Under the Béarn sun, the Pau Arnos European Circuit hosted the 4th stage of the French Superbike Championship this weekend. Organized by MC Pau Arnos under the aegis of the FFM, the stage allowed the current leaders of the different categories to compete against wildcard drivers with a very complete track record. Who, from the FSBK regulars or the “externals”, made the talk? Answer below.
SUPERBIKES
RACE 1: VICTORY FOR SIMÉON, HONOR FOR FORAY
The premier category riders set off for 20 laps with Xavier SIMÉON (Yamaha) in pole position. The 1st line is completed by Kenny FORAY (BMW Tecmas) and Christophe PONSSON (Yamaha).
Author of an excellent start, the 2017 French Champion immediately took the reins of the race. In pursuit, the pole sitter, as well as Mathieu GINES (BMW Tecmas) are following suit.
As the laps went by, FORAY and SIMÉON distanced themselves from the overall leader and began a duet tussle to win the race. Behind them, Mathieu GINES, see Axel MAURIN (Yamaha), starting from 6rd place on the starting grid, get closer but be careful, isolated in 5rd position, Morgan BERCHET (Yamaha) seems to be able to make the connection on MAURIN and GINES.
After 12 laps, SIMÉON took first place at the expense of FORAY. However, in the minutes that followed, a racing event disrupted the race, Hugo CLERE (Yamaha Moto Ain) falls and his machine catches fire. The Race Direction then waves the red flag, synonymous with the end of the race.
According to the regulations, the ranking freezes in 12rd lap while SIMÉON was in the lead in front of FORAY followed by his teammate, GINES, who completed the podium. MAURIN retains 4th placerd in front of BERCHET and PONSSON.
In Superbike Challenger, great performance for Enzo BOULOM (Yamaha), he wins and finishes 7rd in the scratch ahead of the Superbike riders, Matthew LUSSIANA (Yamaha), Grégory LEBLANC (Yamaha) and Louis BULLE (Yamaha). Clement STOLL (Suzuki LMS) gets on the 2rd march of the young pilots' club. To complete the podium, Maxime BONNOT, 12rd upon arrival, offer 3rd place at Team BMW Tecmas.
RACE 2: FORAY TAKES HIS REVENGE ON SIMÉON
To close the Pau Arnos stage, the 1000cc take to the track, with Xavier SIMÉON (Yamaha) still in pole position. The drivers of the BMW Tecmas team, Kenny FORAY et Mathieu GINES got an excellent start and took the lead, leaving the ex-Moto GP rider in 3rdrank. Morgan BERCHET (Yamaha) and Axel MAURIN (Yamaha) are also in the mix, the 5 riders widen the gap with the rest of the peloton in the 2rd turn.
After 6 laps, FORAY and SIMÉON escaped in the lead and a group of three pursuers formed while GINES fell at the same time. The group is made up ofAxel MAURIN, Morgan BERCHET and of Christophe PONSSON (Yamaha) which makes the junction. Behind the trio, Matthew LUSSIANA (Yamaha) reduces, lap after lap, the gap that separates it from its predecessors.
Halfway through the race, the two leaders went head to head. FORAY wants to take his revenge, while SIMEON hopes to achieve the double but neither of the two protagonists is able to take a significant advantage. Behind them, the group fighting for 3rd place seems to have found a leader in PONSSON…
In the last round, Kenny FORAY carries out a final attack on Xavier SIMÉON and the battle proves successful! The 2017 French Champion crosses the finish line in 1st position and takes his revenge on SIMÉON after an epic duel. Christophe PONSSON manages, for his part, to keep the 3rd place. Despite good performances, MAURIN is deprived of a podium but still ranks 4rd. Behind the rider of the Yamaha n°89, BERCHET finished 5rd before Matthew LUSSIANA and Grégory LEBLANC (Yamaha).
Note, GINES ranks 18rd, so out of the points, this race could cost him dearly for the rest of the season.
In Challenger, Enzo BOULOM (Yamaha) repeats its performance from race 1, with an 8rd place in the scratch, he climbs to the highest step of the podium of young drivers. Unhappy in the morning, Johan NIGON (Suzuki LMS) smiles again by taking 13rd scratch place and 2rd in Challenger. He is followed by Alan AGOGUE (Yamaha) which achieves its first podium of the year.
Mathieu GINES remains leader overall with 150 points following the Pau Arnos stage, ahead of his teammate, Kenny FORAY, (142 points) and Axel MAURIN (130 points). In Challenger, Clement STOLL leads the debates with 136 points, ahead of Maxime BONNOT (135 points) and Johan NIGON (124 points).
SUPERSPORT 600 – SUPERSPORT CHALLENGER
RACE 1: RAYMOND UNBEATABLE?
