Three rounds, and six races now remain, as we near the conclusion of FIM World Superbike 2016. We are in central France, in the city of Nevers, by the Loire River, and a track with loads of history. Jean Bernigaud built the track, and it hosted Formula 1 car racing, from 1991 to 2008. This is the silver anniversary race of World Superbike and Circuit de Nevers. They've been racing here since 1991. That year, American rider Doug Polen, did the double, en route to winning the World Championship. In last year's race, Jonathan Rea did the double, and had already clinched the championship.
As we prepare to race, let's have a look at post time weather conditions here, in the Burgundy region of France. The ambient temperate is 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), and the track temperature, a shade warmer at 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit). Track conditions have been pretty slick. It was a drying track during Super Pole after an electrical thunderstorm the night before. On pole for race one, Jonathan Rea. It's the first pole of 2016 for Rea. Tom Sykes is second, and Chaz Davies is third. 21 laps scheduled for this race. It is down to the Kawasaki team mates, Jonathan Rea, and Tom Sykes, for the championship, and there's just a 47 point spread between the two of them.
Whoever does win will have their second WSBK championship. Sykes was champion in 2013 and Rea won the championship, last year. There's tension in the air right now. It's been raining. It's not raining now. How long will it take for a dry line to develop? We have 25 riders in this race, with a few wildcard riders entered. Who will be able to change with the circumstances? Some riders are consistent in full wet conditions, but others, have more success in wet/dry conditions. Watch the apex of the Adelaide hairpin. It is very greasy at that point on the track. Leon Camier was one of the star riders last time out, in Germany. He will be one to watch today as well.
The pit lane opens for sighting laps. Michael van der Mark lost a whole hour of practice due to engine issues, and qualified sixth. Davide Giugliano has been ruled out of action entirely. Giugliano has had shoulder issues after a crash in Germany and had a low side crash in Super Pole. Giugliano was only able to run ten laps in second free practice. He's in pain and needs to rest. So, one factory Ducati, (the motorcycle of Chaz Davies), on the grid, here in France, for both races. Davide Giugliano has a new baby, Mattia, which is great. But, he is having issues in his racing career, currently.
Chaz Davies is quickest in bone dry conditions, and was very quick in Germany two weeks ago. Once again, Jonathan Rea starts on pole. Second is Tom Sykes. This is the third 1-2 start for Kawasaki Racing Team in 2016, but the first pole for Rea. Chaz Davies rolls off third. A solid qualifying effort for Sylvain Guintoli as he rolls off fourth on the Yamaha. Guintoli has a win here at Magny Cours, which came in 2012 riding the Ducati. That was the last Ducati victory until the Panigale came about and had Chaz Davies begin winning. Michael van der Mark is sixth, in one of his last rides with Honda. He's off to Yamaha next year and will join forces with Alex Lowes.
We don't know where Sylvain Guintoli will go. Rumors circulate that Josh Brookes will head back to British Superbike. Will Sylvain Guintoli bow off the world stage and join the British championship as well? We'll have to wait and find out. Leon Camier rolls off fifth for MV Agusta. Again, Michael van der Mark has sixth place on the grid. Nicky Hayden rolls off seventh, on the sister Ten Kate Honda, inside of row three. Folks, the big issue right now, is tires. It hasn't rained for a while. But, we have a damp track here in France at Magny-Cours.
Lorenzo Savadori is eighth on the grid. He won the Superstock 1000 series title at Magny Cours, last year. We will see the stock motorcycles in action a little later on. So, stay tuned for that race report, coming soon. Wildcard French veteran rider, Matthieu Lagrive rolls off ninth. He is riding a Pedercini Racing Kawasaki ZX10R, #76. #76 on a Kawasaki in World Superbike, usually means Loris Baz, who has now become a fixture in MotoGP. Anthony West, is actually racing in India in the Asian Superbike championship this weekend. So, Lagrive is a fill-in rider for West. Eleventh place goes to Alex Lowes.
Matthieu Lagrive was part of the team that won the motorcycle 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year. He is starting his first WSBK race of the season and his first in seven years. Twelfth spot goes to Jordi Torres on the Althea BMW S1000RR. The BMW is not the best motorcycle in wet conditions. Recall that we saw Raffaele De Rosa really struggling in the Super Stock 1000 race in Germany not too long ago. Xavi Fores rounds out the top ten on the Barni Racing Ducati Panigale R. Next on the grid is Josh Brookes on the Milwaukee BMW S1000RR.
