SUPERBIKES
TIMED TESTS 1: GUARNONI IN HIS GARDEN
The pilots of the “big cubes” enter the track with the knife between their teeth: a great session is on the horizon!
6 minutes from the end, everything is decided, Kenny FORAY (BMW) sits in 1st place in 1'28''430 while Jérémy GUARNONI (Kawasaki Tech Solutions) posts a 1'28''431. The lap and local record holder for the stage seems to be in good shape. He continued his effort and set the first time on the next lap in 1'1''28.
Erwan NIGON (Honda) imitates the rider of the Kawasaki n°111 and does better than the reigning Champion in 1'28''370 to get between the 2 leaders of the Championship.
Mathieu LUSSIANA (BMW) also stands out in 1'29''046 and will start on the second row of the starting grid completed by David MUSCAT (Ducati) in 1'29''072 and Morgan BERCHET (Yamaha) in 1' 29''291. Note the great performance of Sébastien SUCHET (Kawasaki) who took 7th place in 1'29''581.
In Superbike Challenger, Gabriel PONS (Kawasaki) is on his home turf and it shows! He took 8th place overall and first in the category with a time of 1'28''717. Team BMW Tecmas resident Maxime BONNOT ranks second ahead of Randy PAGAUD (Yamaha) who completes the top 3.
TIMED TESTS 2: WHO ELSE BUT GUARNONI?
The pace picks up a little more in the afternoon! But very quickly the Race Direction brought out a red flag following a fall of the 2017 French vice-Champion David PERRET (Honda) which unfortunately will not be able to take part in testing. From the start, the drivers in the category set off at a breakneck pace.
A persistent sun and a dry track that he knows by heart seem to go well together for Jérémy GUARNONI (Kawasaki). The Team Tech Solutions driver stunned the competition with a 4th pole position in a row this season in 1'27''708.
Kenny FORAY (BMW) was unable to do anything against GUARNONI's time and will start from second place with a time of 1'28''542. Another driver from the German brand, Matthieu LUSSIANA (BMW), 1'28''555, completes the first row of the starting grid while Erwan NIGON (Honda), 4th, also goes under 1'29'' in 1'28''969.
The top 5 of this second timed practice session includes another local rider, David MUSCAT (Ducati) in 1'29''050 while Louis ROSSI (Suzuki LMS) achieves his best performance of the year with the 6th time in 1'29''594.
In Superbike Challenger, the favorites are close to 10th to 13th place overall! Maxime BONNOT (BMW) won in 1'29''751 ahead of Jonathan HUGOT (Yamaha) in 1'29''898. Gabriel PONS (Kawasaki), at home, finished 3rd in 1'29''751. Good pick for Team LMS Suzuki with Hugo CLERE who ranks 4th in 1'29''982.
SUPERSPORT – PIRELLI 600 TROPHY
TIMED TRIALS 1: ADVANTAGE TO CHALLENGERS
A flying start: very few laps were enough for Enzo BOULOM (Yamaha) to set a first reference time of 1'31''636. The Yamaha rider took the lead in the provisional classification until the last 8 minutes of the session when he was finally relegated to 6th position.
Surprise this morning, the Spanish rider Borja QUERO (Yamaha) took pole position in 1'30''827 for his first appearance in the French Championship!
After a timid approach, the only Suzuki representative in the category, Cédric TANGRE, lets his experience speak in the last minute and places himself just behind the poleman in 1'30''964. Less efficient, the competing riders were unable to go below the 1'31'' mark but Guillaume ANTIGA (Yamaha) is on pace and completes the first row of the starting grid in 1'31''029. Very good performance for Maximilien BAU, the rider of the Yamaha n°108 moved into 5th position in 1'31''490.
But where are the two leaders from the start of the season? Respectively 4th and 7th of the exercise, Clement STOLL (Triumph), 1'31''355, and Louis BULLE (Yamaha), 1'31''748, certainly expected better. Can we hope for an increase tomorrow?
On the Pirelli 600 Trophy side, Dylan MILLE (Yamaha) confirms his good form at the start of the season and signs a 1'33''653 synonymous with first position in the category. Then follow Gaëtan MATERN (Kawasaki) in 1'33''923 and Joris INGIULLA (Yamaha) in 1'34''032, the agility and efficiency of the two Speed experts let us imagine great battles for the race Sunday…
TIMED TESTS 2: UNDER 1'30''!
It was under a timid but pleasant sun that the 600 pilots set off in the timed exercise. The times quickly drop and 10 minutes after the start of the session, Clement STOLL (Triumph) set a first reference time in 1'30''883.
What impressive times from Guillaume ANTIGA in 1'29''828 and Enzo BOULOM in 1'29''939! The two Yamaha riders took first and second place respectively in this timed practice session.
A few thousandths of a second behind the two Yamaha riders, Clement STOLL (Triumph) finally improves to 1'30''010 to complete the first row of the starting grid tomorrow.
