Toprak tops Saturday at Magny-Cours

2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Eight Magny-Cours

Toprak Razgatlioglu took victory with an incredible display of pace and consistency to win the opening stanza at Magny-Cours by more than four-seconds as he gained a five-point advantage over nearest rival Jonathan Rea at the Motul French Round.

Razgatlioglu got a good start and took the lead through Turn 1 but soon found himself shuffled back thanks to the run down to the Turn 5 hairpin of Adelaide. He responded when Rea took the lead and made a move on Lap 4 at Adelaide to reclaim the lead of the race before he was able to pull out enough of a gap to keep Rea at arm’s length.

Rea was able to respond as the laps progressed, closing the gap to just a couple of tenths but could not make a move stick before Razgatlioglu extended his lead out in front to more than a second ahead of Rea, holding on to secure his second victory in a row following on from his win in Race 2 at Navarra. Rea’s second place extends his winless drought to seven races since he won at Assen in Race 2. Razgatlioglu showed remarkable consistent pace throughout the 21-lap encounter, always lapping in the 1’37s bracket and he also becomes the first Yamaha rider to take 18 podiums in a single season.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed his third podium in WorldSBK with third place after he got a good start to the race to move up the field from fifth place, before battling the even faster-starting Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for fourth place; eventually passing the Italian at Turn 5 on Lap 12.

Rinaldi then gained a position on Lap 17 when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 17, forcing the British rider out of the race. It meant Locatelli was able to claim third place with Rinaldi being promoted to fourth.

Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed fifth place after battling from ninth on the grid, with the Dutchman enduring a difficult morning with no running in Free Practice 3. He finished two seconds clear of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) in sixth place as all five manufacturers were represented in the top six.

There was a stunning battle for seventh place during the race between numerous riders which came down to the final chicane. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) came home in seventh place with rookie Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finishing eighth and ninth. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) rounded out the top ten after starting inside the top six as the British rider fell back throughout the latter stages of the race.

American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed 11th place, behind the incredible battle for seventh place, just two tenths away from Haslam. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from eighth place and was unable to fight his way through the field as he fell back down through the order to take 12th place despite a Lap 19 crash as he looked to make a move on Sykes at Turn 13; Redding making no contact with Sykes but coming off his bike before he re-joined the race. Local rider Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) was 13th at his home round as he claimed more points for his campaign, finishing less than a second ahead of Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team), with Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounding out the points.

Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) had a difficult race but came home in 16th place while Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) had a battle for 17th place that went down to the line; the duo separated by just 0.082s as Nozane beat Cresson. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was the only other retirement apart from Lowes after he crashed out Turn 13 in the early stages of the race.

World Superbikes Race Results

Rider Quotes

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P1

“For me it was a really good race, and also thank you to my team because again they have made an incredible job this weekend as we improve my R1. Also I really like this track! Yesterday, I try a race simulation focus on just good lap time – a consistent lap time – and also in this race, after I passed Johnny, I just try consistent lap times and it was enough! I wanted to keep a good gap on the last lap so I have space for the “stoppie” across the finish, this was nice to do at last! I try also tomorrow, I hope I am fighting again for the win. The short race will not be easy for me because Johnny is very fast, but all the top riders are also fast! My dream this weekend is for three wins, not easy I know… but we will try!”

Jonathan Rea – P2

“I did not realise that I had made eight Superpoles in a row until I saw it on the TV screen. That is pretty cool. And 100 Superpoles for Kawasaki as well, which is great. It was a really good day at school for me because I learned a lot. I can give some information now to the engineers in the pitbox and hope they can do something with it. It is clear we are quite on the limit of the package and are asking a lot from the front of the bike – in terms of stability and front tyre. When I was with Toprak I felt really good in sector one, up to the braking area of Turn Five. But, changing gear from first to second on the exit of T5 I lost all the time in the lap. During the rest of the lap I felt quite good. Eventually it was time to consolidate second position because Toprak was going away.”

Andrea Locatelli – P3

“I’m really happy about today, because it is my first race here in Magny-Cours in the dry conditions and also with the Superbike! In the first part of the race, I tried to overtake Rinaldi but it was so difficult because I lose a little bit on the straight and in the corner I needed to change my “standard” braking and we compromise also on the exit of the corner. But I got in front and I try to push, and also I take my rhythm and try to close the gap to Alex. In the end, we make another podium and it’s excellent for us. I think we work very well during the weekend, we don’t make any mistake and I think we have a little bit more space to improve. I tried to push until the end today to understand the bike if we need to do this tomorrow, to push until the last lap, and the bike worked very well.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi – P4

“It was a pretty positive race also because we are coming from a quite difficult period. We decided to work in a different way during this weekend and I think this new approach has paid off. Unfortunately, the rear grip was never the best. In the end, I wanted to fight for the podium but in the last five laps, the tire dropped a lot. We will try again tomorrow”.