Brookes won't be in WSBK next year. It was speculated he would race in World Supersport, or MotoAmerica. But, he will be in British Superbike next year. Aprilia, Shaun Muir, and Milwaukee will join forces next year, as you may have heard here on 2 Wheelin', with Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori, the riding duo for 2017. Plus, we will have a new championship. The FIM Europe Supersport 300 championship. They will race during the European rounds next year. Continuing to look at notable riders on the grid, in 16th, is our old pal, Roman "The Platypus" Ramos.
Alex De Angelis will roll off 14th. It's been a couple hours since we have had any rain. So, maybe intermediate Pirelli tires are the order of the day here, at the moment. Luca Scassa rolls off 15th on the VFT Ducati. Blue skies and sunshine break through the clouds. Scassa scored points in Germany a fortnight ago. Karel Abraham is 17th. He will return to MotoGP next year and race with Aspar. It looks as though Abraham will replace Yonny Hernandez. So, will Hernandez go to WSBK? Will he go to MotoAmerica? We'll have to see where he ends up. Another French wildcard rider is 18th. Matthieu Lussiana is steering the Team ASPI BMW S1000RR in this race.
Lussiana scored a point at Assen in Holland earlier this year. He races well here at Magny Cours and proof of that, was his win in Superstock 1000 at this track, two years ago. Markus Reiterberger on the second of the Althea BMW's is next on the grid. Away goes the safety car. We have five minutes before the start. Stay on the Pirelli tires you have decided on. We await on the tire selection sheet. Jonathan Rea has a slick rear tire, possibly. The sun is beaming down. Be patient with this tire situation. Chaz Davies gets another Pirelli Best Lap award. 21st on this grid is another wildcard. I know I am going to butcher his last name. This is bike #57 in the hands of Alex Plancassagne on the 3ART Yamaha YZF R1, making his WSBK debut. He is an endurance motorcycle road racer, and finished third in the Bol D'or earlier this year.
Jonathan Rea does have an intermediate front tire and an intermediate rear. Chaz Davies, third. Tom Sykes, second. Jonathan Rea, on pole. This is going to be one of the most critical warmup laps of the whole season. Jonathan Rea leads the championship by 47 points over his team mate, Tom Sykes. Chaz Davies is 98 points behind. Mathematically he is still in the hunt. But, realistically the Kawasaki boys are fighting for the title between themselves. There was a massive thunderstorm the night before this race that drenched the Circuit de Nevers. Current weather conditions are similar to when we last checked. 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature.
The track temp is up a bit and the wind his died down since we started our coverage. The water holds in the chicanes, especially the Imola chicane. Many riders will start this race on intermediate tires, and some may use rain tires for the damp spots on the speedway, for their rear tire choice. We are underway at Magny Cours! Jonathan Rea has the edge as Chaz Davies bogs down headed for Grande Courbe for the first time. Jonathan Rea takes the lead. Leon Camier goes inside and here comes Sylvain Guintoli on the Yamaha. Michael van der Mark finds grip on the outside as they wind their way through turn two, and up to the Estoril corner. van der Mark shoots around the outside of Sylvain Guintoli.
Nicky Hayden is also making his move early on in this race. Tom Sykes takes the lead from Jonathan Rea. Watch out for damp spots into the Adelaide hairpin, boys. Then, we move up through other corners named for other race tracks in Europe such as Imola and Nurburgring. Adelaide, of course, is the street circuit in Australia. As Michael van der Mark charges to the front, it appears Chaz Davies is sinking like a stone already. Michael van der Mark has just passed team mate Nicky Hayden for third place. Lorenzo Savadori has made a good start and has his Aprilia just behind the MV Agusta in the hands of Leon Camier.
Very low grip on these intermediate Pirelli tires. So riders are tiptoeing around the Circuit de Nevers right now. Chaz Davies has fallen down the order because he is using intermediate tires when he should be on full wets. Leon Camier fends off an attack by Lorenzo Savadori as they turn through Lycee for the first time. Alex De Angelis has moved up well and is eighth after starting 14th. Chaz Davies has now fallen to 12th with Jordi Torres and Roman Ramos ahead of him. Michael van der Mark ducks inside Jonathan Rea. Sorry. It's Nicky Hayden making the move on Rea. It's Kawasaki vs. Honda.