In Supersport 600, the peloton sets off for 19 laps. The 1st starting grid line is formed by Guillaume RAYMOND (Yamaha), poleman, with to his right, Martin RENAUDIN (Yamaha) and Guillaume POT (Yamaha).
Very quickly, Guillaume RAYMOND confirmed his good form and opened up a significant gap on the rest of the peloton. Left since 2rd starting grid line, Maximilian BAU (Yamaha) then moved to the head of a group of pursuers completed by RENAUDIN and POT.
At mid-race, BAU confirmed the advantage over its two opponents and reduced the gap with the leader. In his wake, RENAUDIN manages to stay behind the wheel of the Yamaha n°108, while POT lets himself be left behind by the two men.
At the finish line, RAYMOND wins for the first time of the season while BAU climbs to 2rd step of the podium. The latter is deprived of victory for the first time in 5 races. For his part, Martin RENAUDIN finally goes back on the box. Guillaume POT, for his part, is satisfied with the 4rd place, leaving valuable points for the benefit of its direct competitors.
In Supersport Challenger, after BAU and RENAUDIN, Matthew GREGORIO (Yamaha) and Ludovic CAUCHI (Yamaha) put on a show!
After a fierce fight, GREGORIO came out on top and relegated CAUCHI to the foot of the podium.
RACE 2: BAU ALREADY BACK TO VICTORY
This promises to be difficult for the opponents of Guillaume RAYMOND (Yamaha), the pole sitter gets an excellent start! He takes in his wheel Maximilian BAU (Yamaha). Part 3rd, Martin RENAUDIN(Yamaha) tries to catch on with its predecessor without succeeding.
After 7 laps, for the first time this weekend, BAU takes the lead of the race at the expense of RAYMOND, is he able to aim for victory? In Olympic form, his opponent nevertheless recovers his dues in the rounds that follow. Everything depends on the last two rounds.
Determined, BAU finally crosses the finish line in 1st position, he already regains the taste of victory after his second place in the morning and a superb show offered to the public of Pau Arnos. Behind RAYMOND, the other Challenger driver, RENAUDIN, finished in 3rd place. Despite its proximity to RENAUDIN at the start of the race, Guillaume POT (Yamaha) crosses the finish line more than 11 seconds behind the rider of the #75 Yamaha. For the 2nd time of the day, POT finished just off the podium.
In the Supersport Challenger category, BAU achieves the double, RENAUDIN also gets on the podium and it is Ludovic CAUCHI (Yamaha) which, this time, manages to invite itself thanks to a 7rd place for scratching. His best opponent in the morning, Matthew GREGORIO (Yamaha), ranks 8th overall and 4th in the category.
Maximilian BAU remains leader overall with 194 points following the Pau Arnos stage, ahead of Guillaume RAYMOND, (157 points) and Guillaume POT (140 points). In Challenger, Maximilian BAU also leads the debates with 209 points, ahead of Martin RENAUDIN (167 points) and Matthew GREGORIO (139 points).
SUPERSPORT 300
RACE 1: GIRARDET, TOO FAST!
Poleman, Hugo GIRARDET (Kawasaki) maintains the advantage in lap 1. Very quickly, the gap widens between the overall leader and the rest of the peloton. Yet, Tom BERCOT (Yamaha) and Alexis BOUDIN (Kawasaki), 2rd and 3rd at the start, maintain their position and try not to let GIRARDET slip away.
Tom BERCOT manages to increase the pace and remains less than 3 seconds behind the leader. Conversely, BOUDIN lets himself be left behind by the latter and must resist the return of Célian RIQUELME (Kawasaki) and Louis LAGRIVE (KAWASAKI) who intend to fight for the podium.
After halfway through the race, GIRARDET maintained a strong pace and put an end to the hopes of victory of his pursuer, BERCOT. Behind the duo, BOUDIN is indeed faster than RIQUELME and LAGRIVE and keeps them at bay.
Logically, GIRARDET wins once again and gets a little closer to the title. Tom BERCOT manages its end of travel and validates the 2rd place, followed by BOUDIN who also gets on the podium. In 4rd position, the paddock finds Enzo CEOLOTTO (Yamaha), author of a nice comeback in the last laps, he takes over Célian RIQUELME, 5rd, And Louis LAGRIVE, 6rd .
RACE 2: GIRARDET WINS AGAINST BERCOT
At the beginning, Hugo GIRARDET (Kawasaki) starts from pole position and maintains the lead in the 1erturn. He brings Tom BERCOT (Yamaha) in its wheel. Party of 3rd place on the rack, Alexis BOUDIN (Kawasaki) positions himself in ambush behind the leading men. Enzo CEOLOTTO (Yamaha), at the gates of the podium in race 1, remains in 4rd row, close to BOUDIN.
The two leading motorcycles continue the muscular exchanges for first place. Usually very dominant in the race, GIRARDET faces great tenacity from BERCOT who takes all the risks.
