News

After they acquiesced their mid-season holiday and spent time away from the track, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship slides away to France for Round 8. 5 rounds in 7 weeks, it'll be a supersonic end to the year but don't go away, stand by us and enjoy every twist and turn from the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to Jerez. Having been so successful in the past, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) won't have time to look back in anger in France and whilst some might say it's a done deal, the rest of the field are rolling with it, ready for a Sunday morning call to get stuck in. Definitely - perhaps not - but maybe, we'll have a surprise this weekend. Do you know what we mean?

WILL RAZGATLIOGLU’S STREAK CONTINUE? Plenty of rivals out to stop him…

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 #54 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. 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.

PLENTY OF RIDERS IN CONTENTION: shocks and surprises on the cards?

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 teammate 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. 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. 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.

AIMING TO FINISH WELL: a turning point for some in France?

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.

RIDER NEWS: Aegerter to miss French Round, Lopes replaces Norrodin

After sustaining injuries to his rib and shoulder in a training crash, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will miss the French Round, with Alessandro Delbianco stepping in to replace him. 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.

Watch the highlights show from Portimao HERE, read the Official Programme for the French Round HERE, and watch everything from France using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!