Michael van der Mark – P5

“I think if you look at the result it isn’t that bad, but it’s a shame I lost so much time in this morning’s session. In the races, I had a good feeling with the bike and we wanted to try something different in FP3, but we couldn’t do so. So now in the race I am struggling a little bit and unsure whether yesterday’s setting was better or not. But anyway, I am happy with the points, and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s two races.”

Alvaro Bautista – P6

“I really enjoyed today’s race and making a comeback from fourteenth on the grid to sixth across the line. This morning I struggled to complete a good lap time in qualifying. I don’t know why but I didn’t feel I had sufficient grip in the rear tyre, so even if I pushed hard, I couldn’t be particularly fast. I was only able to improve by a couple of tenths with respect to the times I was setting with the race trye. I was confident for the race though, because I knew we had good race pace, so it was important to make a good start and try to stick with the guys ahead. And that’s exactly what we did so I’m happy, because I feel we did the best we can right now. For tomorrow it would be good to score a top-nine position in the sprint race so that we have a better start position for the second race, in which the aim is to try and improve further.”

Tom Sykes – P9

“It was another good Superpole but I am disappointed with the race today, and disappointed at not being able to race with the other bikes. Riding in the group, we struggled with the engine temperature and braking performance all through the race unfortunately. We were quicker in the turns but couldn’t get close on the straights to make a pass on the brakes. So, it was a frustrating race but we will have to have another go tomorrow.”

Leon Haslam – P10

“Qualifying went well for me today and I was also able to set a 37.0 with the same tyre combination I later raced with. Unfortunately though, right from the first lap of race 1, I had some issues in braking which forced me to just manage the situation every lap. I was at least seven tenths slower than I was in the practices, and so it felt like a very long race as a result. The fact I dropped three or four places in the final stages was my mistake, as I ran off track. So not the best result for me in the end, because after this qualifying and considering how the weekend was going, I felt we should have been able to finish top five. It could have been sixth place, if it hadn’t been for that mistake near the end.”

Scott Redding – P12

“It was a very tough race. I never had any grip both on the front and on the rear. I tried to hold on until the end even though the feeling was not the best. Then I crashed. In conditions like these, when the temperature is high but not very high, we have difficult problems to solve. Anyway, I hope to do better tomorrow in terms of results”.

Alex Lowes – DNF

“I felt good in all the sessions today. In Superpole on my second qualifying tyre I didn’t manage to improve my time and made a small mistake in Turn 15 but my first qualifying lap was still fast enough to be fourth on the grid. My start was not the best and I went back to fifth place, but I soon got back past Locatelli and Rinaldi to third. I stayed with Jonathan and Toprak a little bit but I did not have the pace mid-race. When Locatelli started catching me I tried to push again but I was on the limit of the front. It has been a while since I was on a podium so I kept pushing and unfortunately made a mistake on the front. To not finish the race is not positive but how I am riding, how I feel on the bike, is a lot more positive. To be as fast as I am feels great and we will get two more chances tomorrow.”

World Superbikes Championship Standings

WorldSSP

The original race of 19 laps was Red Flagged on the opening lap after an incident involving Michel Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti), with the Italian coming off his bike before his Kawasaki machine went barrel rolling on the grass. With the amount of damage to his bike, the decision was made to Red Flag the race, with Race 1 restarted after with a 12-lap distance. Fabrizio was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident, before being declared unfit with multiple contusions and abrasions. The restarted race also gave Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) a second chance after his MV machine suffered a technical issue on the opening lap, but he was able to join the restarted race.

Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) was unable to keep the lead from the start as Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) jumped the Sammarinese rider into Turn 1, with Bernardi falling to fifth before he started to fight his way back through the field. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) had a good start as well as he looked to claim a home victory, applying pressure to Aegerter in the first part of the race

Spanish rider Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) had an eventful race as he battled for a top four finish with Championship contender Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), with the South African rider battling back after a difficult Tissot Superpole session. Aegerter was able to go on to take his ninth victory of the season but Odendaal was able to claim second place with a Lap 11 move on Cluzel at Turn 5, with French rider Cluzel claiming his fourth podium of 2021 with third.