At the end of their meeting, GIRARDET finally took over BERCOT and signed a new double in Pau Arnos. BOUDIN resists the return of CEOLOTTO and climbs onto 3rd step of the podium. The latter once again ranks 4rd before Célian RIQUELME (Kawasaki) who repeated his morning performance by taking 5rd place in front Louis LAGRIVE (Kawasaki), 6rd, also like this morning.
Hugo GIRARDET consolidates its leading position in the provisional ranking with 218 points ahead Tom BERCOT (157 points) and Alexis BOUDIN (112 points).
GRAND PRIX OBJECTIVE – PRE MOTO3
RACE 1: RED AGAINST ALL
In pole position, Clément ROUGE (Moriwaki MD) starts alongside Vincent FALCONE (BEON Yamaha), overall leader, and Bartholomé PERRIN (BEON Yamaha), 3rd on the grid. The latter gets an excellent start and takes the lead at 1er turn.
After two rounds, two groups form at the front. The first in battle for leadership is formed by PERRIN, ROUGE and FALCONE. The second in chase behind the three leading men opposes José SALVANS (RMU TM 250) to Antoine BONNARD (Mirowaki MD).
At the halfway mark, the leading trio still did not separate and set a very strong pace, even going below the 1'25 mark! As for SALVANS, it is isolated in 4rd position following BONNARD's retirement after 4 laps.
In the last lap, ROUGE gained the upper hand over his two opponents and won with almost a second ahead of FALCONE. Despite his excellent start, PERRIN retained his place on the grid and finished 3rd. José SALVANS, the Italian driver, finished the race just off the podium without opposition.
To note, Charles AUBRIE (Over Yamaha) suffered a mechanical failure in the warm-up lap and will not start the race.
RACE 2: THIS TIME RED WINS BY A LOT
In the Moto GP hopefuls category, Clément ROUGE (Mirowaki MD), the favorite, starts in pole position and maintains his advantage at the start of the race. Vincent FALCONE (BEON Yamaha), Bartholomé PERRIN (BEON Yamaha) and Antoine BONNARD (Mirowaki MD) form a group of pursuers and chase the leader.
Au 4rd In turn, BONNARD was forced to retire, leaving PERRIN and FALCONE alone chasing behind the leader.
After 6 laps, the driver of the French Vitesse GP team was too fast for his pursuers and the gap became significant: 5'675. The other 2 young men then fight for 2rd step of the podium.
At the finish, ROUGE is the winner for the second time this weekend. For his part, PERRIN takes over FALCONE and wins 2rd place. Like in the morning, the Italian driver of the peloton, José SALVANS (RMU TM 250) finished just off the podium.
Vincent FALCONE consolidates his leadership position in the provisional ranking with 148 points ahead Line VIEILLARD (102 points) and Clement GIABBANI (82 points).
SIDECAR
RACE 2: OPPORTUNIST, LEGLISE / CLEMENT RETURNS TO VICTORY
For 2rd time of the weekend in pole position, DELANNOY / COMMON takes a fast start which allows it to move into 1er lead turn. LEGLISE / CLEMENT immediately gets on his feet.
In the fight for the 3rd step of the podium, MOREAU / ARFON and VINET / VINET are making their mark: a small advantage for the 600cc which is racing in front of side n°2.
After 4 laps, DELANNOY / COMMON was forced to retire. This event benefits LEGLISE / CLEMENT who, with more than 10 seconds ahead of VINET / VINET, is heading towards victory. VINET / VINET ranks 2nd after a great battle with MOREAU / ARIFON, forced to retire. The fact of the race benefits AZZOPARDI / FENOY who gets on the box for the first time of the season.
In F2, LEGUEN / ROUBY, at the foot of the scratch podium, wins in its category, followed by CHANAL / FARNIER and CROCHEMORE / VEGA, respectively 7th and 10th in the scratch.
In the scratch category, DELANNOY / COMMON is leader with 199 points, followed by VINET / VINET (142 points) and BARBIER / RIGONDEAU completes the podium (89 points). In F2, CHANAL / FARNIER is leader with 197 points, followed by LEGUEN / LEGUEN (151 points) and LEBLOND / CLAEYS completes the podium (114 points).
FOLLOW THE FRENCH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Fsbk.fr, the website dedicated to the French Superbike Championship, always offers live coverage of everything that happens during the weekend, detailed information, photos, results, videos, etc.
For this 2019 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 events will punctuate the weekend through a system specifically focused on social networks via Twitter: @FSBK_officiel, Facebook: fsbk, Youtube: ffmfbk and Instagram: fsbk
CALENDAR 2019
06/07 – 07/07 – Magny-Cours – Moto Club of Nevers and Nièvre
24/08 – 25/08 – Circuit Carole – Motors Events
14/09 – 15/09 – Albi – MC Albi
