Magny-Cours WorldSBK/SSP/300 Sunday race reports/results/points/quotes

2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Nine – Magny-Cours

WorldSBK Superpole Race

Alvaro Bautista got the holeshot as the Sunday morning Superpole race started but his lead did not last long as Razgatlioglu went from third to first in one stunning move at Turn 5 on Lap 2, passing both factory Ducati riders under braking into the Adelaide hairpin. Rinaldi then moved ahead of team-mate Bautista at Turn 11 on the same lap to claim second, with Bautista seemingly struggling for pace in the early laps before he started fighting back. On Lap 3, Rinaldi moved ahead of the Yamaha star at Turn 6 and remained there until Turn 5 on Lap 5.

Razgatlioglu looked to pass Rinaldi on Lap 5 for the lead, with the reigning Champion following the Turk and then made contact with team-mate Rinaldi. The Italian came off his bike and retired from the race. He was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, and subsequently declared fit, while Bautista continued the race. The incident was investigated by the FIM Stewards, with no further action taken. Pata Yamaha protested the fact that no action was taken but their protest was ultimately dismissed.

After initially dropping down behind the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK machines of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes, Bautista was soon back up to second after overtaking Rea, while Lowes brought his machine into the pits to retire.

Bautista put in a series of race lap records to close the gap to his title rival but Toprak claimed victory.

Six-time Champion Rea withstood a late charge from Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) to claim third.

Locatelli was fourth after missing out on a podium by just 0.244s while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued his impressive form with fifth, six tenths behind compatriot Locatelli.

The fight for sixth went down to the wire with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) passing Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) at Turn 5 on the final lap to secure a second row start for Race 2.

After starting from pole position, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) dropped down the order before running slightly wide, with Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) hugging the kerb. The pair made contact and went tumbling into the gravel, with the incident investigated by the FIM Stewards and Redding handed a Long Lap Penalty. Gerloff returned to the box but retired from the race.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

WorldSBK Race Two

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) bounced back to claim victory in Race 2 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as he took advantages of his rivals battling behind him in a red-flagged MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race. The reigning Champion extended his lead by five points in the title fight ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) after the Turkish star battled hard with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) for second place.

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Bautista got a stunning start as the lights went out and immediately moved into the lead but faced stiff competition from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). Rea went for a move at Turn 5 on the reigning Champion on the inside, but Bautista was able to pick his bike up well and reclaim the lead instantly. Rea kept the pressure on the #1 but Bautista did start edging out a gap.

However, at the start of Lap 5, the red flags were deployed following an incident involving Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the previous lap at Turn 5. Aegerter was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and declared unfit with a suspected concussion. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards and Redding given a double Long Lap Penalty. Although he took to the grid for the restart, Redding had a technical problem on Lap 10 and retired after serving his penalty. At the end of Lap 4, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) crashed at the final chicane, and he slid across the circuit and into the grass. He was able to take his bike back to the pits. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was unable to restart the race as he suffered a technical issue and could not bring his bike back.

On the restart, Bautista moved away well from P1 and, despite challenges from Rea and Razgatlioglu, was able to hold on to the lead. Razgatlioglu moved ahead of Rea on the exit of Turn 15 to claim second but a mistake at Turn 5, where he went in too deep and had to stand the bike up, allowed Bautista to escape in front while he fended off Rea. The #65 looked to overtake his rival on Lap 3 through Turn 4 and into Turn 5 but the Yamaha star cut back, before Rea made a similar move on Lap 6 and made it stick. On Lap 12, the 2021 Champion got a run on his long-time rival and overtook him under braking into Turn 5 to move into second.

Two laps later and the two Champions were side-by-side throughout much of the lap, with Razgatlioglu holding on to second place before Rea tried another move a lap later. Once again, the #54 came out on top in that fight. As the penultimate lap started, Rea looked for second but Razgatlioglu resisted before pulling out a gap on the final lap to beat Rea by just under a second. While those two were fighting, Bautista was out in front, and his gap extended to almost ten seconds before he rolled off in the final few laps before winning by six seconds.

