Editorial Note:

Americans Tyler Scott and Damian Jigalov finished 26th and 30th, respectively, and Canadian Torin Collins was 29th.

Here is a link to video of the race.

Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol CEV Press Office:

Title battles still alive after sensational Sunday at Aragon

Izan Guevara (Openbank Aspar Team) completed an astonishing clean sweep of the FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship races while Alessandro Zaccone (Promoracing) and Yari Montella (Team Ciatti – Speed Up) shared Moto2™ European Championship victories at MotorLand Aragon. A dramatic day’s racing in the FIM CEV Repsol also saw Zonta van den Goorbergh (Super-B) extend his winning streak in the Hawkers European Talent Cup.
All eyes were on Izan Guevara (Openbank Aspar Team) in FIM Moto3™ JWCh after his incredible comeback from 22nd on the grid on Saturday, and the Spaniard repeated the feat in Race 1, taking the spoils ahead of Pedro Acosta (Team MT-Foundation 77) in a last lap battle. Jose Julian Garcia (SIC58 Squadra Corse) claimed a third consecutive podium finish but there was drama for championship leader Xavier Artigas (Leopard Impala Junior Team) who was forced to take a Long Lap Penalty for a grid procedure infraction. After fighting his way back into contention, he was forced to settle for fifth.

In Race 2, Guevara embarked on another rescue mission from the eighth row but the race almost ended in tears after a collision with team-mate Daniel Holgado (Openbank Aspar Team) with both running wide at Turn 12. Guevara recovered to set up a last lap showdown with Artigas, where the 16-year-old prevailed in a photo finish to close the gap in the championship, now trailing his compatriot by just 10 points. David Salvador (Cuna de Campeones) returned to the podium for the first time since Portimao in third, with Holgado promoted to fourth after Garcia was demoted one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap.

In the Moto2™ ECh, rain started to fall in the build-up to Race 1 with drama striking championship leader Yari Montella (Team Ciatti – Speed Up) on the warm-up lap. A collision with Alejandro Medina (Apex – Cardoso Racing) eliminated both riders before the race had even started. A thrilling scrap followed between Alessandro Zaccone (Promoracing) and Niki Tuuli (Team Stylobike), including contact between the two at Turn 1 which almost unseated the Finn. Zaccone would snatch victory in the end with Tuuli 0.059s adrift. Xavi Cardelus (Team Stylobike) took advantage of the pre-race drama to claim his first podium on 2020 with Alex Toledo (EasyRace Team) the leading Superstock 600 runner after a crash on Lap 1 for Fermin Aldeguer (Fau 55 Tey Racing).

Race 2 brought more drama with the championship protagonists going head-to-head at the front, trading fastest laps in a tense finale. Once again, the final corner settled matters with Montella sneaking up the inside of Tuuli to take a hugely significant victory, bouncing back from his Race 1 disappointment and extending his championship lead to 23 points. Zaccone completed the podium in third with a crash involving Cardelus and Taiga Hada (AGR Team) promoting top Superstock 600 rider Alex Toledo to sixth.

The HETC title was up for grabs on Sunday but Zonta van den Goorbergh (Super-B) ensured the battle will continue to Valencia with a fourth victory in succession. The Dutch rider was pushed all the way in a nine-lap sprint following a delay due to a brief rain shower. David Alonso (Openbank Aspar Team) ensured he will take a 28-point lead to the final weekend after seeing off his team-mate Ivan Ortola (Openbank Aspar Team) for second with Alberto Ferrandez slipping out of title contention after finishing fourth.

The 2020 FIM CEV Repsol season will conclude with back-to-back days of racing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on October 31 & November 1, with all three titles set to be decided. Three FIM Moto3™ JWCh races remain with 50 points still available in the Moto2™ ECh and HETC.

Editorial Note: Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:

#FRAWorldSBK – Day 3

Redding victorious in Race 2 to keep title chances alive, Rea finishes fourth

Rookie Scott Redding fights from fourth on the grid to take victory as he takes the title fight to the final round of 2020

The fight for the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will head to the season finale as Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed victory from fourth on the grid at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the Pirelli French Round with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finishing in fourth after starting from pole position.

Rea had led from the start and for the first three laps of the race before Redding had made his way up to the lead battle and passed Rea on the fourth lap of the 21-lap race to take the lead; Redding would go on to dominate the race to take a valuable 25 points in the Championship battle. Redding was joined on the podium by Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) as the home hero claimed his second podium of the French Round, with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) competing the podium.

Davies made the title-denying pass on Lap 14 as he pushed Rea down into fourth place, meaning Rea leads Redding by 59 points with 62 points available in the remaining three races. Rea had tried to fight back in the latter stages of the race to secure the Championship at Magny-Cours but Davies was able to stay ahead.

Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) finished in fifth place, more than nine seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN); the duo battling on track for a top five finish before van der Mark pulled clear. Rinaldi and Davies also battled out on track as the fight for a 2021 Ducati seat hots up. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in seventh place after running the opening laps in the top two positions, directly behind his teammate.

Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) secured another top eight finish as the American rookie continues to make steps forward as he finished ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team); the British rider completing the top ten.

Italian rider Federico Caricasulo (GRT YAMAHA WorldSBK Junior Team) finished four seconds behind Sykes in 11th place with Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) equalling his best result of the season with 12th place. Leon Haslam (Team HRC), Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) rounded out the top 15 to win points in the Championship.

Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 16th place, ahead of Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) and Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) completed the riders who finished the race with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Xavier Pinsach (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) and Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) not finishing the race; Pinsach and Mercado suffering crashes during the race with Mercado out of the race on Lap 1.

P1 Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“I was on the back foot all weekend because I didn’t have the laps on the rain tyres, but I was getting faster and faster. With the setting of the bike that was holding me back a little bit, I said to the team that if we could get this fixed, I think I can fight for the win. From the first and second lap, I saw I had the pace. The second problem was how long would the Pirelli last in these conditions as I had no idea. I was trying to ride as smooth as possible but in the end I did everything to win today.”

