When his engine broke at the very start of the qualifying session, automatically relegating him to the fourth row, Mahias' chances seemed to be in jeopardy at Magny-Cours. But eight minutes later, his Championship rival Kenan Sofuoglu fell violently and suffered three hip fractures*, requiring 12 weeks of convalescence.
It is now impossible for the Turkish champion to participate in the last two races which will take place on October 22 in Jerez, then on November 5 in Losail. Lucas Mahias, who has a total of 154 points, therefore only has as opponents in the Championship Sheridan Morais (122 points) and Jules cluzel (115)
The French pilot spoke in the columns of the official website worldsbk.com: “The WorldSSP crown is the dream of my life. Since I started competing, my dream has never been to race in MotoGP. My goal has always been to one day be World Supersport Champion. This is a category that has never ceased to make me dream. I touch this dream with my fingertips... Yet few dreams come true, but I am not far from it. »
“There's a certain amount of pressure on my shoulders and that's something I still have to learn to manage. It must also be said that Kenan is in a different state of mind. He is already a five-time Champion and having six won't really change. For my part, it's different, I'm building something. »
“Of course I'm happy, but I know deep down that if Kenan hadn't gotten injured it would have been a different story. I have a lot to learn from this category and from fighting against it. He missed the first two events and I count the same number of blank results, with the exception of the meeting at Magny-Cours. He has won on several occasions. »
“Although often in his wheel, I am aware that I am still missing something to beat him. The closer we got to the end of the season, the closer I got to him. I'm a little disappointed that it ended like this for him, but that's part of the race. In 2015, if I remember correctly, he was titled after Jules' injury. »
“The YZF-R6 is a new machine, and we lack perspective. We start with a blank sheet of paper for each event. At Magny-Cours, we used the settings that I used as a wildcard in 2015, but the bike is different. We have to work on every detail like the suspensions. We have a base, but it remains much more complicated than for Kawasaki or Honda or even MV Agusta who can rely on already existing data. »
“I also think we are lacking a bit of power. The number of engines being limited, it was not easy to organize tests during the season. It's a whole bunch of details that mean that, next year, we will be even better. »
“ “Even if my dream is to be World Supersport Champion, I never had the desire to end my career in this category. It's a step. I have already ridden a 1000cc, in endurance or a Superstock 1000, and I really like it. Tire management is different compared to a 600cc and my riding style lends itself perfectly to it. Doing a second season in WorldSSP can only be beneficial for me and I hope, of course, to move up to WorldSBK the year after. »
*fractures of the left ischium, the ilium of the pubic ramus, the iliac wing and the sacral wing.
Photos © Yamaha Racing
Source: worldsbk.com
