Supersport, Magny-Cours, Free Practice: Corentin Perolari offers the best time at the GMT94 Yamaha

With three more races on the program, the Magny-Cours event proves crucial for Jules Cluzel, who with 145 points can still claim the world title against Swiss leader Randy Krummenacher and his 193 points, who preceded his Italian teammate Federico Caricasulo with 183 units.

To Jules cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), “I'm happy to return home to Magny-Cours, because it's a circuit that brings back a lot of good memories, as I've won there four times in the past. The only downside is that I've only won every two years in the past, so that's a statistic I'm going to do everything I can to change this weekend! The weather conditions look to be cool, which will make for a tough weekend, but we might just be able to enjoy it. This is my home race, which is always busy for me and the team, but promises to be even busier this year with the additional guests joining us. The extra support is welcome, and it will be really cool to see everyone there, but it's also important that I stay focused for the race. »

According to Lucas Mahias (Puccetti Kawasaki), “ I'm ready for Magny-Cours and it's definitely a special race because it's my home race. I'm not Italian and I don't have two races – I just have one in France, so it's important! I haven't always had the best results at Magny-Cours but I don't know why. Sometimes I'm unlucky, but maybe it will be different this year, for my first at Magny-Cours with the Kawasaki. I'm ready to work hard this weekend to get the most out of the bike and hopefully win the race. It's a totally different feeling from the last rounds where I was ready to fight for the podium. This time I'm ready to win. This is very important for me and for Kawasaki. I'm ready for Magny-Cours and the weather is the big question, because when you look at the different weather forecasts, it's different. Sometimes it says rain and sometimes it doesn't say rain, but it sure is cold. I am a former Endurance rider and I love these conditions. »

According to Federico Caricasulo (Yamaha), “ I'm training hard from Portimão for Magny-Cours. I feel very strong at the start of this weekend, but the approach will remain the same as usual: work for Sunday's race and then do my best to win. I'm not thinking about championship places, I'm just thinking about doing the best I can in the races we have left, and the championship will take care of itself.”

Christophe Guyot (GMT94 Yamaha) declared: “The idea was to offer Max Bau (French Supersport Champion, Editor’s note) an opportunity to prove his talent. What we are doing with him is what we have been doing since the start of the year with Jules and Corentin. The goal is to help him take a step forward and demonstrate that when you are Champion of France, a team can open its doors to you with a good project. He will have a GMT94 mechanic at his side and all the support necessary to achieve a good result. We also think that it is a good idea to prepare for the future and that young drivers can be fast and motivated if we trust them. It's great that WorldSBK is able to welcome a team in this way to showcase new talent. »

During the first free practice session, on the still wet track of which only most of the trajectory was almost dry, the first reference time was established by Lucas Mahias in 1'52.307. Then Jules Cluzel improved significantly in 1'49.734, ahead of Isaac Viñales by 2.1. Jules continued to attack on slicks despite the difficult conditions and he clocked an impressive 1'49.222, 2.6 ahead of Viñales and 3.0 ahead of Mahias. Randy Krummenacher took to the track about halfway through the session, then immediately returned to his pit box while Federico Caricasulo was not spinning.

Corentin Perolari, Jules' teammate in the GMT94 Yamaha, climbed into second position, 1.6 behind his leader. Jules Danilo was then sixth, and Maximilien Bau (2019 French Supersport Champion with GMT94) ninth.

Jules Cluzel's time held solidly and only Hannes Soomer at 0.4, Kyle Smith at 0.6 and Peter Sebestyen at 0.9 approached.

Then Corentin Perolari took command 10 minutes from the end in 1'48.932, soon beaten by Jules Danilo in 1'48.864, then by Isaac Viñales in 1'47.363. The track was clearly heading towards much better conditions, and Viñales passed in 1'46.650. Caricasulo finally drove and set the fifth fastest time. Viñales progressed in 1'46.207, then preceded by Ayrton Badovini in 1'46.050, then by Perolari in 1'45.925, Mahias in 1'45.413, and finally Perolari again in 1'44.802.

Results of the first free practice session:

Reference times:

Test record: 1'40.416 by Federico Caricasulo (Yamaha) in 2018

Lap record: 1'41.185 by Sandro Cortese (Yamaha) in 2018

During the second free practice session, rain fell heavily as the drivers took to the track.

Corentin Perolari and Jules Cluzel were not overflowing with enthusiasm to ride in these conditions:

The rain prevented the morning times from improving and Corentin Perolari finished superbly this Friday in first position ahead of Lucas Mahias. Isaac Viñales was third ahead of Ayrton Badovini and Jules Cluzel.

Jules Danilo ranked seventh, Guillaume Pot twenty-second, Maximilien Bau twenty-third, Xavier Navand twenty-fourth and Gaëtan Matern twenty-sixth.

Results of the second free practice session:

Confused classification of the first day of free practice:

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

This photo was taken before Magny-Cours.

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