The visit to Magny-Cours for the #FrenchWorldSBK round saw Althea BMW Racing Team riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger find the going tough in Superpole as they qualified 12^th and 20^th respectively, before the Spaniard finished 14^th and the German rider finished 17^th in Race 1.

If the pair had found it difficult in the tricky conditions on Saturday things improved for both riders in Sunday’s dry race at the French track.

Torres was lapping tenth during the opening laps of Race 2, while Reiterberger made up several positions at the start, going from 20th on the grid to 13th place.

Whilst Torres hunted down fellow countryman Xavi Fores, passing him mid-race, Reiterberger also gained another position. Over the course of the next few laps, Torres reached Nicky Hayden, and then Sylvain Guintoli on the last lap, to cross the line in seventh. Reiterberger maintained his position through the final stages to finish 12th.

In the general standings, Torres continues to hold seventh place with 179 points, whilst Reiterberger lies 16th with 72 points.

“Sunday went a lot better than Saturday,” reflected Torres. “Firstly the warm-up was very important, as we wanted to find the right feeling in the dry after Saturday’s full wet conditions. We worked well and I was feeling ready for the race. In the race itself I gave 100%, and was able to maintain a fast and consistent pace for almost the full distance. It was just a pity that at the start I lost some time with (Alex) Lowes, but I gradually made that back up, getting into my rhythm and doing my best. I’m pleased because I feel that the bike is finally transmitting what we’ve been looking for.”

Meanwhile Reiterberger stated, “Twelfth position after injury and some bad races and crashes is not too bad. I’m not really satisfied of course, but the position is not so bad. It was a long race but I tried to push as hard as I could from beginning to end. We were losing a little too much in all sections, so we need to analyse the data and work out how we can improve for next time. I know we can do better. Thanks to my team for their hard work this weekend.”