Tom Sykes as a spectator around 10 minutes after the start of the first free practice – it was foreseeable that the mostly still wet track would dry out more and more and therefore, like most of his opponents, he waited more than a quarter of an hour.

First and humid day of the France round for WorldSBK

Only a handful of the riders drove even less than Jonathan Rea when the track was initially very wet. Nevertheless, 6 laps were enough for him to set the best time in the first free practice at the end. His toughest opponents in the title fight – Toprak and Redding – had to be content with positions outside the top three, while Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes, along with the reigning world champion, were able to convince in particular. In the first half hour, along with the two HRC Honda works drivers Bautista and Haslam, only Kohta Nozane and Tito Rabat were on the track. The latter due to the fact that the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is completely new to the Barcelona-born Catalan. Below are the times of FP1, with the majority of riders not having completed 10 laps.

P, No, Rider, Bike, Time(,Gap), km/h
1, 1, REA Jonathan, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’38.402, , 292
2, 60, VAN DER MARK Michael, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’38.542, 0.140, 294
3, 22, LOWES Alex, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’38.787, 0.385, 290
4, 54, RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’38.867, 0.465, 293
5, 45, REDDING Scott, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’38.923, 0.521, 291
6, 19, BAUTISTA Alvaro, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’39.373, 0.971, 298
7, 91, HASLAM Leon, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’39.711, 1.309, 293
8, 7, DAVIES Chaz, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’39.848, 1.446, 294
9, 31, GERLOFF Garrett, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’40.004, 1.602, 284
10, 66, SYKES Tom, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’40.158, 1.756, 279
11, 44, MAHIAS Lucas, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’40.443, 2.041, 278
12, 55, LOCATELLI Andrea, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’40.561, 2.159, 291
13, 94, FOLGER Jonas, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’40.600, 2.198, 274
14, 36, MERCADO Leandro, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’40.976, 2.574, 283
15, 47, BASSANI Axel, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’41.198, 2.796, 288
16, 21, RINALDI Michael Ruben, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’41.218, 2.816, 286
17, 53, RABAT Tito, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’41.678, 3.276, 273
18, 32, VINALES Isaac, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’41.999, 3.597, 283
19, 3, NOZANE Kohta, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’42.962, 4.560, 283
20, 84, CRESSON Loris, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’43.631, 5.229, 279
21, 23, PONSSON Christophe, Yamaha YZF R1, , , 243

Dry afternoon expected for FP2 – Cluzel fastest in WSSP 600 FP2

While the WorldSSP 600 could already be on the road in practically completely dry conditions due to the emergence of the sun, there is great hope that it will stay that way for the second free practice session. Razgatlioglu in particular is one of those who have to pray that it doesn’t rain on the weekend. The Turk belongs to the group of pilots who have little chance of top positions on a wet track. This was already proven by the results of 2020 with a sixth and two ninth places for the Yamaha rider in the three rainy races in Magny-Cous. Below are the times of FP1 of WorldSSP 600.