P2 Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)

“I’m really happy. I have to thank my team, especially my crew chief because he gave me the confidence to choose the hard tyre on the grid. He wanted me to choose that one for the Superpole Race and I didn’t listen. It was a hard race. I was expecting to struggle a bit more at the beginning, but I had a good pace coming through the pack. I tried to overtake Jonny as soon as possible but Scott had something more and hats off to him.”

P3 Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“It was a great race. Good to round this wet weekend off on the podium. A lot of pressure on that last lap, I knew what was on the line for Scott. I knew the points situation for him. And also, for myself, I knew van der Mark was sitting fifth in the race and obviously the main thing for me is to try and consolidate third in the Championship. A bit of pressure for me and for the team. Happy to bring it home on the podium. I felt really good out there, the bike was feeling really good. A great end to the weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Podium for Van der Mark and Pata Yamaha in Wet Magny-Cours Superpole Race

Michael van der Mark fought to a third-place finish for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team with Rizla in the FIM Superbike World Championship Tissot Superpole Race, as rain continued to lash the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France today.

The seventh and penultimate round of the 2020 season provided global TV audiences and a small number of keen French fans permitted to watch from the grandstands thrilling track action in tricky wet conditions.

Van der Mark made a lightning start from sixth on the grid in the Superpole Race, eventually taking third at the chequered flag, his seventh podium of the season, and cemented a front-row start for Race 2. While the Dutchman hoped for a repeat performance in the afternoon, a lack of grip in the wet meant that he ultimately had to settle for fifth position.

For teammate Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, the “perfect” wet weather set-up continued to prove elusive on Sunday. Despite improving from his grid position of 13th to finish ninth overall in the 10-lap sprint race this morning, the young Turkish rider, who initially made progress at the start of Race 2, did not have the confidence to maintain the pace required to finish higher than ninth in either race. While fit and fully cleared to race, Razgatlıoğlu was also still feeling some residual pain due to the high-side crash suffered in Warm-Up at Barcelona just two weeks ago.

The 2020 WorldSBK season draws to a close in a fortnight with the final round at Estoril, Portugal, starting with Free Practice on Friday 16 October.

Michael van der Mark – SPRC: P3 / Race 2: P5

“This morning in the Superpole Race, I felt really good with the Yamaha R1, it had some good improvements and I had some nice battles. On the last lap, I had a great fight with Scott [Redding] and managed to finish third, so I’m really happy with that and to be on the front row of the grid for the second race. I had an OK start in Race 2 but struggled with the front feeling and also the grip out of the slow corners throughout. I couldn’t fight with the others because they were really strong in my weak area. Then it was hard to catch up and at a certain point I was alone in the race just trying to be consistent and not make any mistakes. I finished fifth which was not bad, but we have a lot of work to do to catch Chaz [Davies] in Estoril for third in the championship.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – SPRC: P9 / Race 2: P9

“Today, we tried a different set-up but it was not fantastic because we were not able to achieve a better grid position in the Superpole Race to improve in Race 2. But we are learning more and more each time, because in the past I have found the wet conditions difficult, so we keep trying to find a good set-up that works for me. Simply, I need to be faster in the rain! We will see what is possible in Estoril.”

Paul Denning, Team Principal

“Racing in these very slippery conditions is always a huge challenge for the riders and brings out interesting and inconsistent results. With Mikey, we made a decent step from yesterday and his superb fighting podium in the sprint race was very well deserved, followed up by another strong ride in Race 2 for fifth place. It seemed like he struggled with feedback from the bike in the early laps, but once he found his rhythm, he was able to match the pace of the winner in Race 2, which is encouraging if it is wet again in Estoril. For Toprak, today was disappointing in terms of results, but there are still positives to take given his previous difficulties in wet conditions and also considering that he is still carrying injuries from the Barcelona accident. Let’s hope Estoril is dry – it should be an interesting race weekend for all the teams and for the championship as a whole.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Sunday Win And Podium For KRT

Jonathan Rea won the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole race at Magny Cours but just missed out on securing the 2020 WorldSBK championship title itself after finishing fourth in the final 21-lap race. Jonathan’s KRT team mate Alex Lowes scored his second podium in as many days in the Superpole race and was then seventh in race two.

In the Tissot-Superpole race, held in cool and wet conditions, KRT recorded a 1-2 finish, with Rea winning his 99th race across his entire WorldSBK career after what was his 300th race start in this category of racing. Lowes was a constant threat behind Rea and finished a confident second after another strong ride in the wet.

The second full distance race of the penultimate round was eventually held in damp but not heavily wet conditions, which played a part in not allowing early race leader Rea to continue his run of Magny Cours race wins and take another perfect hat-trick – which he achieved at Portimao earlier this season.

With his only championship rival Scott Redding out front in race two, third place would still have been enough to give Jonathan a sixth consecutive title with Kawasaki. After his old championship rival Chaz Davies passed him for the final podium place, Rea finished fourth and will go to the final round in a commanding championship position.

Now Jonathan needs just three points across three races at the final round to win the title.

A race two seventh in France for Lowes, added to his two earlier podiums, puts him up to fifth in the championship overall.

With one round to go Rea has a total of 340 points, Redding 281, Davies 222, Michael van der Mark 203 and Lowes 179.

The final round of the 2020 championship will take place at Estoril in Portugal, between 16 and 18 October.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “Having started 300 races in WorldSBK makes me feel a little bit old, but it was a nice Superpole race because Alex was keeping me very honest. The gap was very stable and I had to concentrate to the max. We made a small set-up change from yesterday and I felt it really helped me, especially in the final laps with tyre drop. In race two, with the weather conditions at Magny Cours, you have to expect the unexpected and we saw all weekend that when there was not a lot of surface water, we were struggling. In morning warm-up and in the Superpole session, for example – especially with traction in the exit of the corner. I was losing too much on the exit of T5. But the bike set-up was pretty good in the chicanes and all the places where you had to be aggressive with the bike. It was pretty good but just this stop-and-go corner, on the exit, I had too much TC working and too much spinning. It was a really fun race because the bike was moving a lot and I was riding on the limit, but unfortunately not to the podium place that was the target.”