It was Bautista’s 51st win in WorldSBK and 81st podium. Razgatlioglu now has 107 podiums to his name, only two fewer than Carl Fogarty, while Rea’s moved onto 259 podiums.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) battled to fourth place in his 100th race start, with the Italian finishing fourth 26 times out of those 100 races. He was half-a-second clear of Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) who capped off an excellent French Round with fifth after starting from tenth. The Texan put in several passes including on Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), also celebrating his 100th start, at Turn 13 on Lap 13 to sixth, before they both passed Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) as he dropped to seventh in the closing stages. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had been in this battle too but a late issue forced him to retire.

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured eighth place and finished just two-seconds away from ‘Petrux’ ahead, but he had to fend off both Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven), with the trio separated by around four tenths. Oettl secured a top ten finish in France but finished 0.049s behind Vierge after enjoying a strong trip to Magny-Cours for the Independent Ducati rider.

Spanish rider Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was 11th and 2.6 seconds down on Oettl as the flag fell with the #7 trying a new Honda chassis this weekend. He had a four-second margin over home hero Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in 12th as he finished in the points. Rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) gave this team something to cheer on home soil with 13th place, coming off the back of the team’s two WorldSSP podiums at their home round. Both PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team riders scored points with Hafizh Syahrin in 14th and Hannes Soomer four seconds behind. Soomer becomes the first Estonian rider to score WorldSBK points.

Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) narrowly missed out on a point as he finished three tenths down on Soomer, while Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) was the last of the classified riders in 18th. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a stunning start as the lights went out for the second time as he moved in eighth, but he crashed at Turn 13 on the opening lap; the Brit dropped to last. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) went down at Turn 5 on Lap 3 and retired from the race.

WorldSBK Race Two Results

WorldSBK Quotes

Alvaro Bautista – Championship leader – 467 points

“It was a really emotional weekend. After the problem I had in Race 1, in the Superpole Race I was unfortunately involved in contact with Michael. I’m very sorry that he crashed but you have to believe me: I couldn’t do anything to avoid the contact. Race-2 was really good for me as the feeling was extraordinary from the first to the last lap”.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – 410 points

“Normally in the second race I am expecting Alvaro to come through, because in hot conditions he is a very strong rider – especially this track and with the Ducati acceleration. But in general, he did a very good job – pace is very strong. I tried to follow him but after two laps it was not possible – I was fighting with Johnny, then after I just try to follow him for the last five laps because he is very strong. For Race 2, we tried a different set-up but my R1 was not so easy. I enjoyed fighting with Johnny, I am enjoying fighting with the legend but I need the P2! Last lap, I tried more than 100% to get it. For me, it was a really good weekend after five weeks’ break, two wins and one second position – thanks to my team for a good job in every session. I am just thinking race by race, fight for good position and we will see.”

Jonathan Rea – 290 points

“I am really happy to have taken three podium finishes this weekend. From Friday I felt like I had quite a good rhythm but then we didn’t go in the best direction with the set-up. In Race One and even in the Superpole Race I was happy with the bike set-up but I was not able to really ‘dance.’ In Race Two I felt much better from the get-go. I felt like I could do everything to be with Alvaro but he was just on a different level. In the first start of the final race he was making a lot of mistakes but just keeping the lap time. As soon as he cleaned up his riding style, he was gone. Nothing to do really, so I was quite happy that Toprak wasn’t just coming through on me. I could see on my pitboard that he was there behind me, so I thought that maybe today my pace was OK. In the last few laps I was fighting with him a lot – and enjoying it! Toprak in Magny Cours is really strong so I think it does show that we had a positive trend over the weekend, making the bike better. I could stop it quite well and we had good mechanical traction.”