Manage the tires as Rea runs wide into Adelaide. All this scrapping between the Kawasaki's and Honda's is backing these blokes into the clutches of Leon Camier on the MV Agusta. Nicky Hayden wants by Jonathan Rea ASAP. Camier has caught van der Mark. Camier sets fastest lap of the race so far with a 1:54.901. How do the riders manage the tire wear as the track dries and heats up? That's the critical question. Rea passes Hayden as Camier is turning up the heat on Michael van der Mark. Of the top three, Hayden has run fastest at 1:55.457. It's a battle of the Honda team mates as van der Mark pushes Hayden wide through Chateau d'Eau.
Leon Camier meanwhile, has moved around the two Honda's and is now third behind the Kawasaki's as we have three British riders in the top three spots. van der Mark and Hayden continue their scrap, too. Matthieu Lussiana will bring his motorcycle to pit lane. Lussiana on the ASPI BMW was in the top twelve. We finally have the tire selection sheet. So, what's up with tires? Both Kawasaki's are on the rain tires, and all these front running riders are on wet weather rubber. Ducati gambled and put intermediates on Chaz Davies' motorcycle. He is 12th. Xavi Fores on the Barni Racing bike also has intermediates. Ditto for Luca Scassa on the VFT entry, intermediate tires for that Ducati Panigale as well.
Josh Brookes has really thrown caution to the wind and gone with slick tires. There is a dry line emerging as the riders make their way out of the 180 corner. Brookes is caboose on the field right now in 25th spot. We still have this inter-team scrap between the Honda's as they go through Chateau d'Eau another time. Lorenzo Savadori is going to do his best to break up this fight, going inside Michael van der Mark. He makes the pass on lap four. Tom Sykes extends his lead over Jonathan Rea and also, sets fastest lap of the race thus far. 1:54.264 for Sykes. Alex De Angelis on the Ioda Aprilia is now sandwiched between the two Pata Yamaha's of Alex Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli.
Tom Sykes now runs three seconds faster than Chaz Davies, as Matthieu Lussiana, he comes out of the pit lane with a new tire, but a lap down to the rest of the field. The pit intervention time for this race, at minimum, is 45 seconds if you choose to change tires. Lorenzo Savadori passes Michael van der Mark, spoiling Honda's party for the time being. Chaz Davies is still struggling in 12th spot on the intermediate tires. If these blokes are on rain tires, it'll be a bear. Savadori tries Hayden into Imola and makes it stick.
Savadori is showing well in this race. This is why Aprilia, Milwaukee, and Shaun Muir, want Savadori on the team next year. OK. Folks, Nicky Hayden is in the lane, for a tire change. He will have a slick rear tire fitted to the Honda. In WorldSBK, you can change tires, whereas, in MotoGP, you have to have a spare bike with an identical or different setup to swap to. They will change the front tire, too. Leon Camier is booking it, and resets fastest lap at 1:54.206. Can Camier hold on for his first podium and the first for MV Agusta? Leon Camier tries to pass Jonathan Rea. No dice.
The intermediate tire is indeed the one to be on. Roman Ramos brings the GoEleven Kawasaki into the pit lane for tires. The blokes on rain tires will have to pit for slicks sooner or later. Savadori sets another fast lap. But, MV Agusta is coming on like gangbusters thanks to Leon Camier! No podiums yet, for MV Agusta in WSBK. Will today be the day? Camier is getting everything he needs out of the bike right now. Camier has more mid corner speed than the Kawasaki's. A bigger rider, who is taller, can get a better center of gravity on the motorcycle. Matthieu Lagrive on the #76 Kawasaki has reset fastest lap at a 1:52.872.
Leon Camier takes second from Jonathan Rea and the crowd goes crazy! Can he bear down on Tom Sykes and make a move? Camier will have to chase down Sykes, but is surely past Rea now. Camier has less advantage on the direction changes than Jonathan Rea. But, Camier is able to brake really deep into the corner. The time to pit is now. Hit the lane for tires while you can. We make our way to lap nine, but none of the top three want to pit. Savadori brings fast lap down again, to 1:52.807! Working lap eight and Michael van der Mark is in the lane. The fastest lap is being tossed around like a volleyball. Matthieu Lagrive takes it back with a 1:51.560.
