2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Eight – Magny-Cours
After a short summer break, the World Superbike paddock reconvenes this weekend in France for a fast-paced second third of the season, with five rounds coming up in the next seven weeks.
There will be three development tyres in total for the WorldSBK field to potentially try, with two slick tyres and one rain tyre part of the new tyres alongside several standard solutions that the riders already know extremely well. Up front, the SC1 medium and SC2 hard are the standard solutions available. However, there is a third development solution – the D0715 medium, which uses the same compound as the standard but, with an evolution of the carcass, aiming to provide greater stability and riding precision. With the possibility of rain always a factor at Magny-Cours, the wet-weather tyres are the standard intermediate and standard wet tyres.
At the rear, there are several choices for riders. The standard SCX and SC0 tyres are in the allocation, as is the SCQ which returns after not being available at Most and Portimao; its use is limited to the Tissot Superpole session and Tissot Superpole Race. Also available to riders is the D0820 development SCX tyre, which has the same structure as the standard SCX but features a new compound designed to offer greater wear resistance. In the event of rain, the standard intermediate and standard rain tyres are available along with the new development D0737 SCR1 rain tyre. It has a different structure and compound compared to the standard, designed to ensure greater stability in acceleration and expand the range of use and better consistency at higher temperatures.
Giorgio Barbier – Pirelli
“Magny-Cours marks the halfway point of the season, a key moment for us to assess the progress, in terms of development, made so far and to plan the work in the second part of the Championship. The smooth asphalt of the Nevers circuit is particularly important for the tyres, as it offers little grip and amplifies the small differences in performance between the various specifications, thus providing us with valuable data. The new D0820 rear development solution has been designed to offer greater resistance to wear, thus compensating for the wear caused by spinning triggered by poor grip on the asphalt, while still offering riders sensations similar to those they are used to with the standard SCX in terms of performance. The new front solution, on the other hand, continues to pursue the goal of improving the stability of the SC1 family. Magny-Cours is also the ideal track to test the wet tyres, as in the event of rain the already poor grip of the surface is drastically reduced. The new D0737 specification of the rear SCR1 should offer greater stability in acceleration and a more consistent performance over a wider range of use than the standard version.”
While Magny-Cours is not a new circuit for Pata Prometeon Yamaha Crew Chief Tom O’Kane, it has been a long time since the highly-experienced engineer has visited the Nevers venue – bringing fresh eyes and perspective to the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK set-up for his charge Andrea Locatelli.
Pata Prometeon Yamaha Crew Chief Tom O’Kane
“Two main things stand out about the track. The first is the number of direction changes – from Turn 2 to Turn 3 is a high-speed change where you need an agile bike for the rider to control. Then in addition you have Turns 6-7, 8-9, 11-12 and finally 16-17, so these direction changes are the main characteristic that you need to balance in the set-up.
“The second to consider is that the riders are down to first gear three times across the lap and in particular, for Turn 5 the rider must brake all the way down from the top of the gearbox. The key is to provide stability under braking. At Turn 15, it is a similar story from fifth gear down to first. Finally, Turn 3 has a different challenge with acceleration through and out of the high-speed corner – so the bike also needs to be able to turn well with the throttle open.”
Last time out at Portimao, Razgatlioglu broke the record for most consecutive wins with 13 victories in a row, and he could extend that to as many as 16 at Magny-Cours; a circuit the M 1000 RR has gone well at in the past and the Turk loves with eight wins there already.
Anyone who is winning has a metaphorical target on their back and the Turkish star’s rivals will be aiming to prevent him from winning. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) are winners at Magny-Cours in WorldSBK, the latter with nine – the most at the circuit, which Razgatlioglu can match and beat with two wins.
Jonathan Rea
“Magny-Cours is a circuit that I really look forward to going to – I have some amazing memories from there in the past. The track has a bit of everything! It’s got fast and flowing sectors, stop and go sectors and it’s somewhere where you really need to get the best out of your machine. In the last couple of races we’ve been able to understand how to extract the performance out of the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK for my style – we’ve been very competitive at the end of races and our tyre consumption has been good. The next thing I want to focus on is my one-lap time attack pace, because qualifying has proven very important in WorldSBK this season. Looking forward to the weekend, last year we had a really hot weekend but with Magny-Cours you never know! So, we will keep one eye on the weather and after these weeks off, I’m looking forward to seeing the guys and making a plan together, and to start what is going to be a very busy and intense part of the season!”