Andrea Locatelli – 256 points

“I’m very happy, especially about Race 2 – fortunately after restarted the race, I was feeling much better on the bike and could push right until the end and I finished in P4. For me, we had really good results here in Magny-Cours made a really big improvement – also compared to Most. So let’s see what happens in the next rounds! But for sure, it is a good end to this weekend with a good feeling and a good step forward, so I am really excited to go to Aragon now. In the Superpole Race, we were close to the podium but lost a little bit in the first four or five laps – I recovered a lot under braking compared to Jonathan, but I lost a little bit on the exit of the corner so it was difficult for me to overtake! We need to be happy, we brought home really good results – also for the championship and we will see what happens in the next races.”

Danilo Petrucci – 180 points

”I am really disappointed because in Race 2 we could have brought home another top five. What happened today it’s just bad luck. I made a mistake in the second start, but I showed I had a good pace. We’ve been in the top five all weekend and we could have finished today. Too bad!.”

Michael Rinaldi – 167 points

“Despite the fact that today we didn’t get the results I was hoping for, I can still say I’m satisfied with this weekend because right from Friday practice we showed we were very fast. In Superpole Race, I was convinced I could fight for the win. Then, after the impact of Alvaro, I found myself on the ground. It was a pity, of course, but these are things that can happen in racing. In Race 2, on the other hand, after a good start, I felt I had some problems with the bike and – I preferred not to risk coming into the pits”

Alex Lowes – 129 points

“Not much to say. I had been riding well so it is hard to accept. It was not as if I had a crash or anything. We knew very quickly that there was a problem, so I need to get my knee sorted properly and then get myself back to 100% fitness. It should be OK in two weeks. Let’s see if we can make it for the Aragon weekend.”

Dominique Aegerter – 123 points

“The sprint race was very positive, finishing sixth to equal my best Superpole race result so far. That was also very good for my start position in Race 2 as well, it gave me a second row. I felt sure I could have a positive race and I was battling with the front group, but after three laps another rider hit me from the back and I crashed. I needed to go to the medical centre and I couldn’t rejoin. I have a little bit of pain in my elbow, but I’d like to say a big thanks to the team, they would have been ready to get me back on track. Now I need some rest, but we’ll surely take the positive notes from here to be strong in Aragon, trying to show our potential once again. A big thanks also to the fans, they were incredible and they gave me a lot of motivation.”

Xavi Vierge – 117 points

“Ninth is not the position we want to fight for of course, but after the last few rounds and particularly in light of the big crash I suffered on Friday, we can be happy with today’s double top nine. The team worked really hard between yesterday and today and I can say we made a step forward in terms of setup. In the short race we achieved our goal to remain inside the top nine, not a foregone conclusion when starting from row six, and in the long race I gave it my all to try and score the best possible result. It was a pity I lost eighth place through the final corner, but I really tried my best. I think we learned a lot this weekend, also in terms of how we can work better together and I’m really happy about that. I’m now looking forward to Aragon, another home track and one that should be better for our bike than others, so we will head there in an optimistic mood and with positive expectations.”

Scott Redding – 108 points

“Not my best weekend of luck. I felt good with the bike this weekend but I was just a little bit unlucky with a couple of crashes. I don’t ever remember crashing three times in a weekend, so it was quite strange. It think because it was so close with the laps times and to get the results there is really small room for error. Obviously we had a crash in race two before the re-start. The guys did a great job to get the bike ready to start the final race – it was quite damaged. I felt good at the re-start and then I had two long lap penalties to do. For me it was important to do them, but I made a good start and made up positions. Then I started to have some small engine troubles. I think that was from the crashes this weekend, maybe I damaged the engine. It was not a good weekend for us regarding results, but we had the pace and we felt good. So we need to see if we can come back a little bit at Aragón.”

Remy Gardner – 107 points

“It was a tough weekend, but we kept progressing and I can go home knowing I made a good comeback in the final feature race. Unfortunately, yesterday I made a mistake in the qualifying and I had to start from far back, but we managed to build pace and confidence from Saturday. I think we had the speed but starting from 16th didn’t help at all. Anyway, we scored valuable points and gained positions and experience for the future, that will be helpful for the remaining rounds. I’d like to thank the team for their work all weekend, and Yamaha for their support.”

