footage from Jonathan’s bike. They were able to see that there was a small amount on the green. If this is the way Kawasaki want to play, then maybe the sporting atmosphere will change a little bit.”

Looking at the facts though it was a fairly cut and dried affair, and I am pretty sure if the shoe was on the other foot Yamaha would have taken the same course of action. However, if the officials were on the ball then a protest would not have been required, the penalty would have not been delayed and nobody would have a bad taste in their mouth.  Footage of the transgression can be seen here.

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WorldSBK Superpole Race

The ten laps of the Tissot Superpole Race began with the battle between pole man Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu for the top step of the podium, as well as the one between Andrea Locatelli and Alex Lowes for third.

Razgatlioglu set a new record on the second lap and gained the upper hand against the defending World Champion to move into the race lead. However, the latter had no intention of letting him run away at the front. Rea closed the gap that had been created, breaking the newly set race record once again on the sixth lap and looking for his chance to attack.

In the meantime, Leon Haslam, Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark engaged in a heated battle for sixth, with Redding prevailing over the Honda and BMW riders, moving into fifth place behind Andrea Locatelli.

In the final lap, Jonathan Rea pulled out all the stops and the championship leaders locked horns in a heart-stopping battle, overtaking back and forth several times, but in the end it was Razgatlioglu who came out on top, crossing the finish line first just three-tenths of a second ahead of Jonathan Rea, with a well-deserved third place going to Alex Lowes.

Subsequently, Toprak Razgatlioglu was penalised for exceeding track limits, so the win went to Jonathan Rea, with the Yamaha rider relegated to second place.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

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WorldSBK Race Two

Sunday afternoon’s Race Two gave Toprak Razgatlioglu his second win of the weekend to extend his Championship lead over Jonathan Rea.

The Turk 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 wanted to get involved in the lead battle but Razgatlioglu and Rea were able to keep him at arm’s length.

Scott Redding 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.

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

Michael Ruben Rinaldi was seventh, around two seconds back from Bautista, with Michael van der Mark 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  for eighth but held on with the American in ninth, with Tom Sykes rounding out the top ten.

Axel Bassani continued his strong form with 11th place although the Italian rider did lose time to the group ahead, with Christophe Ponsson claiming 12th place for a strong result in front of his home fans. He battled throughout the race with compatriot Lucas Mahias directly behind Ponsson.

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

Jonas Folger claimed 16th place, missing out on a point by just over a second, while Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado was two seconds back in 17th place. Loris Cresson was the last of the classified runners in 18th place.

Despite a strong start to the race, Alex Lowes 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 had an accident at the same corner shortly after, forcing the Honda rider out of the race.

WorldSBK Race Two Results

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Quotes

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“For me an incredible weekend, because this was my dream – to make three wins together in one weekend, and I am really happy. Ok, somebody else decided we did not win the Superpole Race but for me, I won the race and I enjoy this fight a lot. We did everything we can so also big thanks to my team because they did an incredible job. Every race they improve my bike and also we are fighting every race for the win. I am not looking at the championship because I am always focused every race for win and for good points, and also this race, I try only to win. Finally again we made a great win in Race 2 and I am really happy today.”

Jonathan Rea

“It seems like we are having some issues to stop the bike as soon as the grip of the rear tyre drops. When the tyre is fresh for ten laps I feel quite confident, quite good. I knew if I was going to have a solid chance to have a race win then it would be the Superpole race. We made some big set-up changes, so massive kudos to the guys in the garage because we never give up. We just wanted to keep improving the bike. We could see in the cooler conditions I could use the SC1 tyre, but as soon as the temperature comes up it moves too much for my riding style. I need that extra stability that the 508 tyre brings. We are a so over-geared for the exit of the first gear corners and the final chicane. I was losing too many metres.”