The new rider weight rules brought in this year is perhaps the reason why Bautista has failed to really fire this season. Ducati’s WorldSBK Technical Coordinator, Marco Zambenedetti, recently explained the state of affairs with the official WorldSBK site.
Marco Zambenedetti – Ducati WorldSBK Technical Coordinator
“This year, we faced this new challenge as Ducati with Alvaro having some ballast on the bike. We tried several configurations of ballast and, of course, every configuration needs its proper setting. We’ve learnt a lot compared to last year. For sure, some performances in some areas have been decreased because of the bike with more mass. We also learnt how big the impact of increasing the overall weight with this smaller rider. It seems, from Most, we have found something that gives Alvaro a better feeling. Now we’ve had a couple of rounds in this configuration and also with, let me say, special tyres. We are looking forward to seeing if this configuration will work with the standard Pirelli tyre allocations, also with the softer compound. We hope to have found our best configuration.
“This year, the new match of BMW with Toprak and the superconcessions introduced by other competitors – Kawasaki, BMW, Honda – increase the level of competition against us. We need to go home at the end of races and push our bike harder to the limit. We work in a 360-degree way on the overall bike development, especially on the engine side so we developed different exhausts for Nicolo, different ballast configuration for Alvaro, different electronic settings. We worked a lot on the engine mapping and we’re still working. We have a lot to do especially with the introduction of the E40 eco fuel and the reduction of the fuel tank which affects us. It’s an area where we never worked but we have to push until the last race of the season.
“For the last rounds, we would like to improve. For this reason, we have planned a test after Magny-Cours at Aragon to prepare for the race but also to test with both riders some parts, to try to improve the last part of the season. With Nicolo, we just started before Misano to adapt his riding position on the bike to optimise it. We have several components that we would like to test with him that could help him in the entry and corner speed. They’re chassis parts. We have something else in terms of engine that we need to prepare at home and propose to him. For this reason, at the Aragon test, we’d like to try some parts, trying to push as much as possible for the rest of the season.”
Second in the Championship and hoping to gain points on the 2021 Champion is Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in his first WorldSBK race in France, but he did win at the circuit in WorldSSP, while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) has been a consistent podium challenger in recent rounds so will ‘Petrux’ be able to take another step and claim victory?
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was quick at Portimao and has four podiums at the French venue, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued his impressive campaign and will be hoping to keep his run of podiums in every round bar one going in France.
Alex Lowes
“I have enjoyed the break but I am more than ready to get back going again. I have spent some time with my kids, and because my wife has been away I have had the kids to myself. It is good mental training because they are nearly three years old – and they are full gas! That has been fun but it is back to work now, and I have been training hard. We have recharged the batteries for this next set of races and our schedule gets quite busy now for the next two months. Magny-Cours itself is a track that I really enjoy. I have had some good results there on the Ninja ZX-10RR in the past. Like always we will get down to work on Friday with Pere my crew chief and the rest of the guys to understand our base on the bike. Then we will see where we are for Saturday and Sunday. Our target is to challenge for the podium at a track I enjoy, a track the bike goes well at. I am looking forward to being back with the KRT guys, working towards achieving the best results possible.”
There’ll be several other riders hoping to be in the mix, too. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) heads into the French Round on the back of his best weekend of 2024 at Portimao and he was also on pole here last year, although unable to convert it into a podium finish.
Similarly for team-mate Scott Redding, he’s been a race winner and podium finisher at Magny-Cours before and will be aiming to reach those levels again.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) is another who’s been a rostrum finisher at the venue and, after three finishes outside the top ten at Portimao, will be looking to bounce back in France.
Andrea Locatelli
“It is good to be back on track this week! September will be busy because we have three races, but for me it is also good point because I can ride my R1 more and keep the feeling and confidence high. Last year, it was not too bad for us – not the best results, but close to the podium in Race 2. I believe that if we can finalise and adjust our set-up to bring back my confidence after Portimão – to return to a good feeling like Most, then for sure we have the opportunity to do well. We know that our competitors are always pushing, but we have also been faster everywhere this year and had some podiums. If we can continue like this, and take another step, then we can look forward to being back on the podium again. Let’s see what happens, but I want to start strong, get the maximum result that we can and finish the season in the best way that we can!”
Likewise, Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be hoping he can move forward on the ZX-10RR and fight where he has fought before, while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will want to continue his push to be the top Yamaha rider.
