After a Friday marked by the spectacular accident of Toprak Razgatlioglu, absent for the rest of the weekend, the rain fell on the Magny-Cours circuit, transforming the Superbike qualifying session into a real lottery. On a soaked track, many riders made mistakes, including the fast "amphibians" like Nicolò Bulega and Danilo Petrucci. It was the British Alex Lowes, comfortable in these conditions, who took pole position on his Kawasaki, confirming his talent on a wet track.
Lowes set the best time with a time of 1'51.946, relegating Nicholas Bulega more than seven tenths behind. The latter, despite a minor fall, still completed a sufficient lap to qualify in second position. Scott Redding, on BMW, completes the front row. The second career pole position for Lowes recalls his last one at Assen in 2018, an eternity for the driver who sees this rain as an opportunity.
Open up, fast throughout the session, was the victim of a fall at the Adelaide hairpin, the same trap that surprised Danilo Petrucci a few minutes earlier. Although he got up unharmed, Open up knows that this section of the circuit will be crucial during the race. There, you will have to be very careful. " he said, once back in the closed park, this time on his scooter, his Panigale having suffered damage.
Petrucci, meanwhile, completes the top ten despite his fall. Both are aware that unpredictable weather conditions could play a determining role in the race. Open up, currently second in the championship, could benefit from the absence of Razgatlioglu to reduce the 92-point gap that separates them. But with capricious weather and formidable opponents, the task looks complicated.
Michael van der Mark, teammate of Razgatlioglu in BMW, could prove to be a valuable ally for the latter in trying to deprive the pilots Ducati valuable points. On a wet track, the Dutchman is always formidable, but in Superpole, he could do no better than fifth place, just behind Garrett Gerloff.
With such tricky conditions, the race promises to be unpredictable. Between the multiple crashes, the surprising performances of the outsiders, and the pressure on the drivers competing for the championship, anything can happen.
WSBK, Magny-Cours Superpole: times