Andrea Locatelli

“It was a fantastic race for me today, because I needed to push until the end because I have the pressure behind me. We are very fast during the weekend, I take a podium yesterday and stay every time in the top four, this is really good! Today it was not easy and it’s still my first time at this track compared to the other riders, but we work really well, don’t make a mistake and I think this is the recipe to make the good results. In Race 2, I did not see Michael after I overtake him in the last corner, I sensed something but I didn’t see when he touched me. We touch a little bit but this is the race and I am happy that everything is okay. Now we have a good level but we need to do something more to try to stay with the front group. It has been an excellent season so far, and I am now P4 in the championship which I never thought would be possible!”

Scott Redding

“I’m satisfied with this result, especially because during the weekend we were able to improve the bike, mainly in the braking phase which was the principal problem. I tried in the first part of the race to stay with Jonny and Toprak but then I preferred not to risk and bring home an important result for the team.”

Alex Lowes

“I probably should have been on the podium yesterday, crashing so close to the end, but I knew I had good pace around here so it is nice to get back on the podium in the Superpole Race. I have been struggling in the last few months with some issues. Such a shame after the Race Two crash. Disappointed on one hand as honestly it’s the best I’ve been riding all year and yet this is my worst points haul of the year. Racing is like that sometimes. I had an issue with the brake which didn’t allow me to enter T7 like I wanted and that caught me out, unfortunately. Anyway, my speed was there so now I’ll take the positive points and turn my focus to the next race which is the home race of the team at Montmelo.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi

“All in all it wasn’t a bad weekend because we understood many things that can be useful in the next rounds. It’s clear that the result of Race-2 is not exciting; despite that, the pace was positive, on the level of Scott who finished on the podium. Obviously, we can’t be satisfied with a seventh place finish but I’ll come back home from this French Round with positive feelings”.

Michael van der Mark

“This morning’s Superpole race was alright. I had good pace and had a good feeling with the bike. I was just missing one or two tenths to stay with Scott Redding and fight for fourth place. I was confident going into the main race and had a strong start but then I started to struggle after a few laps. I had some moments with a few riders and lost a lot of time there but at the moment, the package is just not good enough to fight every corner with the other guys. In some corners we are losing too much time.”

Tom Sykes

“It was difficult today. Put me on a clear track and I can go front row, put me on a clear track again in warm up and we can be consistently in the top four. We just cannot ride with the others. Unfortunately, when I’m with the other riders it becomes a lot more stop and start and we can’t follow them when it comes to opening the gas. As soon as I got clear track my lap times came down and were not too far from the fifth position in terms of lap time, but we can’t bridge the gap at this level. There’s a lot of information to be looked at, I will see with the team where we can improve.”

Alvaro Bautista

“I’m generally happy with our weekend here at Magny-Cours. Today we made some modifications to the bike’s setup, especially the electronics, nothing huge but we saw a little improvement, which gave me more confidence. I felt a bit better with the bike and so in the Superpole race, where I normally struggle more, I was able to be competitive and make a good comeback from fourteenth on the grid in just ten laps. And my seventh-place finish allowed me to move forward two rows on the grid for race 2. In the afternoon’s higher temperatures, the track conditions were more tricky, more slippery. But the feeling was still better than it sometimes has been in similar conditions. I made a good start but then I chose the wrong line at the first braking point and lost some positions. I recovered again and was able to maintain a consistent pace, finishing sixth, which is the most I think we could do at the moment. Now we head to tracks that I really like, so we will keep working and see what we can do there!”

Leon Haslam

“My expectations after qualifying were a bit higher to be honest. We had some problems in the first two races, but in the final Superbike race I felt we made a good improvement with the bike. Unfortunately we finished the weekend with a fast crash but the changes and progression we made with the setting meant that I was more comfortable. So I’m disappointed that it ended like this, but I felt I was more comfortable than I had been all weekend, particularly in terms of front feeling and braking. So, having made that step, we can now look forward to the next round at Barcelona, a track at which we completed a very productive test a few weeks ago.”