Axel Bassani
“After three weeks off we now go to race at Magny-Cours. I have not been on track at there with the Kawasaki but we have to try to do a good job, like always. Usually Magny-Cours is not bad for me and in 2022 I had two podiums in a row. I also think it is a good track for Kawasaki and usually the Ninja ZX-10RR is fast in Magny-Cours. We will see how it goes there. This is not an easy year for me and we are trying to improve. The level is really high so we have to try our best, and enjoy it. In Portimao the feeling with the bike was good, the lap times were good but the results were not so good. I think in Magny-Cours we can do a good job.”
After sustaining fractures to multiple ribs and his shoulder in a training crash, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will miss the French Round. Alessandro Delbianco will join Remy Gardner in the GYTR GRT Yamaha garage this weekend as a replacement for Aegerter.
Remy Gardner
“First of all, I would like to wish a speedy recovery to Domi, I’m very sorry for what happened, and I hope to see him here again as soon as possible. At the same time, I would like to welcome Alessandro in to our team. We’re finally back after some weeks off. I was able to recharge the batteries, and I cannot wait to be back on track and to see again all the guys. Last year in Magny-Cours it wasn’t the easiest weekend at all, but we kept working very hard making solid progress and I’m confident we can enjoy a good round there.”
Delbianco, who will race with the #52 this weekend, is currently racing in the CIV Italian Superbike Championship for the DmR Racing Yamaha team, currently second in the championship, he narrowly missed out on taking the title fight to the final round last time out in Mugello. He is no stranger to WorldSBK, having completed 42 races in the class but it will be his first time riding the R1 in the World Championship.
Alessandro Delbianco
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity, but at the same time, I would like to wish a speedy recovery to Dominique. I’ll try to enjoy as much as I can this weekend, aware that it’ll be a great experience. I would also like to say a massive thank you to Filippo and Yamaha for thinking of me as an option for this round, I can’t wait to be on track Friday morning for the first session of free practice.”
At Team HRC, both Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge were out testing at Estoril straight after Portimao and will be hoping that proves valuable in the run-in, while Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) will be look to back at the sharp end; it’s his first visit to Magny-Cours in WorldSBK.
Xavi Vierge
“We arrive at Magny-Cours after a short summer break, which allowed us to recharge our batteries ahead of a very busy period. This break was particularly useful for me as it allowed my arm to fully recover, and now I’m looking forward to getting back into action. I feel we’ve made some improvements lately, and so we want to keep the momentum going now. It’s true that Magny-Cours is not an easy track for our bike, but I personally like it a lot, so I will try to give it my all to start at least as well as we finished at Portimão.”
Iker Lecuona
“Magny-Cours is always a big challenge for us, probably one of the hardest tracks of the season. Having said that, during the first half of the season, some of the tracks that we consider difficult have turned out to be fine, so this one is also something of a question mark for us. Based on the facts, we’ve worked hard in past weeks and, personally speaking, I have improved my understanding with my crew chief, and we now have a better grasp of some of the bike’s behavior. When we want to try and change something to improve my feeling, we are almost always able to make the perfect choices together. So overall, I feel good and happy, and now we’ll see if we can maintain our performance at Magny-Cours.”
2024 has been a difficult season for Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) but he comes into Magny-Cours at a circuit he knows he’s strong at, with two second-place finishes there in the last four races (but also two retirements).
Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will race at the French circuit for the first time since 2021, when he was with Barni Ducati, and scored points in Race 1 and Race 2.
A regular fixture in the top ten at Magny-Cours, Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) will be hoping he can secure a best result of the season at his team’s home round while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) is aiming to put himself in points-scoring contention.
Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) returns with MIE Honda for the French Round, replacing Adam Norrodin, while Tarran Mackenzie – due to be in the box next to Lopes – will have to pass a Thursday medical check; he was declared unfit at Donington Park and missed the following rounds at Most and Portimao.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) is also hoping to be on track again after missing Portimao following his crash at Most where he sustained a broken collarbone. He did, however, complete a one-day test at Estoril between the Portuguese and French Rounds.
Sam Lowes
“I really can’t wait to be back with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team again this weekend and back racing after this long period away with the shoulder injury. I’ve been working incredibly hard to get myself into the best shape possible for this weekend and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been able to ride my training bike in Misano recently and I’m certainly better physically. I’m not quite back to being 100 per cent fit and three races in one weekend is going to be tough, but I feel like I’m as ready as I can be, and the target is just to improve day by day and session by session. I’m looking forward to checking the shoulder to see how it holds up over the weekend and to learn Magny-Cours as quickly as I can riding a WorldSBK machine.”