Leon Camier has now taken the lead of World Superbike race one here in France! Lagrive has an intermediate front and a full wet rear tire. Everyone pits for slicks. Both BMW's have just been in, with Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres. Jonathan Rea is third, trying to keep Lorenzo Savadori at bay. Will he risk pitting? Rea is shadowing Sykes, behind Camier. Here comes Lorenzo Savadori. Savadori is now third as Alex Lowes pits the Yamaha. Another fast lap for Matthieu Lagrive on the Pedercini Kawasaki! 1:51.209. Chaz Davies is making inroads, in ninth place.
Problems for Nicky Hayden. He'll bring the Honda back to the pits. Mechanical issues for Hayden. Game over. Meanwhile, Leon Camier has pushed the envelope and is out front by 1.5 seconds over Tom Sykes! Kawasaki is now ready for a tire change. We are halfway home in race one. Could Michael van der Mark be in the pound seats for his first WSBK win? New fast lap as Chaz Davies brings it down to 1:50.973. Davies has already gambled and he won't pit. Karel Abraham and Peter Sebestyen are both pitting. Now, van der Mark lowers fast lap to 1:50.313. It keeps going down. Jonathan Rea's only mission here is to play it cool and finish behind Tom Sykes.
With radios in motorcycle racing, you can't radio to the rider. Instead, you use the radio to tell the mechanics, "boys, get the tires ready for the pit stop." Matthieu Lagrive and Chaz Davies are in hot pursuit of the sister factory Yamaha in the hands of Sylvain Guintoli. Guintoli is now sixth. Remember that Lagrive is a master of Circuit de Nevers. He won the Le Mans 24 Hours Moto earlier this year. Both factory Kawasaki's in the lane, together. Let's see how these pit stops work out. Leon Camier will stay out and go for the win. Oh dear. Chaz Davies is now speeding away from the Kawasaki's while these guys sit in pit lane, waiting for their tires to be changed.
New fast lap for Michael van der Mark down to 1:47.808. Just now, the Kawasaki's exit pit lane. Lorenzo Savadori is closing up on the leading MV Agusta of Leon Camier. Sykes rejoins in front of Rea. Michael van der Mark is surely ahead of these guys. Alex Lowes runs behind the two Kawasaki's. Alex De Angelis is third. Chaz Davies has made his way by Matthieu Lagrive, and the lapped motorcycle of Peter Sebestyen. Sylvain Guintoli is now in the lane. Leon Camier will have to push and try to preserve the tires, to score a first win for MV Agusta in WSBK. The only way Michael van der Mark can get by Chaz Davies and go for the win is if Davies tires begin to get really knackered.
Davies is looking for water to cool the intermediate tires, as they may be beginning to chunk. Davies moved his Ducati past the Aprilia of Alex de Angelis and into third, through the Nurburgring chicane. Can Camier stay out without his tires falling off pace so much, that he'll have to pit? Eighth place, Jonathan Rea resets fast lap at 1:44.871. If Camier pits, we'd see Chaz Davies and Matthieu Lagrive running 1-2. If Davies should falter, hey, Matthieu Lagrive, could be in the pound seats, for a win at his home track. With the track drying, don't count out Michael van der Mark either. He's sixth and is coming fast. It could be that Leon Camier's chances are fading here, because he's been out too long on this set of wet Pirelli tires.
Camier may have to relinquish the lead and a chance of getting win number one for MV Agusta, just to save his tires. Leon Camier loses the lead to Lorenzo Savadori on the Aprilia. Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, meanwhile, are fighting over eighth and ninth places. Sykes passes Rea into the Adelaide hairpin. We have had 72 different winners since WSBK started in 1988. Could we have a 73rd different winner in race one in France? We'll see. Lorenzo Savadori has never won. Leon Camier has never won. There's too much time for people to make up places. So, don't count on this excitement, lasting. Savadori and Camier, they may get podiums or top fives. But winning, seems uncertain.
Chaz Davies is the bloke who might just spoil this party at the front. He's coming, in third spot. Davies passes Camier for second. The two Kawasaki's are leaning on each other through Imola. It's true. Davies has passed Savadori. We've got three different Italian motorcycles in podium places. A Ducati is followed by an Aprilia, followed by an MV Agusta. Tom Sykes has to beat Jonathan Rea to remain in contention for the championship. Wildcard Matthieu Lagrive has gotten past Michael van der Mark and up to fourth. Rea and Sykes are dueling, but only for eighth. Rea will still have 46 points on Sykes.
