| September 5, 2021
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) came within millimeters of sweeping the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, September 4-5. Razgatlioglu won both WorldSBK races and the 10-lap Superpole—or so it seemed. After having won race two and what appeared to be a perfect weekend for the Pata Yamaha crew, Razgatlioglu was informed that he had been docked one position in the earlier Superpole results after stewards, who had investigated a protest filed by the KRT team, indeed deemed he had exceeded track limits during the race, even if only by a few millimeters. Runner-up Rea was then declared the winner of the race and Razgatlioglu second.
Race One
The first race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours delivered action throughout the 21-lap encounter with Razgatlioglu taking victory with an incredible performance of pace and consistency to win by more than four seconds as he gained a five-point swing over nearest rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the Motul French Round, while title rival Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) endured a difficult Saturday in France as he finished 12th in race one.
Razgatlioglu got a good start and took the lead through turn one but soon found himself shuffled back thanks to the run down to the turn five hairpin of Adelaide. He responded when Rea took the lead and made a move on lap four 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 two at Navarra. Rea’s second place extends his winless drought to seven races since he won at Assen in race two. 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 five on lap 12. He then gained a position on lap 17 when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at turn eight 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 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.
Race 2
Race two gave Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) his second win of the weekend to extend his Championship lead over Rea. A race that saw their rivalry ignite was relentless from the start, with the two putting on a spectacular show clear of the opposition.
Razgatlioglu got the better start from pole position and initially held the lead of the race but used a wider line through the long right-hander of Estoril, allowing Rea to sneak up the inside to take the lead. On the run down to turn five, Lowes wanted to get involved in the lead battle but Razgatlioglu and Rea were able to keep him at arm’s length.
Redding was running in third from the early stages of the race after jumping up from the second row of the grid as he claimed his first podium of the weekend after a challenging weekend for the British rider. Third place for Redding meant he lost ground in the Championship to leader Razgatlioglu, while Rea also gained on Redding in the standings.
The race-winning move came on Lap 11 after an incredible two laps of battling between Razgatlioglu and Rea with the Turkish star overtaking Rea into the turn five hairpin of Adelaide on lap 10 before the six-time Champion responded into the Imola chicane. Rea retained the lead of the race for just another lap before Razgatlioglu was able to pass Rea again into Adelaide. The pair battled it out throughout the race before Rea settled for second after making a save in the closing stages of the race.
Locatelli claimed fourth place after another strong weekend for the Italian rookie, finishing two seconds behind Redding at the end of the race. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) claimed a top-five finish for his first since Race 2 at the TT Circuit Assen, with Davies and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) both putting pressure on Locatelli for fourth place.
Rinaldi was seventh, around two seconds back from Bautista, with van der Mark in eighth. Dutchman van der Mark had been running in the top four but a scary incident with Locatelli on the start-finish straight meant he lost time and positions and was unable to respond to get back to the front of the group. He faced let pressure from Gerloff for eighth but held on with the American in ninth, with Sykes rounding out the top 10.
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) continued his strong form with 11th place although the Italian rider did lose time to the group ahead, with Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) claiming 12th place for a strong result in front of his home fans. He battled throughout the race with compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) directly behind Ponsson.
Japanese rookie Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed his best result of the French Round with 14th place and two points, with Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) completing the points. Rabat had got ahead of the Ponsson-Mahias battle but fell back in the latter stages of the race.
Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) claimed 16th place, missing out on a point by just over a second, while Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) was two seconds back in 17th place. Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was the last of the classified runners in 18th place.
Despite a strong start to the race, Lowes crashed out of the race in the early stages of the race with an accident on the entry of the Nurburgring chicane, with Lowes retiring from the race. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) had an accident at the same corner shortly after, forcing the Honda rider out of the race.
SUPERPOLE
The Tissot Superpole Race at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was full of drama throughout the 10-lap race and after the race had finished following the news that Razgatlioglu was deemed to have exceeded track limits and dropped one position in that race despite crossing the line in first place, although Razgatlioglu remains at the top of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings after taking two wins and a second place during the Motul French Round.
Razgatlioglu and Rea had been battling it out for Superpole Race honors across the 10-lap race, with the Turkish star and Championship leader crossing the line in first place ahead of the six-time Champion. However, after race two it was announced that Razgatlioglu would be demoted one place for a track limits infringement on the final lap in the Superpole race as he touched the green paint at turn 10. It meant Razgatlioglu was denied his first hat-trick of race wins as he was classified in second place.
Pata Yamaha’s Paul Denning, the Team Manager at Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK, gave his thoughts on the outcome, saying: “It’s disappointing of course. This weekend we saw incredible fighting between the two Championship protagonists. For our team, the first time we’ve won all three races. For Toprak, the first time he’s won all three races. An amazing sporting spectacle and amazing respect between these two fantastic riders. And then, after the end of race two where we had been on pole position because of the result of the Superpole race, the stewards made a decision after a protest that there was a tiny infringement on the last lap from Toprak touching the green on the exit of nine and 10.
“This was caused by a protest from Kawasaki. It’s disappointing because honestly, genuinely, it’s not something we would’ve done. When a rider has gained zero advantage and you’re talking about 5mm of the rear tire just touching the green, something that race direction had seen themselves, checked from the live footage, decided there absolutely was not a problem because there was not any advantage and it wasn’t clear he was on the green. But after they received the protest, they had to use all the tools they have, and this includes the onboard footage from Jonathan’s bike. They were able to see that there was a small amount on the green. If this is the way Kawasaki wants to play, then maybe the sporting atmosphere will change a little bit.” CN
2021 FIM WorldSBK Championship
Round 8
Motul French Round
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours, France
RESULTS (September 4-5)
RACE 1
1. |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
21 laps |
2. |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw |
+4.467s |
3. |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+10.285s |
4. |
Michael Ruben Rinaldi |
(Duc) |
+13.283s |
5. |
Michael van der Mark |
(BMW) |
+15.535s |
RACE 2
1. |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
21 laps |
2. |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+2.908s |
3. |
Scott Redding |
(Duc) |
+8.406s |
4. |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+10.329s |
5. |
Chaz Davies |
(Duc) |
+10.734s |
SUPERPOLE
1. |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
10 laps |
2. |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
0.148 |
3. |
Alex Lowes |
(Kaw) |
5.282 |
4. |
A. Locatelli |
(Yam) |
6.643 |
5. |
Scott Redding |
(Duc) |
7.384 |
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