A late fast lap saw 2020 and 2023 Champion Jeffrey Buis (KTM Freudenberg-Paligo Racing) take the top spot in Free Practice as the Motul French Round got underway for the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship riders on Friday morning. Following a red flag in the opening minutes at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Buis grabbed P1 in front of second-placed Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) with a 1’53.306s, at the end of a session at a track where the Dutchman has taken three previous victories.

There was an early red flag after a crash involving Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) and Christopher Clark (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR), with both riders taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Bartolini was subsequently declared fit, whilst Clark is unfit to continue having been transported to hospital for further assessments, having suffered concussion, a left wrist fracture and a chest contusion.

On the Kove 321 RR-S Garcia led the way as he finished his final lap, but he was knocked down into P2 by Buis by 0.072s as the 25-minute FP outing reached its conclusion. Marc Garcia’s KOVE teammate Julio Garcia was third (+0.196s), with standings leader Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) and Veneman’s title rival Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) rounding out the top five, both within three tenths of Buis.

The WorldSSP300 FP top ten was completed by Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki), Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team), Ruben Bijman (Team Flembbo-PL Performances), Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) on his first visit to Magny-Cours and Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PL Performances).

The top six from WorldSSP300 Free Practice, full results here:

1. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) 1’53.306s

2. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.072s

3. Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.196s

4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.267s

5. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.279s

6. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.547s

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