The Kawasaki's are close to passing Xavi Fores on the Barni Ducati, while Alex De Angelis is still up the road a bit. Oh deary me! Jonathan Rea nearly runs into Tom Sykes! That would have given the Kawasaki team a heart attack. Sykes charges past Fores and De Angelis. Sykes brings fast lap down to 1:43.173. Chaz Davies laps past Karel Abraham. Davies has seven seconds in hand over Lorenzo Savadori who will score his first WSBK podium. Sykes brings fast lap down, again, to 1:41.546. Before we end this race, let's do a rundown of the top 15.
1. Chaz Davies
2. Lorenzo Savadori
3. Leon Camier
4. Matthieu Lagrive
5. Michae van der Mark
6. Tom Sykes
7. Jonathan Rea
8. Xavi Fores
9. Alex De Angelis
10. Alex Lowes
11. Sylvain Guintoli
12. Josh Brookes
13. Roman Ramos
14. Luca Scassa
15. Jordi Torres
Check that, as Matthieu Lagrive gets passed by Michael van der Mark for fourth. Lagrive goes back to fifth. Leon Camier will have his hands full with van der Mark. We cannot guarantee an MV podium just yet. Camier is starting to fade. No podium for MV. Michael van der Mark goes right around him. So, the podium will be Ducati, Aprilia, Honda. Actually, van der Mark may pass Savadori too, reversing my just made prediction. Fast lap lowered for Sykes to 1:41.167. van der Mark dives around the outside of Savadori. The Italian bike makers have had their party spoiled by the mighty Honda CBR1000RR.
van der Mark is on the podium. Chaz Davies is going to win. Matthieu Lagrive has also been passed and is sixth. No top five, but a top ten. Tom Sykes has also passed Leon Camier for fourth. Jonathan Rea now passes Lagrive and is sixth. He is catching Camier. Sykes is cooking. He now lowers fast lap to 1:41.128! It's the last lap. But this race proves the old saying, "it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." Rea could blow past Savadori for fourth completely obliterating the Italian bike podium we predicted earlier, which actually has already been obliterated by van der Mark's Honda. Sykes needs to pass van der Mark for second.
Chaz Davies has dominated. They found something at the mid season Misano test. Will Sykes pass van der Mark? Davies is cruising to a win here in France. Davies wins race one at Magny Cours! van der Mark gets second. Rea passes Savadori for fourth. So, the championship lead shrinks to 44 points going into the Sunday race here at Magny Cours.
World Superbike Race 1: #7 Chaz Davies GBR. Ducati 1199 Panigale R
Race two in France, coming up, next!
We are ready for Sunday action. Five races to go in WSBK and 44 points between Rea and Sykes. Magny-Cours was built in 1960 and it was modified in 1991 and in 2003. 2.74 miles in length. Can Chaz Davies do the double? Sunday at Magny Cours. Can it top yesterday's thrilling WSBK race one? We'll see. Post time weather conditions are as follows. 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Jonathan Rea is 44 points ahead of Tom Sykes. Kawasaki looks to sew up the manufacturer's championship.
We are at Magny Cours for the 15th time and for the 25th straight year, after debuting on the WSBK schedule in 1991. Again, Davide Giugliano isn't riding because of his shoulder. Dominic Schmitter has also aggravated a shoulder injury and he won't race today either. Yamaha tested here at Magny Cours. But, they had a hard first race on Saturday. Tom Sykes and crew chief Marcel Twinke are ready for this race as are Jonathan Rea and his crew chief Per Arriba. Nicky Hayden had his fourth retirement in yesterday's race of the 2016 season. The riders are going out on their sighting lap for race two.
Kawasaki Racing Team has now won the team's title. KRT and Provec have been together since 2009. Jonathan Rea has pole. Sylvain Guintoli rolls off fourth. Chaz Davies is ahad of Guintoli in third. Ducati has won at Magny Cours 14 times. Ducati has done well here. Doug Polen did the double in 1991. Magny Cours returned to the calendar in 2003. Ducati mounted riders also won that year with Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus taking the honors. A big presence for Kawasaki here in France is their company President, Kenji Tomida. Their full effort is here in World Superbike as they do not have a team in MotoAmerica and do not have a MotoGP squad.
Leon Camier rolls off fifth. Michael van der Mark is sixth. Nicky Hayden is seventh. 21 laps scheduled again, for this second race in France. Matthieu Lagrive rolls off ninth, and of course, he had a fabulous run in the Saturday race. What can he do in Sunday action? We'll see. Lorenzo Savadori is ninth. Matthieu Lagrive is a wheel man on this track, who ran 15 Bol D'Or 24 hour motorcycle road races here. But, the Bol D'Or now races at Paul Ricard in southern France. Xavi Fores completes the top ten.