P, No, Rider, Bike, Time(,Gap), km/h
1, 16, CLUZEL Jules, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.384, , 257
2, 94, CARICASULO Federico, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.480, 0.096, 262
3, 66, TUULI Niki, MV Agusta F3 675, 1’41.661, 0.277, 254
4, 30, VERDOIA Andy, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.719, 0.335, 252
5, 5, OETTL Philipp, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’41.726, 0.342, 256
6, 77, AEGERTER Dominique, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.743, 0.359, 259
7, 4, ODENDAAL Steven, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.860, 0.476, 260
8, 53, DEBISE Valentin, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.937, 0.553, 258
9, 61, ONCU Can Alexander, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.029, 0.645, 255
10, 21, KRUMMENACHER Randy, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.520, 1.136, 255
11, 29, BERNARDI Luca, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.537, 1.153, 258
12, 34, MANFREDI Kevin, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.597, 1.213, 254
13, 84, FABRIZIO Michel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.669, 1.285, 254
14, 3, DE ROSA Raffaele, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.857, 1.473, 254
15, 81, GONZALEZ Manuel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.081, 1.697, 259
16, 42, FROSSARD Stephane, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.125, 1.741, 255
17, 40, ORRADRE Unai, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.329, 1.945, 254
18, 71, BERGMAN Christoffer, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.376, 1.992, 255
19, 56, SEBESTYEN Peter, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.400, 2.016, 257
20, 31, VALLE Daniel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.636, 2.252, 257
21, 25, BRENNER Marcel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.718, 2.334, 251
22, 95, TAKALA Vertti, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.756, 2.372, 253
23, 38, SOOMER Hannes, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.775, 2.391, 254
24, 78, OKUBO Hikari, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’43.802, 2.418, 252
25, 24, TACCINI Leonardo, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’43.938, 2.554, 257
26, 55, HENDRA PRATAMA Galang, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.225, 2.841, 255
27, 96, SANCHIS MARTINEZ David, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.430, 3.046, 254
28, 6, HERRERA Maria, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.639, 3.255, 251
29, 2, MONTELLA Luigi, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’45.167, 3.783, 251
30, 20, FALCONE Vincent, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’45.355, 3.971, 247
31, 69, MONTERO HUERTA Eduardo, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’46.540, 5.156, 248
32, 22, FULIGNI Federico, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’47.693, 6.309, 249

The second free practice of WorldSBK

With some delay due to a burst engine from the previous FP2 of the WSSP 300, the WSBK took to the track again, this time on completely dry asphalt. The extension of the Dorna with the organizer until 2024 had been officially announced shortly before. With the shortest start-finish straight of all courses on the calendar, the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is one of Jonathan Rea’s favourite tracks. The Northern Irishman is the best driver in the WSBK history of Nevers with 8 victories so far. After the first quarter of an hour, Chaz Davies was leading on the Ducati, a rider who was even more successful than the Kawasaki ace on the Burgundy track in 2016 and 2017.

Local hero Lucas Mahias in the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Box – the fast Frenchman is always good for a surprise at the weekend, especially on his home track.

The last minutes in FP2 with the hunt for the best time of the day
The benchmark of 1’37.658 set by Davies in the first quarter of an hour remained in place until 20 minutes before the end. After that, Razgatlioglu was the first to be 0.189 seconds faster. In the last quarter of an hour, especially in the first sector, a number of riders were on the road in the time monitor with times marked in red. The first, however, was the Turk himself, who was able to increase again by 11 thousandths. In the first sector, many of his opponents were faster afterwards, but except for Yamaha brand colleague Garrett Gerloff, all failed in the second of 4 sections due to the time of the world championship leader together with Rea. Even this one could not beat the best time of Razgatlioglu with 1’37.138 in the end. Below is the ranking list from Friday.

P, No, Rider, Bike, Time(,Gap), km/h
1, 54, RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’37.138, , 296
2, 45, REDDING Scott, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’37.346, 0.208, 297
3, 1, REA Jonathan, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’37.426, 0.288, 295
4, 7, DAVIES Chaz, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’37.472, 0.334, 301
5, 91, HASLAM Leon, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’37.545, 0.407, 291
6, 66, SYKES Tom, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’37.607, 0.469, 289
7, 31, GERLOFF Garrett, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’37.635, 0.497, 291
8, 22, LOWES Alex, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’37.668, 0.530, 295
9, 21, RINALDI Michael Ruben, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’37.771, 0.633, 293
10, 60, VAN DER MARK Michael, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’37.808, 0.670, 293
11, 55, LOCATELLI Andrea, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’37.826, 0.688, 293
12, 19, BAUTISTA Alvaro, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’37.842, 0.704, 299
13, 47, BASSANI Axel, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’38.234, 1.096, 290
14, 44, MAHIAS Lucas, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’38.368, 1.230, 279
15, 94, FOLGER Jonas, BMW M 1000 RR, 1’38.919, 1.781, 290
16, 36, MERCADO Leandro, Honda CBR1000 RR-R, 1’39.046, 1.908, 288
17, 53, RABAT Tito, Ducati Panigale V4 R, 1’39.198, 2.060, 293
18, 23, PONSSON Christophe, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’39.407, 2.269, 289
19, 32, VINALES Isaac, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’39.531, 2.393, 290
20, 3, NOZANE Kohta, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’39.784, 2.646, 290
21, 84, CRESSON Loris, Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 1’40.591, 3.453, 287