In 1'30''210, Borja QUERO (Yamaha) finished 4th, a good place which will undoubtedly allow him to play the leading roles. The Spanish driver is ahead of the reigning Champion, Cédric TANGRE(Suzuki) with a time of 1'30''410 and the leader of the provisional classification Louis BULLE (Yamaha) in 1'30''704.
In the Pirelli 600 Trophy, Joris INGIULLA (Yamaha) took the best time in 1'32''679 and took first place for his second stage in the category. Gaëtan MATERN (Kawasaki) took second place in 1'32''830 and relegated Dylan MILLE (Yamaha) to third place in 1'32''930.
GRAND PRIX OBJECTIVE – PRE MOTO3
TIMED TESTS 1: UNPERTURBABLE PUDDING
Dominating the session from start to finish on the handlebars of his Beon Yamaha, Alexis BOUDIN took the lead of the session from the first lap improving with each pass on the timing line.
While we thought that the first places were already allocated, Bartholomé PERRIN (Moriwaki) and Guillaume JUCHA (Moriwaki) put on a show and positioned themselves in the first two positions in 1'42''375 and 1'42''533 momentarily . That's without counting on BOUDIN, then 3rd, who snatched pole position in his final lap in 1'42''247.
For the following places, the public watches the times which continue to go down, 4th place is obtained by Ilan PERON (Moriwaki) in 1'43''892, driver n°61 is ahead of Marius HENRY (Honda) in 1'44 ''°020 and Marceau LAPIERRE (Beon Yamaha) in 1'44''253.
Best female representative in the category, Line VIEILLARD (NSF Yamaha) ranked 7th, recording a time of 1'44''253. Will she succeed in shaking up the hierarchy of the day?
TIMED TESTS 2: BOUDIN ALONE UNDER 1'41''
No one was able to stop Alexis BOUDIN (Beon Yamaha) who took a second pole position in 1'40''788, which bodes well for the rest of the Gers weekend! Bartholomé PERRIN (Moriwaki) takes second position again in 1'41''306. Will he be able to catch the rider of the No. 6 Yamaha during the Sunday races?
Raising his level of riding compared to the morning tests, Marceau LAPIERRE won, aboard his Beon Yamaha, the last place on the first row on the starting grid in 1'41''529.
The young woman, Line VIEILLARD (NSF Yamaha) secures a top 5 with a time of 1'42''462 just behind Guillaume JUCHA (Moriwaki) who takes 4th place with a time of 1'42''396.
SIDECAR
RACE 1: THE RETURN OF THE CHAMPION
Absent at Le Mans during the opening, there is no doubt that the DELANNOY / ROUSSEAU duo wants victory for their return but the Side n°1 misses its flight from first place. LEGLISE / OLLIGER took the opportunity to get the best start while MOREAU / ARIFON placed second.
Four short laps were enough for the reigning Champion duo to get the better of MOREAU / ARIFON when braking for the hairpin. A few minutes later DELANNOY / ROUSSEAU took the lead of the race.
The first 3 Sides quickly fly away and catch air on BARBIER / CROCHEMORE and VINET / VINET. The power deficit of the 600cc of LE BAIL / LEVEAU does not handicap the crew which allows itself to switch to regular racing for the family duo VINET and LE BAIL / LEVEAU.
With 6 laps to go, LEGLISE / OLLIGER disappeared from the rankings and the safety car entered the track. LE BAIL / LEVEAU begins to overtake, bad luck, the yellow flags are waved by the Race Direction and a one-minute penalty is assigned to them. The Race Direction then brings out a red flag and takes the decision to close the debates! It is therefore DELANNOY / ROUSSEAU who wins ahead of MOREAU / ARIFON and BARBIER / CROCHEMORE.
In 600cc, the father and son duo SIRO took advantage of the setbacks of LE BAIL / LEVEAU who ranked second to win the victory. The 3rd step of the podium is to the credit of LEBLOND / CESCUTTI.
FOLLOW THE FRENCH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Fsbk.fr, the website dedicated to the French Superbike Championship always offers live follow-up of everything that happens during the weekend, detailed information, photos, results, videos, etc.
For this 2018 season, the FFM will broadcast each evening of the event a video of the best moments of the day on the official fsbk Facebook page and the fsbk.fr website.
Other meetings will punctuate the weekend through a system specifically focused on social networks via Twitter: @FSBK_officiel, Facebook: fsbk, Youtube: ffmfbk and Instagram: fsbk
CALENDAR 2018
28–29/04 – NOGARO (32) – ASM Armagnac Bigorre
16–17/06 – LEDENON (30) – MC Ledenon
30/06–01/07 – MAGNY-COURS (58) – MC Nevers and Nièvre
14–15/07 – PAU ARNOS (64) – MC Pau Arnos
25–26/08 – CAROLE (93) – MC Motors Events22–23/09 – ALBI (81) – MCC Albi