Jordi Torres is 12th. Alex Lowes is 11th. Alex Lowes has three podiums. But, both times he was on a Suzuki. Yamaha is trying for their 75th WSBK win. Alex De Angelis is 14th on the Aprilia. Josh Brookes rolls of 13th. Brookes will return to British Superbike in 2017 and race on a Yamaha, which is a bike he is comfortable with. Luca Scassa completes the top fifteen on the grid for race two. Roman Ramos is 16th. Karel Abraham is 17th and will be back in MotoGP next year alongside Alvaro Bautista. Matthieu Lussiana is 18th, and knows Magny-Cours well. He won in FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, here in 2014.
Markus Reiterberger on the BMW languishes down in 19th. BMW has not gotten a good wet setup for their bikes yet. Peter Sebestyen is 20th on the grid. As we have seen throughout 2016, lots of variety with tire selection from Pirelli, based on rider's personal preferences. 21st is Alex Plancassagne. Next to him, Gianluca Vizziello. Imre Toth is 23rd. Toth races alongside Peter Sebestyen for the Yamaha team owned by Mr. Toth, after Pawel Szkopek who we saw earlier in the year, has parted company with the team. Saeed Al Sulaiti is 24th. The engines fire, as Jonathan Rea is on pole. Can Rea win this one?
All riders on slick tires for race two. The track surface is smooth here at Magny-Cours. Two riders on the sidelines due to injury. Davide Giugliano, and Dominic Schmitter, sitting these races out. Weather conditions before we start. The air temperature is the same at 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), and the track temperature has gone up a degree since we last checked, to 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit). This speedway is temperature dependent and can get greasy as it gets hotter. The spread in points between Rea and Sykes, is 44. 406 points for Rea, and 362 for Sykes. 56,000 fans are here in France to cheer on their main man, Sylvain Guintoli. Guintoli is the only Frenchman to have ever won at Magny-Cours in World Superbike.
The bikes form up on the grid. Ducati team boss Ernesto Marinelli
looking on. We are set for the second race for World Superbike here at
Magny-Cours. Who will get the jump off the line? Red lights on. Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq! Red lights, out! Away we go! Jonathan Rea has another fabulous start headed for Grand Courbe. Chaz Davies goes inside Tom Sykes and has the Ducati in second. Leon Camier on the MV Agusta makes a good start to this second 21 lap race. Not so for Sylvain Guintoli on the Yamaha. Into Estoril corner for the first time, it looks as if Nicky Hayden also got a flyer of a start.
Chaz Davies goes inside Jonathan Rea. But, it looks like Tom Sykes has the lead and slams the door in both of these guys faces, saying, "so long, I got the lead!" Chaz Davies moves around Jonathan Rea. Jonathan Rea has a scary moment in the Adelaide hairpin, in third, making sure the front end of his Kawasaki didn't wash away. Davies on the Ducati could have easily chopped him. Sykes leads into Imola, and Davies is right on his rear wheel. Michael van der Mark is the first Honda, while Sylvain Guintoli on the Yamaha is under major pressure from Lorenzo Savadori aboard the Aprilia. The top seven motorcycles are breaking away from the rest of the field at the present time.
Camier must have a lot of confidence in the front end of the MV to make a move in sector three on this speedway. Lap one done and dusted. But also, done and dusted, is Luca Scassa. The VFT Ducati rider falls, and it's game over. Scassa lays the bike down in the Chateau d'Eaux corner. Davies is trying to set Sykes up for a pass into the Adelaide hairpin, as these monstrous motorbikes decelerate from 250 kilometers an hour to just 50 clicks. That's a loss of 200 kilometers an hour, (125 miles an hour), in just a few feet! Wow. Leon Camier tries to pass Michael van der Mark, with traction control assistance, but no. The Honda racer holds the position.
We have, behind this scrap, Josh Brookes and Xavi Fores rounding out the top ten. Let's take a look at the top 15 as we just get underway here in race two.