WorldSBK Standings
Pos | Rider | Points | |
1 | T Razgatlioglu | 365 | |
2 | N Bulega | 273 | |
3 | A Bautista | 223 | |
4 | A Lowes | 213 | |
5 | A Locatelli | 155 | |
6 | D Petrucci | 147 | |
7 | A Iannone | 129 | |
8 | R Gardner | 122 | |
9 | M Mark | 121 | |
10 | J Rea | 86 | |
11 | D Aegerter | 79 | |
12 | G Gerloff | 71 | |
13 | A Bassani | 59 | |
14 | S Redding | 48 | |
15 | X Vierge | 46 | |
16 | S Lowes | 40 | |
17 | M Rinaldi | 38 | |
18 | I Lecuona | 37 | |
19 | N Spinelli | 25 | |
20 | T Rabat | 8 | |
21 | T Mackenzie | 7 | |
22 | P Oettl | 5 | |
23 | M Pirro | 3 | |
24 | B Ray | 3 |
WorldSSP
The race for the 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship title has already had plenty of surprises along the way and that is set to continue this weekend at Magny-Cours. Round 8 of the season is the Motul French Round and with just 20 points between the top two in the standings, expect more fireworks as a frantic end of the season approaches with five rounds in seven weeks.
At Portimao, a crash for Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in Race 2 combined with a double for Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) closed the gap to just 20 points between them; the title battle well and truly on. Neither have won at the circuit but Huertas’ team did last year with Nicolo Bulega, who led the Panigale V2 to two wins so expect both riders to be at the front again. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) was another beneficiary of Huertas’ crash, with the Italian 41 points back. His Yamaha R6 has been a winner at Magny-Cours before thanks to double Champion Dominique Aegerter, so will Manzi be able to cut the gap further?
It’s also a tight fight in the race for P4 in the standings, with Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) just leading Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Debise’s first World Supersport rostrums came at his home round last year and he’s been a regular podium contender in 2024 while Schroetter is on a difficult run. After four podiums in the first four races, the German hasn’t stood on the rostrum since and has often been outside the top six as he lost ground to the front runners. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) has been on a good run since his switch to Ducati as he’s been fighting for the podium in almost every race and has been in the top five in all but two of his eight Panigale V2 outings. Two points behind Navarro is Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) who has also been in strong form lately, with four top-six finishes in a row. Perhaps, in the closing stages of the season, the battle for fourth will become a four-rider showdown.
Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) sits eighth in the standings on 100 points, leading Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) by 19 points and Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) by another 11. However, both Mahias and Tuuli have stood on the top step of the podium at Magny-Cours, in 2019 and 2020 for Mahias and 2017 for Tuuli. Will they be able to use their experience to close the gap to the Dutchman? Five points behind Tuuli is Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and he’ll hope to haul himself into the top ten. He was declared unfit at Portimao and will have to pass a pre-round medical check to race.
Oli Bayliss will be looking to climb back inside the championship top ten while countrymen Tom Edwards and Luke Power vie for top honours in the WorldSSP Challenge sub-category for riders only contesting the European rounds of the championship.
Guillaume Antiga (VIAMO Racing by MTM) makes his WorldSSP return after eight years as he stands in for Marcel Brenner. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (VFT Racing Yamaha) continues to substitute for Yeray Ruiz while Alvaro Diaz makes a return to the Championship in place of Krittapat Keankum (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team). Luca de Vleeschauwer is set to make his WorldSSP debut in France as he substitutes the injured Lorenzo Baldassarri (WRP by SKM-Triumph). There are three wildcard riders in France: Alexy Negrier (GMT94 Yamaha), Corentin Perolari (CBO Racing Honda France) and Enzo De La Vega (Perles de Fruits Racing Team CMS); Negrier and De La Vega will make their WorldSSP debut while Perolari returns to the Championship.
WorldSSP Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | A Huertas | 260 |
2 | Y Montella | 240 |
3 | S Manzi | 219 |
4 | V Debise | 156 |
5 | M Schroetter | 142 |
6 | J Navarro | 120 |
7 | F Caricasulo | 118 |
8 | G Straalen | 100 |
9 | L Mahias | 81 |
10 | N Tuuli | 70 |
11 | B Sofuoglu | 65 |
12 | O Bayliss | 54 |
13 | C Oncu | 52 |
14 | T Amos | 47 |
15 | J Mcphee | 33 |
16 | N Antonelli | 31 |
17 | S Corsi | 29 |
18 | T Edwards | 24 |
19 | L Baldassarri | 21 |
20 | Y Ruiz | 18 |
21 | K Toba | 12 |
22 | A Sarmoon | 10 |
23 | L Ottaviani | 9 |
24 | O Vostatek | 9 |
25 | T Smits | 6 |
26 | L Power | 6 |
27 | T Toparis | 6 |
28 | P Biesiekirski | 5 |
29 | L Porta | 5 |
30 | S Odendaal | 4 |
31 | F Fuligni | 3 |
32 | M Brenner | 3 |
33 | G Giannini | 1 |
34 | K Pawi | 1 |
WorldSSP300
The second half of the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship season saw a change at the helm last time out and the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is set to bring another twist in the WorldSSP300 tale of 2024.