Alex Lowes, stated: “Overall it was a positive weekend for us. I got a positive start in the Superpole race and felt good in the initial laps. Johnny was a bit quicker at the end and I was struggling a little bit with the front end. In those ten lap races you have to get a good start and get into a good position and we did that really well. It was a great 1-2 for Kawasaki. The final race was a bit tricky and I did not have the feeling I needed. When the track dried up I just couldn’t seem to get the grip and I could not attack and ride like I wanted. This was frustrating but overall in the wet I was really happy with the work the guys did. Big thanks to them because it is never ideal in these cold and wet conditions. I am really happy to be leaving France with two podiums.”

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 12th and then a faller today, Valentin Debise (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) 16th and 17th, and Xavier Pinsach (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 18th and then a no-scorer. In the championship Xavi is 15th, Debise 27th and Pinsach 28th.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

#FRAWorldSBK RACE-2. Stunning Sunday for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team: Scott Redding dominates Race-2 and Chaz Davies completes the masterpiece with a fantastic podium finish

Scott Redding and Chaz Davies were the protagonists of a fantastic race held in very tricky conditions after the rain had given a respite, letting the Magny-Cours circuit dry out, before falling again a few minutes before the start.

Starting from P4 after a stubborn comeback in the SuperPole Race, Scott got off a strong start, and on lap four he successfully attacked Rea (Kawasaki) to take the lead. His race pace was dominant and allowed him to pass under the checkered flag in first position comfortably.

The progression of Chaz Davies – who started from fifth position – was constant. After overtaking Rinaldi (Ducati) on lap 9, the Welshman started to chase the leading group. Between lap 11 and lap 14, Chaz managed to recover two seconds from Rea, overtaking him with seven laps to go and then defended himself to finish third.

P1 – Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“It was a good race. I pushed to the maximum since the first lap trying to find the feeling with the bike immediately. It has been a difficult weekend, and for this reason, I am extremely happy with this result. During the SuperPole Race, I realized that I was losing precious hundredths in two corners of the circuit. I told my team: ‘If you can solve these two details, I am sure I can win’. They did it, and I thank them”.

P3 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“I am very satisfied with this result. The feeling with the bike has been really positive all weekend, and for this, I want to thank my team for the work done in these days. The start was good, and I pushed hard to get Van Der Mark. Then I had a good duel with Jonny, and I’m happy to have finished with this good result”.

Stefano Cecconi (Team Principal Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“After the difficulties encountered in the first two days of this weekend, having obtained this result is for us a reason of great satisfaction and confirms the quality of our team. We have managed to keep the Superbike World Championship open, and even if the task is obviously difficult, we will go to Portugal to try. This is our DNA”.

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK Team:

Difficult end to WorldSBK weekend at Magny-Cours for BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty finish in the points in tenth and 14th in final race.

Both riders experience issues in the morning’s Superpole race.

Season finale at Estoril in two weeks.

Magny-Cours. After successfully qualifying in Superpole with the first 1-2 qualifying for BMW Motorrad on Saturday, the rest of the rainy race weekend at Magny-Cours (FRA) didn’t go according to plan for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The seventh and penultimate round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2020 (WorldSBK) drew to a close with warm-up, Superpole race and race two on Sunday. In the morning sprint race, both BMW riders struggled to get the tyres working properly in the right window; in the afternoon, Tom Sykes (GBR) and Eugene Laverty (IRL) finished in the points in tenth and 14th.

The team worked long and hard to make the two BMW S 1000 RRs ready to race again after the accident at the start in Saturday’s race. Laverty started the Superpole race from pole position in the morning, with Sykes next to him in second on the grid. Both riders got off to a really good start, but then dropped down the field. Sykes was forced to return to the pits after lap seven, while Laverty crossed the finish line in 15th place.

For the second race in the afternoon, Laverty started in tenth and Sykes in eleventh. On the first lap, Sykes moved up into ninth place and then into eighth place shortly after that, where he stayed until halfway through the race. In the second half of the race, with a drying track, Sykes was in ninth place, before he crossed the finish line in tenth place after 21 laps. Laverty initially dropped down the field, but regained positions as the race went on to finish in the points as well in 14th place.

The WorldSBK 2020 season finale will be held at Estoril, Portugal in two weeks (16th to 18th October).

Quotes after race two at Magny-Cours.
 
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “After we started the weekend strongly, unfortunately the yield was low. The crash in the first race put a spoke in our wheel for Sunday as well. The mechanics did a fantastic job and worked late into the night to pretty much build two new bikes. It was a close call for the warm-up, but we were able to compete. In terms of performance, however, we were clearly lacking the race data from Saturday. The Superpole race was a far cry from where we wanted to be for both riders, who were visibly battered after yesterday. We discovered that both bikes were extremely sensitive in the areas of tyre pressure and temperature, which put us at a distinct disadvantage in the Superpole race. We made changes to the chassis geometry of both bikes for race two to counteract the problems. The changes had a positive effect for Tom, but tenth place after our results on Friday and Saturday was disappointing. Eugene battled, but could only do enough to finish in 14th. This was another weekend to forget. The positives to take from the weekend are what we have learned, and the first qualifying 1-2 for BMW Motorrad in the WorldSBK.”