1. Tom Sykes
2. Chaz Davies
3. Jonathan Rea
4. Michael van der Mark
5. Leon Camier
6. Sylvain Guintoli
7. Lorenzo Savadori
8. Nicky Hayden
9. Xavi Fores
10. Josh Brookes
11. Jordi Torres
12. Alex Lowes
13. Alex De Angelis
14. Matthieu Lagrive
15. Markus Reiterberger
That is the top 15 presently. Tom Sykes' riding style means he's on the brakes and the gas, more of a point and squirt type style, but he's very strong mid corner. That's why it is harder for other riders to pass him. It is also very difficult, because this track at Magny-Cours, is really a one groove race track. There are not too many places you can pass offline around here. Tom Sykes sets fastest lap of this race so far at 1:38.304 on lap two. Lorenzo Savadori makes a pass on Sylvain Guintoli. Savadori won the 2015 Superstock 1000 Cup, and Sylvain Guintoli, he won the championship in World Superbike in 2014, on virtually the same bike that Savadori is riding ahead of him, an Aprilia RSV4 factory racer.
Michael van der Mark aboard the Honda is getting the better of Leon Camier right now. Davies and Rea battle for second and third, while Tom Sykes pulls away and extends his lead to 8/10ths of a second. Sykes sets a new record lap. 1:37.864. The field is starting to spread out as we begin to see position shuffling down the order. Matthieu Lagrive runs 16th, while Gianluca Vizziello has been demoted to 19th, making way for both Matthieu Lussiana and Peter Sebestyen to pass him. Saeed Al Sulaiti, is next, and poor old Karel Abraham has had another pear shaped race. After starting 17th, he's been demoted all the way to 21st.
French wildcard Alex Plancassagne is next, in 22nd, followed by Imre Toth in 23rd, and of course, after his wreck, Luca Scassa is out. He crashed at Chateaux d'Eaux. Confirmation then, that Tom Sykes has lowered his old lap record. 1:37.864, while he last set a lap record at 1:37.932 in 2013. Jonathan Rea is applying the blowtorch to Chaz Davies, and if Sykes does finish ahead of Rea, there would be only 35 points separating the two, going into the penultimate race of 2016. Feed the power in gently through Estoril corner. If Rea feels he can make a move on Davies, he'll do it. Rea barely makes the pass on Davies through the Imola chicane.
Rea wheelies out of Chateau d'Eau, and Davies is right on his rear wheel. Into Lycee, Davies holds his position and does not make a banzai move on Tom Sykes. Jonathan Rea has dispensed of Davies and is now trying to reel in Tom Sykes. Sykes has a 1.3 second lead. There is a three-way battle for fourth, fifth, and sixth, between Michael van der Mark, Leon Camier, and Lorenzo Savadori. Camier is scrapping for fourth, after losing out yesterday with the tire issue. 15 laps left to run. What will happen with MV Agusta in 2017? Leon Camier should stay with the team, while Sylvain Guintoli is also being linked to a deal with them. The question remains, though. Will there be one, or two motorcycles for MV Agusta on the World Superbike grid, next year?
Camier may become a development rider for BMW. What then, would happen to their current squad at Althea? Jordi Torres does not have a new contract for next year. But, the team is happy with his riding. So, he could remain with them. Markus Reiterberger has a two-year deal with BMW. So, he will be back next year. A battle ensues for seventh between Sylvain Guintoli who has it, and Nicky Hayden, who wants it. Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres follow both of them. Alex Lowes on the sister Yamaha is the fastest bloke in this group right now. This is the first race for Nicky Hayden at Magny-Cours. Xavi Fores on the Barni Racing Ducati is also running very well.
With Davide Giugliano not returning to Ducati, and Marco Melandri partnering Chaz Davies for next year, will Barni Racing get some spare parts from the factory squad? That remains to be seen. There could be a second bike at Barni Racing. But this is totally up in the air at the moment. No one knows if it will or won't happen. Josh Brookes can match the pace of the front running motorcycles, but he cannot bridge the gap. He may ultimate find more success in his planned return to British Superbike with Yamaha, next year. Jonathan Rea has just about caught right up to Tom Sykes, and the two Kawasaki team mates are once again going to go toe to toe for the victory here in race two in France.
If a gap opens, Rea might just go through it. We watch the difference in riding style between Rea and Sykes. It is fascinating. Rea takes a faster entry into the corner. Sykes dabs the brakes, leans the bike over, and then, mashes the throttle. Rea goes all the way through the corner, while Sykes has this point and shoot riding style. We are just past halfway in this race. Ten down, eleven remain. Chaz Davies has done enough in this race, to prevent Kawasaki from sewing up the manufacturer's cup today. They will have to wait, until we get to Jerez in Spain for the penultimate race of the championship, in a couple of weeks.