With just 11 points covering the top three in the Championship and new contenders emerging at Portimao, could one of the most unpredictable circuits now welcome more surprises like years gone by, or will there be a crucial break up in the World Supersport 300 hegemony?
Stealing the show at Most with a double and also stealing the Championship lead, Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) rolls into France and Magny-Cours with momentum. The 17-year-old’s shown phenomenal consistency in the last four races and that, along with bad luck for previous Championship leader Inigo Iglesias (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) has seen the pendulum swing.
Magny-Cours brought Veneman’s first rostrum last year and he’ll be hoping to extend his run of form, whilst after a double DNF at Portimao, Iglesias needs a return to the fore to halt his main quarry’s spur in recent races. He’s strong at Magny-Cours and with double top ten finishes in the last two seasons, expect him be in the podium fight again. Ten points split the two, whilst Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) is one further back. He’s never been to Magny-Cours but he’d never been to Most before winning there last year…
There aren’t many guarantees in WorldSSP300 but Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) winning at Portimao appears to be one of them; of his six career wins, five have occurred in the Algarve and last time out was no different as he doubled up to win his first races with Kawasaki. Now, he’s a solid fourth place in the Championship and with his feeling aboard the Kawasaki seemingly strong, he’ll be fast at Magny-Cours, having taken P2 last year from P13 on the grid. He’s 40 points away from his Championship leading team-mate and going to try to become the first rider to win three WorldSSP300 races in a row.
Marc Garcia (Kove Racing Team) has entered the WorldSSP300 ‘title contenders’ group chat too, 50-points away from Veneman, and arrives at a circuit where he’s won, whilst Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) lies sixth, remaining in the top six but becoming further adrift from Veneman. He’s three-points ahead of Jeffrey Buis (KTM Freudenberg-Paligo Racing), a triple winner at Magny-Cours.
There are a host of riders to keep an eye outside of the top ten, all eager to impress. Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) had his best weekend of his rookie year at Portimao with a double top five, whereas fellow rookie David Salvador (MS Racing) seeks a return to the top five at another new venue – his first top five came at Most, also new to him.
Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Kawasaki Racing) can spring a surprise, as could Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) and Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team). Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) was strong at Portimao and has made a step, so with unpredictability always key, expect him to be a new name in the battle in the top ten.
Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) will hope his fortunes change after a luckless 2024; he’s a Magny-Cours winner from 2022.
With Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) still recovering from injuries sustained earlier in the year, and previous stand-in replacement Carter Thompson on Red Bull Rookies duties, the Fusport Kawasaki outfit have opted to bring in Samuel Di Sora, who was racing alongside Calatayud, with the Frenchman joining Inigo Iglesias. 13 of Di Sora’s 14 WorldSSP300 podiums have come on the Kawasaki Ninja 400.
WorldSSP 300 Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | L Veneman | 139 |
2 | I Bravo | 129 |
3 | A Mahendra | 128 |
4 | M Gennai | 99 |
5 | M Garcia | 89 |
6 | D Mogeda | 76 |
7 | J Buis | 73 |
8 | M Gaggi | 71 |
9 | G Pratama | 62 |
10 | J Gonzalez | 58 |
11 | P Svoboda | 53 |
12 | B Ieraci | 53 |
13 | J Saez | 53 |
14 | E Bartolini | 51 |
15 | D Salvador | 40 |
16 | C Thompson | 39 |
17 | U Calatayud | 32 |
18 | S Sora | 31 |
19 | R Bijman | 27 |
20 | F Seabright | 16 |
21 | M Vannucci | 12 |
22 | P Tonn | 11 |
23 | O Svendsen | 10 |
24 | E Ercolani | 10 |
25 | H Maier | 9 |
26 | G Manso | 8 |
27 | E Cazzaniga | 6 |
28 | D Czarkowski | 5 |
29 | K Fontainha | 5 |
30 | R Tragni | 3 |
31 | T Alonso | 1 |
32 | I Hernandez | 1 |