Tom Sykes: “We came into the weekend well and honestly, the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team have been working very well. When we started in the first wet sessions, I was really comfortable with how the bike was working and the chassis of the BMW S 1000 RR. From there we just kept making steps forward, feeling really comfortable. We got ourselves a nice qualifying position for the race and then one thing led to another. After Saturday’s main race, the guys did an incredible job, I think they finished around 2:00 o’clock in the morning on both sides of the garage to prepare the bikes. So hats off to those boys. It was just unfortunate with that lack of information that would have certainly made today a lot easier for the big race. But we’ve learned a lot in the second main race. And like I said, with yesterday’s information we would have certainly done something different today. It has just been one thing after the other which is a shame because after Friday we were very confident for a strong result. But we will just stay positive.”

Eugene Laverty: “After such a good feeling with the bike all weekend, on Friday and Saturday, in the wet conditions, today was a major let-down. The bike never felt the same. Right from the first lap of the morning’s warm-up, I’ve been having issues, particularly on corner entry and mainly in the right corners so we have to investigate, check that there isn’t something out of line after the huge crash yesterday. So let’s investigate, make sure that the bike’s correct for Estoril and try to finish the season on a high.”

More, from a press release issued by GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team:

The French weekend ends with two more top-10s for Team GRT

The rain did not let go of its grip on the Magny-Cours weekend even on Sunday, with two more wet races, and good results from the GRT drivers. After the French round, the focus of the teams now shifts to the last stage of the championship on the Estoril circuit.

Gerloff, ready to redeem himself after yesterday’s crash, proved competitive again in this morning’s warmup, which ended with the sixth fastest time. Caricasulo, on the other hand, continued his adaptation to the difficult track conditions, setting the 15th time. The Superpole Race then ended with the American eighth, and the Italian out of the race due to a crash on lap six. For Gerloff, not as comfortable with the bike as much as in the previous days, race 2 then confirmed the eighth starting place, while Caricasulo held a much better pace than the previous days, finishing 11th but with a more contained gap from the leader compared to Race 1.

Gerloff summarizes a fundamentally positive weekend, but in which he has gradually lost some of his edge and competitiveness: “What a crazy weekend. We were really strong in the first few days and I was happy to be able to bring the good feelings of Barcelona with me here too. I was fast on Friday and yesterday too, until I crashed. Today I was hoping to be just as fast and to stay close to the leaders, but the conditions were more difficult to interpret. In the Superpole race we tried a different setup but it didn’t work as we expected, so we went back to yesterday’s setup, but for some reason I still didn’t feel 100%. Also, in race 2 I didn’t even have a great first lap, and I lost some positions which I then struggled the whole race to recover. I had to battle with some riders and I lost a lot of crucial seconds. Overall it was definitely a positive weekend, but I’m still a little disappointed with the way it ended after a great start. I would have liked to have been consistently fast all weekend and sadly this is not entirely successful, but I have certainly learned a lot and feel ready for the Estoril round. It looks like a very fun track and it goes well with the Yamaha, so I can’t wait. ” but I have certainly learned a lot and I feel ready for the Estoril round. It looks like a very fun track that goes well with the Yamaha, so I can’t wait. ” but I have definitely learned a lot and feel ready for the Estoril round. It looks like a very fun track and it goes well with the Yamaha, so I can’t wait. ”

For Caricasulo, the French round was anything but easy, especially due to the weather conditions, but the rider from Ravenna is satisfied with the great improvement made over the weekend: “It was not an easy weekend, because the rain and cold conditions They have always been difficult, but I think that from Friday to today we have made some big steps forward, both in terms of my riding in the wet and in setting up the bike. We were therefore able to greatly reduce the gap in terms of lap time, but also the overall gap from the leaders in the race. There is still a lot to improve, we know what areas to work on if wet conditions reappear, but I’m happy with the steps taken. At Estoril, which is a track I’ve never seen other than the PlayStation with a 2004 game, I have no idea what to expect, so now I will look at some on board, I will study it and I will get some advice from Niccolò (Canepa, Yamaha rider in the World Endurance Championship and test rider of the factory team in WorldSBK), who has just raced there. We will give our best there too. ”

The Technical Coordinator, Damiano Evangelisti, regrets not having obtained better results, but underlines the importance of the information collected during this wet weekend and thanks all the team members: “We close the Magny-Cours weekend with still complicated weather . All the sessions were held in the wet, with more or less water on the track and with increasingly different conditions. Also tonight there was another storm with a strong wind that in our opinion brought a lot of dirt to the track, and the asphalt behaved differently today than yesterday. From Garrett, given how things had turned out on Friday, perhaps we expected something more. In our opinion, and also according to him, the crash in race 1 took away a little bit of confidence, so today he was a bit more conservative and put on a quieter pace to finish both races. We needed data more than results today. It wouldn’t have helped us to have another race interrupted by a crash, we needed two full races. Garrett closed them with two eighth places. Surely he too expected something better, but for us these are two quite positive results, both in terms of the result itself and for all the information we have stored. Federico, on the other hand, suffered a little more, he struggled to find confidence, and we certainly worked harder to set up his bike. Another crash this morning risked compromising his weekend, but then we worked on the bike again and a decent Race 2 came out: He was much faster on pace, and took a lot of seconds off his total race time, making most of the race attached to Toprak (Razgatlioglu) and finishing in 11th position. Difficult weekend, but the overall balance leaves us quite satisfied. We have done a lot of work, gained a lot of experience in the wet, and this is also part of our path. It was also an intense weekend for the team, with several crashes, several bikes to rebuild and several difficult choices to make. All the rebuilt bikes worked perfectly, we always remained within the range of use of the wet tires even when the track was drying, and this is confirmation that the team continues to work very well. This makes me very proud because it means that the work we are doing inside the garage is really of a high standard. The next race will be on a new track for everyone: we have collected some data to do two calculations and try to understand how the bike works on that circuit, so we will study them before we get to the track and then we will run this last race trying to close this season distorted by the COVID situation in the best possible way. ”

Thanks to the points collected today, both Gerloff and Caricasulo move up in the world rankings: the American is now 11th, with 78 points, while the rider from Ravenna moves to 13th place, with 51. The 2020 season is now starting to conclude and the next round at the Estoril circuit, scheduled between 16 and 18 October, it will also be the last. The Portuguese Friday will start with the first free practice session at 10:30 and will continue with FP2 at 15, local time.