Game over for Alex Lowes. He's crashed his Yamaha at Chateau d'Eau. Actually, he has rejoined this race. I spoke too soon. It's game over, for Lowes. Leon Camier is still trying to catch Michael van der Mark on the Honda. Rea takes a wider, less defensive line than Sykes does, through the final corners on the speedway. Rea's best chance for a move will be between Estoril and the Adelaide hairpin. There's a good scrap for fourth, too, as Leon Camier continues to defend from Michael van der Mark. This scrapping at the front is backing the two Kawasaki riders into Chaz Davies who runs third. Davies is taking 6/10ths of a second out of the two blokes at the front, per lap. He's coming in a hurry.
The top three in this motorcycle race are covered by 7/10ths of a second! Wow. This is close. The leaders are coming up to lap Imre Toth right now. This is into the Golf corner. Nicky Hayden is lapping faster on the Honda than are the race leaders. Rea tries using the tow to get by Sykes. He can't quite make it. Rea has to adapt his riding style to what Sykes is doing, as Saeed Al Sulaiti enters the pit lane. Chaz Davies gains another tenth of a second on Rea. Rea tries to get alongside Sykes. No dice this time. Chaz Davies aims to do the double, having won the Saturday race as well. Leon Camier has also passed Michael van der Mark for fourth spot. Rea has drive to put the move on Sykes through Chateau d'Eau towards Lycee. But, Sykes slams the door in his team mate's face.
Saeed Al Sulaiti was in the lane, but has now retired his Pedercini Kawasaki from the race. Game over. Six laps left now through Grand Courbe. If it stays this way, the margin is 39 points with four races remaining. This track at Magny-Cours flows so much, that you can't push the bike to it's limit and throw caution to the wind. Bide your time as the track layout unfolds. Force the motorcycle to do things it doesn't want to. Davies runs the fastest lap of the top three at 1:38.814. Sykes defends, but Rea makes a pass into the Adelaide hairpin. Rea goes deep under braking, and Chaz Davies whistles by both Kawasaki's!
Sykes cannot afford to finish second, to try and take huge chunks of points out of Rea's lead. Davies runs wide and the Kawasaki's try to fight back. The top three are on the ragged edge, going for victory here in France! Davies is pulling away from the two Kawasaki riders. Rea is desperate to pass Sykes. Rea goes through for second on Sykes. Can he run down the Ducati of Davies? Sykes loses second to Rea. Rea is looking after his tires better than Sykes, when you compare their riding styles. Point and squirt, is not the best for maximizing tire life. If the order stays as is, Davies will win, and Rea will gain one point on Sykes, moving the lead gap he has over Sykes from 47 to 48 points.
Two laps remain. Jonathan Rea won't be a factor. He's happy to maintain the championship lead. Lorenzo Savadori is going to get a top six spot. Sylvain Guintoli is going to hold off Jordi Torres. Davies is going to win two in a row here in France if he keeps the bike on the road. Nicky Hayden has had a bit of a difficult race. Jordi Torres is all over the Yamaha of Sylvain Guintoli. He's right in his face. Torres' BMW S1000RR runs much better in the dry than it did in wet/damp conditions during the Saturday race. It's the final lap for Chaz Davies, on target for the double here at Magny-Cours.
Jonathan Rea is getting closer and closer to earning a second straight World Superbike championship. The last man to do it, in the late 1990s, was the great Carl Fogarty. Rea gets better results more consistently, than Tom Sykes does. Chaz Davies has dominated this weekend, though. It will be win number seven for Davies, to match the number on his motorcycle. Davies does the double in France!
World Superbike Race 2: #7 Chaz Davies GBR. Ducati Panigale R
Completing the top ten behind Davies, Rea, and Sykes, it looks like this. Leon Camier fourth, for MV Agusta. Fifth is Michael van der Mark, for Honda. Sixth, Lorenzo Savadori for Aprilia. Seventh is Jordi Torres for BMW. Eighth, Sylvain Guintoli, for Yamaha. Ninth, on the sister Honda is Nicky Hayden. Rounding out the top ten is Xavi Fores on the Barni Racing Ducati. Completing the points scoring finishers, it's Josh Brookes, Markus Reiterberger, Roman Ramos, Alex De Angelis, and the experienced French wildcard, Matthieu Lagrive.
Four races remain in the championship. The penultimate round is the final race in Europe. It is in Spain at Jerez de la Frontera, in less than two weeks.
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