Iker Lecuona – 94 points

“Today I started the day with a different mentality – to try and do what we can with what we have right now, just focusing on doing the best possible job and improving as much as possible. There is no sense in getting frustrated or upset. So we might say I’ve changed the chip in my head. Though we struggled in the Superpole race, I kept my cool because I realise that it’s not a matter of what we change in the setup, it’s something we need to solve upstream of this. Xavi uses quite different settings and suffers more or less the same problems. In Race 2 I made a less than perfect start and was lying a little way back when I crashed through the last chicane. “Luckily” it happened just seconds before they red-flagged the race, so I was able to pick up the bike and get back to the pits. I must say a big thank you to the team, as they did a really good job of repairing the bike quickly to give me another chance to race. I just wanted to pay them back with a good result. It was challenging at first because it was the first time I was using the SC1 tyre this weekend, but lap by lap, and especially once everyone’s tyres started to drop, I began closing the gap to Xavi’s group. Eleventh is nothing big, but it is what it is and now it’s time for me to go home and rest up for one week after a busy summer so that I’m all set for the next one.”

Garrett Gerloff – 92 points

“This weekend was pretty damn good, and really close to being a dream weekend. At the end, having my first pole position for myself and for the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and then two top-five finishes is something we can be very happy with. And it was also a weekend we can use to build on for the future. All in all we learned a lot and we can use this for the last three rounds and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Loris Baz – 52 points

“It was a tough weekend and not what I have expected. Especially after I wanted to continue in the way of Imola and Most. From last year, I knew the bike was working well here, but we just didn’t find what was needed. We also had some technical issues and also our base set up was not suiting the track really well. We were always a bit behind. We kept trying and tried to use Garretts base, because he was obviously super strong. In qualifying it worked well and it helped me a lot for the Superpole race but we were just not ready for the long race. In races one and two it was actually just about surviving and it’s really difficult to race like this, because the only thing you’re trying is to not make any mistakes and not to crash. So at the end I was just happy to bring the bike home and it was for sure not the weekend we wanted to. But for sure we’re trying again at Aragón. We have three more rounds to go and we’ll do our best to have some good results.

Michael van der Mark – 23 points

“I was really looking forward to the weekend and to being back racing but unfortunately it turned out to be tough days and we never really managed to give me the right feeling for the bike. We worked very hard and tried several set-up options but did not find the right direction to go. We have seen the potential of the BMW M 1000 RR here at Magny-Cours. That makes me confident and the full focus is now on the next round at Aragón. We’ve tested there and we will give everything to have a stronger weekend there.”

Team Managers

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Principal

“It’s been a great weekend’s work by Toprak, Loka and the whole team in unusually difficult conditions! Loka rode a brilliant Superpole Race, challenging Jonathan for the podium on the very last lap – and backed that up, after an uncertain start, with another really strong ride to secure his second P4 of the day in Race 2. This hasn’t been his strongest circuit in the past, so it’s another sign that his confidence is building. Magny-Cours certainly is one of Toprak’s favourite hunting grounds though, and two victories plus a very enjoyable fight with Rea in Race 2 rounded off the weekend nicely. Thanks to the whole team and all of our partners, we’ll keep pushing right until the end of the season because it’s not over yet.”

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“It all went wonderfully this weekend for Garrett and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. I was delighted to see that Garrett was finally able to convert his great pace from recent races into positive results. All-time lap record, pole position, a great first race with a fourth-placed finish. In the Superpole race, there was an unfortunate racing accident involving Scott and Garrett. This had a negative impact on our start position for the second main race. Unfortunately, the accident involving Scott and Dominique – we send our very best wishes to him – prompted a red flag. Of course, that throws everything out of kilter. Garrett initially fell back from ninth place at the restart, but then produced some superb lap times at the level of Toprak and Johnny to race back up to fifth. I am very pleased that we were able to show here what potential the bike has. Unfortunately, Mickey was unable to develop a real feel for the bike over the weekend as a whole. He is still working on his comeback after suffering that serious injury. Scott had good pace and was able to show that by finishing seventh in the first race. However, he had a Sunday to forget, with a lot of bad luck. He has to collect himself and go back on the attack at Aragón. Loris qualified well behind Garrett, but he was unable to maintain the pace over the race distance. Overall, I am extremely pleased that we were able to show the podium potential of the bike, and we will build on that in the final three rounds.”