Gonzalez finished in fourth place as he narrowly missed out on a podium place by just 0.168s ahead of polesitter Bernardi in fifth with the pair separated by just one second. Bernardi was able to maintain a top five finish despite a challenging race, finishing ahead of Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing).

There was a battle between the two Kawasaki Puccetti Racing teammates as Philipp Oettl and Cam Öncü fought over seventh place, with Oettl able to finish ahead of his Turkish teammate by just two tenths. Italian rider Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was ninth while Andy Verdoïa (GMT94 Yamaha), returning to the Championship, claimed a top-ten finish with tenth.

2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Racing) battled back from 19th place to claim 11th place, while Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) was 12th as the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider. Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) was 13th for his highest-placed finished of the 2021 season. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) claimed 14th place as he secured points on his WorldSSP debut after moving up from WorldSSP300; both Orradre and Verdoïa have competed in WorldSSP300 and moved up from the class to success in WorldSSP, with Verdoïa the youngest ever race winner in WorldSSP after his win at the Catalunya Round in 2020. Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing), returning to competition following injury, secured 15th place.

Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) was unable to take to the restarted race after he had an issue on the Warm-Up Lap, before his bike was collected by Vincent Falcone (TFC Racing) on the grid, with wildcard Falcone also not taking the restarted race; both riders taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Debise was diagnosed with a left wrist radius fracture and declared unfit, while Falcone was declared unfit and transported to Nevers Hospital for further assessment after being diagnosed with a cervical strain and thorax contusion. Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) retired from the race after a crash on Lap 3 at Turn 13, while Tuuli retired after an incident on Lap 8 at the same corner. Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) was another retirement in the 12-lap race, along with Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

WorldSSP Race Results

WorldSSP Championship Standings

WorldSSP300

Adrian Huertas and Tom Booth-Amos both started from the front row and immediately looked to stay in the lead group, which started to fragment as the 13-lap race. Initially at around 11 riders, it soon reduced to six before Huertas looked to have a gap on the field with around five laps to go. Booth-Amos was able to close the gap with two lap record lap times in the final few laps before challenging Huertas on the final lap; Booth-Amos managing to save a slide coming out of the final corner on the final lap but was able to hold on to second place with Huertas claiming the win. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) claimed a home podium with third place, missing out on second place by just two tenths despite the save from Booth-Amos.

South African rider Dorren Louriero (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed fourth place after a strong performance in Race 1, finishing ahead of Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Kawasaki) on his return to the Championship as he replaced James McManus at the team. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) was in the top six but some four seconds back from Mogeda, while he was almost five seconds clear of Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) in seventh.

The sole KTM rider in the field, Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), claimed eighth place and another top ten finish in the 2021 campaign while Brazilian Ton Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) was ninth in the 13-lap race, with Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing) missing out on ninth place by just one tenth of a second.

Meikon Kawakami (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) was two seconds away from a top ten finish as he came home in 11th place, while Dutch rider Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki) was 12th . Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) had an eventful race after starting from the middle of the pack, being forced down to 26th place in the early stages before fighting back to finishing in 13th. Ruben Bijman (Machado CAME SBK) was 14th with Dean Berta Viñales (Viñales Racing Team) claiming his first points of the season with 15th despite a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start.

There was drama in the closing stages of the race at Turn 13 when Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) came together and ended up in the gravel. Buis was able to recover to finish in 25th but Turkish star Sofuoglu was a retirement from the race; both riders had been fighting in the lead group throughout the race.

Hugo de Cancellis (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) was a retirement on Lap 2 of the 13-lap encounter after a technical issue through the Turn 5 Adelaide hairpin. A lap later, Alejandro Carrion (Kawasaki GP Project) and Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) came together at the same corner with both riders retiring from the race. Johan Gimbert (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini) retired on Lap 6 after he crashed on his own at Turn 5. Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) was the fifth retirement when he crashed at Turn 3 on Lap 7, forcing the Spanish rider out of the race. Yeray Ruiz (Yamaha MS Racing) suffered from technical problems at Turn 5 which forced the Spanish rider out of the race, as well as Petr Svoboda (WRP Wepol Racing). Adrien Quinet (Machado CAME SBK) also retired.

On Lap 11 of 13, Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) retired from the race after a crash at Turn 7, an incident that meant teammate Meuffels had to take a trip through the gravel. Yeray Saiz Marquez (Viñales Racing Team) retired with a technical problem in the closing stages of the race while wildcard Alexy Negrier (Alexy Moto Racing) crashed at Turn 6 right at the very end of the race.

WorldSSP300 Race Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Standings

Motul French WorldSBK Round schedule