Editorial Note: Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

Editorial Note: Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

Editorial Note:

In Race One, Canadian Torin Collins finished 23rd while Americans Tyler Scott and Damian Jigalov DNF.

In Race Two, Scott finished 22nd, Collins was 26th, and Jigalov got 29th.

Here is a link to video of the races.

Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

Editorial Note: Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

Editorial Note: Use the zoom and scrolling tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all pages of the race results.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

#FRAWorldSBK – Day 2

Rea holds off Baz for victory in dramatic WorldSBK Race 1

Thrilling wet race at Magny-Cours won by Jonathan Rea after the two BMW riders crash out from first and second on Lap 1

Thrilling action up and down the grid was the order of the day during Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with wet conditions greeting the 21 riders for the opening race of the Pirelli French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed his 10th victory of the 2020 season.

The drama started at Turn 1 as both Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Eugene Laverty retired from the race on the opening lap; Laverty was taken out by a falling Sykes after the British rider was hit by Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team).

The incident left Rea, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Gerloff battling for victory after Gerloff fell back following a mistake at Turn 5. Gerloff recovered to third place but a crash at the Turn 6-7 Nürburgring chicane forced him to retire; the American star taken to the medical centre for a check-up. It meant Rea and Baz duelled it out for victory with Rea coming out on top by around three seconds while Baz secured his first podium at Magny-Cours. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in third place as he secured his first podium since the Australian Round; Lowes securing his third podium of the season.

Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) followed up his victory at Catalunya with fourth at Magny-Cours as he continued to his strong end to the season as the Welshman finished ahead of the battling trio of Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team), Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati). Redding finished in fifth place ahead of Razgatlioglu in sixth after Haslam passed Razgatlioglu into Turn 12 before crashing straight after; Haslam retiring from the race.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) finished in seventh place ahead of Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) equalling his best result of the 2020 season with eighth place. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) finished ninth after the Dutchman crashed on Lap 15 at Turn 13 while battling in the top four positions, ahead of Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) in tenth.

Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finished the 21-lap race in 11th place with Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finishing just ahead of French rider Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) finishing in 13th place as he scored more points. Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) scored his first ever WorldSBK points with 14th place and Xavier Pinsach (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) claiming points in his first WorldSBK race.

Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished the race in 16th; equalling his best result of his races in the 2020 season with Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) rounded out the classification in 17th place, with Haslam, Gerloff, Sykes and Laverty all retiring from the race.

P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK):

“I felt pretty good out there straight from the get-go, but to be fair Loris and Garrett and Alex were in the group and the pace was incredible. Doing 48, 48, 49, 48. Every time I saw my dashboard, I thought I’d be able to get a gap but they were right there. It was a really fun race, Loris pushed me right to the end. He made a small mistake, I think, with five or six laps to go.”

P2 Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha):

“I’m so happy. It was a crazy race. I know I had fantastic pace all weekend, but I took a gamble in Superpole, I went for the intermediate tyre. I just missed out on the right lap by a few seconds, so I was a bit annoyed at that. I had a great race, great pace and tried to be as close as possible. The pace he was putting was crazy, every lap he improved the time and for 12 or 13 laps we were going faster and faster. I had a moment on the kerb going into the last chicane, I lost a second, and then I just tried to manage the gap with Alex and then staying close to Jonny in case he made a mistake. He doesn’t make many mistakes so hats off to him because it’s not easy to put this kind of pace when you’re playing for a Championship. We have some fans here and it’s my first podium at Magny-Cours so I’m happy for them and we try again tomorrow.”

P3 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK):

“I felt good in the wet all weekend. The start was a bit hectic, Gerloff got a bit too aggressive on the inside and I was lucky to miss that altercation. After that, I felt quite good. I got onto the back of the group and then from about half the race I struggled with the front. It’s been a long time since I was on the podium, so I had to manage the second part of the race. I’m happy to be back up here!”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Rain Produces Mixed Results for Pata Yamaha in Magny-Cours Race 1

Rain prevailed as Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team with Rizla riders Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Michael van der Mark finished sixth and ninth respectively in Race 1 at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours today.

The team’s young Turkish rider discovered improved confidence in the wet as he stormed through the field from 13th on the grid to fifth place by lap 15 of 21. After making up five positions in the first lap alone, he became embroiled in a battle with Honda rider Leon Haslam. It looked like Razgatlıoğlu would come out on top until Haslam suffered a violent high-side at Turn 11 on the last lap, forcing the #54 Yamaha R1 rider to avoid Haslam’s wayward bike and allowing Ducati’s Scott Redding to pass for fifth position.

Van der Mark had an equally impressive start in the opening lap, coming from P6 on the grid to second behind eventual race winner Jonathan Rea. But, missing some confidence compared to the podium finishers, the Dutchman settled into a somewhat lonely race, with strong and consistent pace, in fourth position until a small mistake at Turn 13 on lap 14 saw him fall down the order. Quickly remounting his relatively unscathed R1, Van der Mark was able to salvage seven championship points with ninth position.

With similar rain forecast for tomorrow, there won’t be long to dry out between Warm-Up at 09:00 (GMT+2), the Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and the main Race 2 at 14:00.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: P6

“Today I didn’t have a good start to the qualifying session, but I came back in the box and we made a small set-up change and I felt a lot better. But with time for just one lap, I could only manage 13th on the grid – I needed one more lap to improve! In the race, I felt much better on the bike in these conditions, and also for me it is the best race I have ever had in the rain. The feedback from the Yamaha R1 was very good and I know where we can take more steps forward. Today, as a team we are quite happy – I saw it was possible to finish in P5 but on the last lap, Haslam had a big crash and it was not possible to avoid him without braking as his bike came across my race line. So, sixth in the end but the pace was not bad, and tomorrow we will try for a much better position.”