World Superbike Championship Points

WorldSSP Race Two

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) extended his FIM Supersport World Championship lead to 60 points after taking a hard-fought Race 2 win at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours by resisting home hero Valentin Debise’s (GMT94 Yamaha) race-long pressure. With Bulega’s title rival, Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), third during the Pirelli French Round, the #11 heads into the upcoming Aragon Round with a clear advantage over Manzi.

Championship leader Bulega got away well as the lights went out and initially looked to pull out a gap on his rivals, but a series of incredibly fast lap times – including two new race lap records of 1’40.533s and 1’40.520s – from Debise allowed him to hang on to the Italian’s tail. Bulega was able to stabilise the gap to around three tenths as the race reached halfway point of the race as he resisted the #94’s pressure during the first nine laps.

On Lap 12, Bulega lapped three tenths quicker than his rival to open the gap to almost seven tenths between the duo as he ended Debise’s dreams of a famous home victory. Despite Bulega creating some distance between them, the Frenchman was able to stay within a second of the Championship leader before the gap closed again. On Lap 14, the gap extended out to around nine tenths again with Bulega holding on for his 11th win of the season and his fourth double of the season.

With the duo’s relentless pace, they had a 12-second margin ahead of Manzi as the #62 lost nine points to Bulega in the title rival. The Italian was unable to repeat his Race 1 form and close in on Bulega in the latter stages as he took third behind Debise. It was the Frenchman’s second podium after his maiden one in Race 1, while for Manzi it was his 17th podium and his 12th in WorldSSP.

Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) claimed fourth after a race-long battle with Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph), with the German rookie passing Tuuli on Lap 16 of 19 at Turn 5. The pair had been fighting for fifth initially, but a technical issue for Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) promoted them as he retired on Lap 12. Both Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) were involved in that battle as they finished around half-a-second down on Tuuli, with Huertas overcoming a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Warm Up.

Italian rider Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) had a superb start to the race as he immediately moved into the top three, but the #55 often ran wide at Turn 5 which cost him time and, eventually, positions as he dropped down to eighth. He was a second clear of Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in ninth while Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) rounded out the top ten. He was less than a second away from Navarro ahead of him.

Wildcard Johan Gimbert ensured both GMT94 Yamaha riders took points in Race 2 as he finished in 11th, nine seconds away from the top ten, while he was four seconds clear of Simon Jespersen (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) in 12th. The Dane, replacing Nicholas Spinelli who is on MotoE duty this weekend, scored points on his return to the Championship while Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) was 13th. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) returned to WorldSSP and returned to the points as he claimed 14th, with Andy Verdoia (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) the last points scorer.

In the European Cup sub-category young Aussie Luke Power took top honours, crossing the line in 18th place but the first across the line of the competitors only contesting the European rounds of the series.

Anupab Sarmoon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) was 22nd after being given a six-second penalty, in lieu of a double Long Lap Penalty. The Thai rider was given a Long Lap Penalty for shortcutting Turn 6 and not losing sufficient time, before he was given a second one for not taking this. However, the FIM Stewards gave him a time penalty after the race ended.

Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) retired from the race after a Lap 4 crash with Yuta Okaya (ProDina Kawasaki Racing), with the Japanese rookie able to re-join and continue Race 2. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards with Okaya given a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding, before the #16 was given an additional one for not taking the first. Fuligni was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) brought his bike into the pits with a technical issue just after the halfway mark of the race, while Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) retired a few laps later. Turkish star Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was running in the points when he crashed at Turn 13 on Lap 16 which forced him out of the race.