Jonas Folger

“I struggled in the races when the tank was full, particularly on the opening laps. I was not able to hold my line in the corners, which meant I could not go on the attack. The final third of each race was better – that was the best section of the race for me. We must now find out why we have these difficulties with the full tank. I will also see what I can do differently as a rider, to ensure that I get the BMW moving better. On the whole, it was another tough weekend for us. We will now analyse everything and I will take a close look to see what I, personally, can do better. Hopefully things will go our way at the next race weekend at Barcelona.”

WorldSBK Championship Points

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WorldSSP

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.

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.

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).

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).

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.

WorldSSP Race Two Results

WorldSSP Race Two Results Restart

WorldSSP Championship Points

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WorldSSP300

The final race of the Motul French Round in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was a typically enthralling encounter as Spanish rider Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) claimed his second victory of the weekend after a race-long battle with his rivals at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, as he beat title contender Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) by less than half a second.

Huertas and Championship contender Booth-Amos have been inseparable in the title battle and that continued on track in the 13-lap Race 2 encounter with just three tenths separating the pair at the end of the race, with Spanish rider Huertas extending his lead in the Championship standings with victory.

The pair had been battling it out in the traditional lead group but were able to hold the lead despite pressure from behind, with reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) claiming third place just one tenth behind Booth-Amos, as well as finishing half-a-second clear of Dean Berta Viñales (Viñales Racing Team) in fourth.

Viñales has endured a tricky season in his first campaign in WorldSSP300 but the French Round could have provided a breakthrough for the 15-year-old Spaniard, having taken in his first point in Race 1 on Saturday he was challenging in the lead group and took the lead of the race on the penultimate lap. He fell down to fourth in the closing stages of the race, but still claimed his best result in his career.

He finished ahead of Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) by around a tenth after a strong ride for the Japanese competitor in fifth place. Italian Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) claimed sixth place after a strong weekend for Mastroluca, while Yeray Ruiz (Yamaha MS Racing) was seventh in his debut WorldSSP Round. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) claimed eighth place while South African rider Dorren Loureiro (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) was ninth and Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Kawasaki) rounding out the top ten.

2018 Champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) was 11th after fighting her way through the field while Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) claimed 12th place. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), the sole KTM rider in the field, was 13th with Mirko Gennai (Team BRcorse) and Marc Garcia (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) rounding out the points; Garcia back in the points on his return to the Championship.

Dutch rider Ruben Bijman (Machado CAME SBK) missed out on a points finish by just a tenth of a second as he came home in 16th place, ahead of Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) in 17th; the Italian started from the pit lane after an infringement of the engine allocation regulations. Petr Svoboda (WRP Wepol Racing) was 18th with Alessandro Zanca (Kawasaki GP Project) and teammate Alejandro Carrion completing the top 20.

Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) was the first retirement of the race after he crashed on the exit of Turn 13 and was unable to re-join the race, while Margo Gaggi (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) suffered a highside crash at Turn 3 on Lap 4. On the same lap, Dutch rider Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki) crashed at Turn 5 which forced him out of the race, while Meikon Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) pulled into the pits in the early stages with a technical issue. Hugo de Cancellis (Prodina Team WoroldSSP) was running the lead group but had to retire when he had an issue with his chain on Lap 6.

Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing) had an eventful Race 2 with the Spanish rider given a double Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding that led to a collision in the Warm-Up session. After taking one of the Long Lap Penalties, he was given a ride-through penalty but was forced to retire from the race after a crash at Turn 17. Vicente Perez Selfa (Machado CAME SBK) had a technical issue in the closing stages of the race, as did Ton Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing). Bahattin Sofuoglu’s (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) race came to a premature end on Lap 12 after he made contact with the back of Booth-Amos, the incident forcing the Turkish rider out of the contest when fighting in the lead group.

WorldSSP300 Race Two Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

2021 WorldSBK Calendar

Source: MCNews.com.au