Michael van der Mark: P9

“Superpole was alright, to be honest. The track was starting to dry a bit so again the conditions were different to yesterday. I felt okay, improved my last lap time – the tyres were starting to get really warm and moving around so it was difficult, but P6 on the grid is a good place to start – and I did make a good getaway! I was a bit lucky at Turn 1, the BMW riders crashed in front of me and I managed to get up to second but I just didn’t have the confidence like the guys who passed me. At a certain point, I was riding alone in P4 and I had a good pace, but I just didn’t feel very good with the bike. The feedback and grip wasn’t what I needed, and then I made a mistake and crashed in Turn 13. I picked it up quickly and finished ninth, so we scored some points but I threw away a lot of important places for the fight for P3 in the championship. So, really disappointed, but tomorrow we have two more chances. I’m fast with a bike that I’m not really comfortable with, so hopefully tomorrow with an improved set-up on my R1 I can do well.”

Paul Denning, Team Principal

“We said yesterday that we were happy that Toprak could be here competing after the huge Barcelona crash, but today, even if P6 is not an exciting result on paper, we are happy with this wet weather performance given that riding in these conditions has been an acknowledged weak point for him in the past. Despite a poor qualifying in 13th position, Toprak showed a lot of aggression to be in the top eight by the end of lap one and to progress his pace really positively as the race went on. For Mikey, the result was obviously disappointing. He picked his R1 up incredibly quickly after the crash and recovering to ninth place was a small consolation but he was disappointed not to have the feeling he needed to be able to go with the front group. With his crew, he’ll be looking to make some improvements overnight and to come out fighting tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

#FraWorldSBK Race-1. Following a solid comeback, Chaz Davies and Scott Redding finish fourth and fifth respectively at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

Race-1 of the Pirelli French Round was characterized by the comeback of Chaz Davies and Scott Redding who, after a difficult qualifying session, managed to finish in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The two Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders were not incisive in the morning qualifying – held in wet conditions – and had to settle for ninth and tenth position on the starting grid.

Chaz Davies got off a good start that allowed him to immediately recover three positions. After the crash of Gerloff (Yamaha) on lap 9, Chaz went after Van Der Mark (Yamaha) who made a mistake allowing him to gain the fourth position.

In the first half of the race – characterized by heavy rain – Scott Redding could not find enough grip to push to the maximum. From lap 9 on, as the circuit started to dry, his race pace improved vertically allowing him first to overtake Rinaldi (Ducati) then to recover almost three seconds and to close the gap with Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) and Haslam (Honda). In the last lap Scott took advantage of an error of Haslam to close in fifth position.

P4 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“I am happy for this result. The feeling with the bike was very good and for this, I am particularly satisfied. Maybe I could have pushed harder but for me, it was fundamental not to make mistakes and to take important points to increase the advantage over Van Der Mark and consolidate the third position in the standings”.

P5 – Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“In the first laps of the race, I could not find the feeling. Things improved when the track started to dry and I was able to reduce the gap with the front group. When it started raining again I tried to stay in contact, working well especially in braking areas. I think we can do well tomorrow, especially if we can find something in acceleration”.

More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:

Cavalieri ended a tough Race 1 (P16) at Magny-Cours 

Magny-Cours (FRA), 3rd October 2020. Samuele Cavalieri only touches the points zone in the first race of the Magny-Cours’s weekend, seventh round of the Superbike World Championship.

In Race 1 under the wet, like all the weekend so far, with asphalt temperatures constantly below 15°C, the Barni Racing Team rider finished in P16 after leaving from the P20 of the starting grid.

In the Superpole, Cavalieri set a time of 1’53.377, improving his best lap of Friday by more than four seconds and conquering the seventh row of the grid. The 23-year-old from Ferrara is improving his confidence with the Ducati Panigale V4 R, but the weather conditions are forcing him to a slower than expected apprenticeship.

Tomorrow the Superbike will go down the track again for two more races: at 11.00 am for the Superpole Race, on the short distance of ten laps, and at 2.00 pm for Race 2. The weather is expected rainy tomorrow as well.

Samuele Cavalieri

Superpole: P20 – Race 1:  P16

“The feeling is better than yesterday, but we are still too far away. I’m very sorry because in Barcelona I had a good time on the wet while here I am struggling a lot. The weather and asphalt conditions are really insidious, we must try something to improve for tomorrow.”

Marco Barnabo, Team Principal:

“In qualifying session we improved a lot, Samuele managed to cut his lap time, unfortunately in race with a lot of water and cold asphalt the rider had no confidence to push on the tires, this trapped him in a vicious circle: if you do not push it’s impossible to warm tires, but if you do not have the tires in the right temperature you can not push too much. For this reason we have to make some changes to give the rider more confidence in the first laps.”

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team:

Qualifying 1-2 and drama for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Magny-Cours.

Eugene Laverty claims his first pole position on the BMW S 1000 RR.

Tom Sykes second on the grid to complete first BMW qualifying 1-2 in WorldSBK.

Dramatic scenes in the race: neither BWM rider at fault for early retirement.

Magny-Cours. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team showed its class during Superpole qualification in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Magny-Cours (FRA), recording the first qualifying 1-2 for BMW Motorrad in WorldSBK. Eugene Laverty (IRL) claimed pole position on his BMW S 1000 RR, closely followed by his team-mate Tom Sykes (GBR) in second place. However, neither rider was at fault when both were forced to retire early from the race. Magny-Cours is hosting the seventh and penultimate round of the 2020 WorldSBK season.

Superpole qualification on Saturday morning took place in extremely tricky conditions. After a period of rain, the sun appeared just in time for Superpole. The two BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders were initially in the midfield, before really cutting loose towards the end of qualification. Team celebrations were big when Laverty secured his first pole position on the BMW S 1000 RR and his team-mate Sykes rounded off the success by claiming second place.

