Can Oncu topped FIM Supersport World Championship Superpole qualifying Friday at Magny-Cours, in France. Riding his Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros YZF R9 on Pirelli control tires, the Turkish rider lapped the 2.74-mile (4.41 km) course in 1:39.442 to top the field of 33 riders and earn pole position.
Stefano Manzi was the best of the rest with a 1:39.663 on his Pata Ten Kate Yamaha YZF R9, and French sensation Lucas Mahias earned the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:39.836 on his GMT94 Yamaha YZF R9.
Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise of France was 14th with a 1:40.517 on his Renzi Corse Ducati Panigale V2.
Results WSSP Superpole
More from a press release issued by Dorna:
Oncu earns third WorldSSP pole position in 2025, beating out Manzi and Mahias at Magny-Cours. French Round fireworks have been set off on Friday as the WorldSSP grid battle for track position in the races to come.
France’s Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours hosts the return of FIM Supersport World Championship action after the month-long summer vacation. Breaking the ice, the WorldSSP field erupted onto the circuit for their Tissot Superpole session. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) earned pole position, followed by Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA). The session was halted just before time expired by a red flag caused by Mattia Volpi’s (Motozoo ME Air Racing) bike suffering a tech issue. With two minutes to go, riders returned to the track in a chaotic dash to the finish.
ONCU MAKES IT THREE: Third pole position of the Turk’s 2025 season.
Closing out Friday afternoon as the final event of the weekend’s opening day, WorldSSP’s Superpole session saw Can Oncu top the session. With less than 10 minutes left in the event, Oncu set a trailblazing 1’39.442s lap for his third pole position of 2025 so far with a margin of +0.221s. Title leader Stefano Manzi finished P2 in the session, his 1’39.663s lap landing him his third front row qualification of the season. Representing France in his home round, Lucas Mahias did well to earn a third-place finish, his 1’39.836s time earning him a front row spot on Saturday.
BENDSNEYDER BACK IN BUSINESS: The Dutchman claims a second-row spot
Clocking in at 1’39.891s, Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will lead the second row on Saturday in Race 1; his P4 will come as a welcome Superpole improvement after his P18 qualification last round. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) made a late charge up the grid to jump into a front row spot before the red flag. He went on to finish P5 thanks to his best lap time of 1’40.085s. Federico Caricasulo (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team) finished as the top Ducati on the session, his 1’40.154s time earning him P6.
NO MAHENDRA NO PROBLEM: Alberto Surra performed well in his replacement ride Superpole, earning P7
Replacing the injured Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team), Alberto Surra’s (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 1’40.180 placed him P7, setting him up to lead the third row despite being just 0.005s faster than the rider behind him. In P8, Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) snagged a top ten spot late in the session, his 1’49.185s effort beat out Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) to fill out the top ten positions on the timesheets. However, Oettl was given a three-place grid penalty for slow riding and disturbing another rider during Superpole, demoting him to 13th on the Race 1 grid. Booth-Amos stepped up his game as the session progressed, leaping up the order after languishing low on the timesheets most of the session.
The top six from the WorldSSP Superpole, full results here!
1. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 1’39.442s
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.221s
3. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) +0.394s
4. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.449s
5. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +0.643s
6. Federico Caricasulo (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team) +0.712s
Racing action at Magny-Cours kicks off on Saturday! Don’t miss a moment with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!