WorldSSP Race Two Results

World Supersport Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race Two

There was a fresh twist in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship title race as Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) claimed his second victory of the Pirelli French Round as his rival, Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing), crashed on the final lap. The Dutchman moved into the Championship lead at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours with the results as he looks to make history in WorldSSP300 with 13 points now separating the top three with four races to go.

Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) had been running in the top three, but he lost the front of his Yamaha machine through the final chicane and, although he was able to remain on the bike while on track, he crashed on the grass while trying to recover and dropped to last. He was able to re-join the race. However, he opted to retire later in the race. Vannucci’s crash allowed Geiger to pulled away by more than a second but the chasing pack, led by Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) closed the gap to just half-a-second by the start of Lap 4.

Like in Race 1, a group of around nine riders created a gap to the pack behind with positions swapping all the time, with Veneman, teammate Jeffrey Buis and Geiger often leading the race throughout the 13-lap battle. With the action heating up in the scorching temperatures, there was a huge twist in the Championship fight as Geiger crashed on the final lap at Turn 5, but he was able to re-mount and claim ninth.

The German’s crash allowed Buis to pull out a gap on the chasing pack and he went on to claim victory by 0.668s ahead of a group of six riders fighting for second, with less than a second separating them.

Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) claimed second after fighting his way up the order with Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) in third. For Buis, he became the first rider to take double-digit wins in WotldSSP300 with 10, while it was his 18th podium. It was Gennai’s eighth podium, putting him level with WorldSSP winner Bahattin Sofuoglu, Hugo de Cancellis and 2021 Champion Adrian Huertas. Perez Gonzalez claimed his second rostrum.

Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) was fourth and missed out on a podium by just 0.226s with Veneman fifth. It had looked like the Dutchman would celebrate his 17th birthday on the top step of the rostrum as he led in the final few laps before he fell to fifth in the pack. Italian rider Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) was sixth and just 0.160s behind Veneman with the action wild and unpredictable throughout. Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) was seventh but just a tenth behind Sabatucci in front with 1.452s separating the top seven.

Fenton Seabright’s (Kawasaki GP Project) strong weekend continued as he took eighth and the fastest lap while the KTM of Geiger was ninth after re-mounting following his last-lap spill. With Geiger only ninth, he relinquished the Championship lead and dropped to third, as Buis and Perez Gonzalez moved ahead of him. 13 points separate the top three. Brazil’s Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) completed the top ten, four seconds back from Geiger.

Czech rider Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) lost more ground in the title fight as he finished in 11th, missing out on a place in the top ten by just 0.166s. He had to fend off Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team) on the last lap as a tenth separated the pair, while Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) was 13th and 0.065s down on Bijman. Marc Garcia (China Racing Team) continued to score points for Kove with 14th while Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) was 15th. The Frenchman had to take a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Race 1 but recovered to take a point on home soil.

Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) crashed out on Lap 2 at Turn 13 on his own which forced the Mexican rider out of the race after a challenging first weekend with his new team. Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) crashed out at Turn 8 on Lap 6, just a couple of laps after he had a crash with Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) at Turn 5; with the incident investigated by the FIM Stewards.

WorldSSP300 Race Two Results

World Supersport 300 Championship Points

2023 FIM Superbike World Championship Calendar
Date	Circuit	WSBK	WSSP600	WSSP300
24-26 Feb	Phillip Island	X	X
3-5 Mar	Mandalika	X	X
21-23 Apr	Assen	X	X	X
5-7 May	Catalunya	X	X	X
2-4 Jun	Misano	X	X	X
30 Jun-02 Jul	Donington Park	X	X
14-16 Jul	Imola	X	X	X
28-30 Jul	Autodrom Most	X	X	X
8-10 Sep	Magny-Cours	X	X	X
22-24 Sep	Aragón	X	X	X
29-Sep-01 Oct	Algarve	X	X	X