The team was correspondingly optimistic ahead of the first race in the afternoon. It had started to rain around an hour before the start, but the RR had proved to be extremely competitive with the wet-weather setup. However, hopes of claiming top results were soon dashed as Laverty and Sykes fell victim to an unfortunate sequence of events in turn one. There was contact between Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Sykes, who then began to slide and clipped Laverty’s rear wheel. Both BMW riders crashed and the race was over for Sykes and Laverty. Thankfully, neither rider was injured.

Quotes after race one at Magny-Cours.
 
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “What a day. It showed just how close together the ups and downs are in motorsport. Both Tom and Eugene had given great performances in the changeable, but consistently wet conditions since the first practice session. Everything was going perfectly. Tom had coped well with his fall in yesterday’s practice and the team had done a good job to prepare the motorbike perfectly for today. The Superpole session was a thriller but we knew that we could finish really high up. To finish with P1 and P2, the first qualifying 1-2 for BMW Motorrad in WorldSBK, is just fantastic! But the race was just as disappointing as the 1-2 was wonderful. The race finished for both of them in turn one. Gerloff had come from a long way back and went into T1 too hot. He then had to correct and hit Tom on his elbow, which made him fall. Unfortunately, Tom’s bike then clipped the rear wheel of Eugene’s bike, which then saw him come off with a highsider. We find it a bit difficult to understand that Gerloff got away without an official warning or a penalty, but the decision made by the race direction is fixed and we have to accept it. Both of our riders took a bit of a battering, but they are OK. Both of the bikes are badly damaged. We now have a long day ahead of us to put both motorbikes back together. We are looking ahead to tomorrow and we will be ready to go when the riders and bikes are both OK.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Qualifying was fantastic for the team to get a 1-2 in wet conditions. Both Tom and Eugene stayed out as long as possible to build their confidence up and they got what they deserved by starting P1 and P2 for race one. I must thank the whole team for their hard work, especially after the recent disappointments. Going into the race it was just cruel luck. Both riders got off the line comfortably with Jonathan Rea taking the lead. Garrett Gerloff came tight up the inside of Tom, however Tom already had the racing line, which meant he collided with him. That caused Tom to crash and ultimately take out his teammate Eugene at T1. As a team we are very disappointed in the race direction’s decision not to penalise Garrett for causing the crash. We feel he should have been penalised for his unsafe and out of control actions that led to this big consequence for our team. This does not help our cause moving forward, but we will fix our bikes tonight and come out fighting again tomorrow.”

Eugene Laverty: “After the fantastic qualifying we had pole position and I was feeling optimistic ahead of race one. My aim was to bide my time and see where we ended up. Our bike has been working fantastic in these wet conditions, so I knew we had a good chance today. Our aim after the great qualifying session was to get that podium, so starting from P1 gave us the perfect chance to do that. Unfortunately, that was not the case after getting taken out in a crash caused by Garrett Gerloff. I am really angry about this crash because in a wet race like this to go in at the angle he did at T1 is not really the smart thing to do. It’s lucky that nobody got seriously hurt. However, tomorrow is another day, we will get another chance to showcase our potential, I will push hard from the off and get stuck in.”

Tom Sykes: “It was definitely a good showing from the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team today. The BMW S 1000 RR has been working well all weekend and I had a great feeling on the bike from FP1. We have just been making small changes on the bike throughout the weekend getting used to the conditions. For the team to get a 1-2 in qualifying was great. I think the pace we had for the race was looking very strong but unfortunately that was not meant to be. It is a shame that both the BMWs got taken out in the way they did, only a couple of hundred yards from the start line. It was a thoughtless and reckless move from Garret, and it has left our boys a lot of work to do on both sides of the garage overnight. Unfortunately, we have had our fair share of bad luck this year and today is one of those days. Tomorrow we will come back stronger and get the results that the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team deserve.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:

MICHAEL RACES INTELLIGENTLY, BRINGING HOME POINTS AND EXPERIENCE!

After a lot of rain yesterday, guess what conditions the WorldSBK riders face today?  Rain, wet track, and worsening conditions during the race.

In FP 3 the temperature was truly winter, about seven degrees in the air. Michael entered the track cautiously, trying to check if everything was okay on the bike ahead of Superpole, but without taking unnecessary risks. At the end of the session he complained of rear grip problems, probably due to cold weather conditions and the harder Rain compound, not perfect for the amount of water on the track.

In Superpole the track conditions are much better, with the trajectory line that dries lap after lap and offers better grip. Michael completes the whole session on the same Rain tyres, gaining more confidence and improving his lap time. He finished in seventh position, conquering the third row for Race 1 and Superpole Race. The work focuses on electronics; a different configuration could perhaps have given some advantages, but the important thing was to have a good starting position for the races.

Shortly before Race 1 the clouds over the Circuit de Nevers-Magny Cours thicken and the track is once again very wet. The number 21 sprints well at the start, then at the first corner the two BMWs fall a few meters in front of him and he is forced to close the gas slightly, losing a couple of positions. In the first laps he tries to adapt to the conditions, and gets into battle with Toprak and Haslam. As race pace he is not very fast and throughout the race he tries to recover on the Yamaha and Honda riders. The track gradually becomes more dangerous with several protagonists on the ground. Seventh position under the checkered flag, not an excellent race, but the important thing today was to defend oneself and take home important points, both for the Championship and for the Best Independent Team standings!

During the night, the staff will work to improve some problems faced in the race, especially in terms of electronics and engine braking. For tomorrow (in which weather uncertainty is still expected) it will be essential to give Michael a bike as constant as possible during the race length. Let’s see what happens on Sunday in France!