The second free practice of the WorldSSP 600

After Jules Cluzel’s best time was subsequently cancelled in FP1, Federico Caricasulo was in the lead after the morning. As the reporter, this “track shit”, as the drivers and team members call it, is an absolute horror. This is also the reason why we have not had our live blog since Misano 2021. In addition, of course, the completely arbitrary handling by the FIM stewards, which has already caused a lot of anger and confusion in MotoGP. There, we meanwhile forego detailed articles entirely, while our love for WorldSBK even survives this nonsense concocted by the FIM for this season. Dominique Aegerter also learned to appreciate the near-series World Cup, but the Swiss will have to forego the next round in Barcelona. Because the bad planning by FIM and Dorna will lead to another appointment collision with MotoGP in two weeks, Domi is forced to race in Misano. So he has to score as many points as possible in Nevers to make up for the two missed races in Catalonia. After P8 in FP1, the Ten Kate Yamaha rider followed suit and at the end of the day he was also the fastest overall.

P, No, Rider, Bike, Time(,Gap), km/h
1, 77, AEGERTER Dominique, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.314, , 258
2, 94, CARICASULO Federico, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.343, 0.029, 255
3, 30, VERDOIA Andy, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.360, 0.046, 259
4, 16, CLUZEL Jules, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.378, 0.064, 257
5, 53, DEBISE Valentin, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.609, 0.295, 257
6, 66, TUULI Niki, MV Agusta F3 675, 1’41.692, 0.378, 256
7, 61, ONCU Can Alexander, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’41.836, 0.522, 258
8, 29, BERNARDI Luca, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’41.953, 0.639, 256
9, 5, OETTL Philipp, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.015, 0.701, 259
10, 3, DE ROSA Raffaele, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.075, 0.761, 258
11, 81, GONZALEZ Manuel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.123, 0.809, 258
12, 34, MANFREDI Kevin, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.219, 0.905, 260
13, 21, KRUMMENACHER Randy, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.235, 0.921, 260
14, 42, FROSSARD Stephane, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.331, 1.017, 254
15, 84, FABRIZIO Michel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.348, 1.034, 254
16, 4, ODENDAAL Steven, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.408, 1.094, 257
17, 56, SEBESTYEN Peter, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.429, 1.115, 255
18, 24, TACCINI Leonardo, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’42.610, 1.296, 259
19, 71, BERGMAN Christoffer, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.654, 1.340, 258
20, 95, TAKALA Vertti, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.772, 1.458, 258
21, 22, FULIGNI Federico, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’42.974, 1.660, 254
22, 31, VALLE Daniel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.063, 1.749, 254
23, 25, BRENNER Marcel, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.138, 1.824, 254
24, 55, HENDRA PRATAMA Galang, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.164, 1.850, 258
25, 38, SOOMER Hannes, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.166, 1.852, 252
26, 40, ORRADRE Unai, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.174, 1.860, 254
27, 96, SANCHIS MARTINEZ David, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.192, 1.878, 254
28, 78, OKUBO Hikari, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1’43.327, 2.013, 251
29, 20, FALCONE Vincent, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’43.938, 2.624, 252
30, 2, MONTELLA Luigi, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.396, 3.082, 253
31, 6, HERRERA Maria, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.629, 3.315, 256
32, 69, MONTERO HUERTA Eduardo, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’45.569, 4.255, 248

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

Stand in the WorldSBK world championships

WorldSBK Nevers schedule

>WSBK Nevers Preview see separate report on this page.

Unless otherwise mentioned, applies to all images (© WorldSBK).