Michael Rinaldi (Rider):

“It wasn’t a great race for us, because after a good start, I suffered with the electronics. So, I had to try to understand what the bike would do in each corner: when that’s the case you can’t attack but you can only defend yourself by trying to bring the bike home. Honestly, I’m a little upset because we have been chasing the same problem since yesterday and we couldn’t solve it in the race. Now it’s important to try to understand what’s wrong and be back in the game tomorrow. I think we have the speed, but we cannot show it for this problem. Tomorrow will be another uncertain day and we will do our best to improve our position!”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Win And Podium For KRT Riders

Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his tenth win of the season with a commanding front-running performance in fully wet conditions at Magny Cours, extending his championship lead in the process. Alex Lowes (KRT) achieved his pre-race target of finishing on the podium and took third place.

On a wet track surface the incident-packed opening 21-lap race of the WorldSBK weekend in France saw Jonathan lead almost immediately, after the riders in first and second position off the startline collided and fell in turn one. Rea made the most of good start and a clear track to push the pace hard on the resurfaced Magny Cours asphalt. He would end up winning by a clear 3.342 seconds.

Lowes was in second place on lap one and after some battles with other riders he went into fourth and eventually his final third position, using a cool head in the tricky conditions to secure his third podium finish of the year so far.

In Tissot-Superpole, also held in wet conditions, Rea recovered well enough from a small crash in the early morning FP3 session to go third fastest, earning a front row starting position. Just one place behind, Lowes was fourth, and started race one from the second row of the grid.

In winning today Jonathan took not only his 98th WorldSBK race victory but also extended his championship lead over Scott Redding – fifth in race one – to 65 points.

Two more WorldSBK races remain for Jonathan and Alex at Magny Cours on Sunday – the 10-lap Superpole ‘sprint’ race and then a full 21-lap finale to wrap-up the penultimate round of the championship.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was super-hard to keep concentration for all 21 laps at the front. The pace was ridiculous but that is down to a few things. We had a good set-up on the Ninja ZX-10RR but also Magny Cours did a really good job of the new tarmac. Last year in these conditions a 1’53/54 was a good lap time, and now are doing 1’48/49s in the wet conditions. Massive thanks to my team, and everyone around, because I think we got the best out of the bike. You can never have a perfect set-up for the wet, because the conditions are always changing. Sometimes it is fully wet, sometimes there is just a little bit of water, then sometimes even a drying track. Overall our set-up for the rain was very good.”

Alex Lowes, stated: “The first part of the race I felt quite good. In the second part I did not feel that good under hard braking, as the front was sliding a lot. Because I had a bit of a gap behind I just tried to manage the situation. I think we can improve a bit for tomorrow, of course, but I am happy to be back on the podium in these conditions. I have a lot of experience of riding around here in the rain from past seasons, but after the resurfacing it is like a different track. All the braking markers and tip-in points I remember from the past in the rain, you may as well completely forget them!”

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished eighth today, equalling his previous best finish in the 2020 season. Valentin Debise (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) was 14th and Xavier Pinsach (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 15th, meaning each of them scored championship points in what was a very difficult opening race in such wet conditions.

More, from a press release issued by GRT Yamaha Junior WorldSBK Team:

A crash deprives the GRT Team from returning to the podium

The second day of the Magny-Cours round was again marked by rain, which made Race 1 as unpredictable as it was risky.

The conditions for today’s race looked good right from this morning’s free practice, in which Gerloff set the third best time and Caricasulo the eighth. In Superpole, then, the American achieved an excellent fifth place, while his teammate qualified twelfth. Gerloff’s splendid progression of the weekend was unfortunately interrupted in Race 1, in which, after an excellent start in the wake of the leaders, the rookie slipped during the seventh lap. Caricasulo, still looking for the right feeling in the wet, made no mistakes and crossed the line in 11th place.

The Italian [Caricasulo] does not hide the difficulties he has had up to now, but he thinks he has found the right solutions to aim for better results tomorrow: “It has been, up to now, a fairly complicated weekend in which we are working hard to solve everyone. our problems in the wet and trying to get faster. In my opinion, in the race we managed to take a nice step forward in terms of pace, and we made some improvements in the riding and setup of the bike. Finishing race 1 was also important to gather more information and we will certainly start tomorrow with a little more already in the morning, to stay closer to the front group and fight to get into the top-10 even in the wet. ”

Gerloff knows he has thrown away a great opportunity, and is very sorry: “I am very disappointed with how it went today. I was very confident after yesterday, having been the fastest ever, and I still was after the fifth place and the second row of qualifying. In race 1 I got off to a good start, immediately climbing up to second place. I suffered a couple of overtakes, but I saw that I was able to overtake too, and I had a great feeling. The bike was following me really well and I had a lot of confidence, I’m just disappointed that I wasn’t able to finish the race. It could have been another good result. A big thank you to the whole GRT team, we’ll be back on track tomorrow and start again with a free mind. This is the plan. ”

The Technical Coordinator Damiano Evangelisti, despite the disappointment for the missed opportunity, says he is satisfied with the work done, and looks to tomorrow with confidence: “It was a somewhat complicated Saturday due to this continuous wet situation which, if a certain point of view makes the weekend’s work a little more linear, on the other it is also much more insidious for the riders. We didn’t have a bad start this morning, with Garrett keeping up with yesterday’s expectations by finishing fifth in Superpole, while Federico, growing in the wet, qualified 12th. The possibilities for Garrett to stay ahead and for Federico to improve under the water were all there. The race, as I said before, is always very tricky in the wet. The conditions, however, were the same for everyone and Garrett had started well immediately, he had a good feeling and was able to follow Rea and Baz, but unfortunately he had a crash. Too bad, but we must always consider that this is our first ever race in the wet, and the first for Garrett on this track, so it takes experience. Today’s fall will be part of his growth path. In any case, he was very good, in my opinion, because he showed that even here, on an unfamiliar track and in very difficult conditions, he could have fought again for the podium positions, continuing on the right path taken in Barcelona. Federico, on the other hand, finished eleventh, after having suffered a great gap especially in the first laps.”