WSBK Superbike Magny-Cours Race 2: Jonathan Rea harpoons Álvaro Bautista!

“Chi va piano va sano” allowed yesterday Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to collect an 8th victory this season while Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) made a mistake on the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours during Race 1.

 

 

But the Yamaha official set the record straight this morning in the Superpole Superbike race, leaving no one to dominate their inevitable adversaries, Alvaro Bautista et Jonathan Rhea, and therefore taking pole position for Race 2.

In the championship, Toprak Razgatlioğlu has therefore risen to 55 points behind the leader Alvaro Bautista, Jonathan Rhea having now gone 3 units behind the Yamaha rider.

The weather has improved significantly since the start of the weekend and it is now a sunny sky overlooking the French circuit for this last race in Nièvre, which will take place over 21 laps with temperatures of 23° in the air and 36° on the Nivernais asphalt.

 

 

Before departure, a minute of silence is observed in tribute to Queen Elizabeth.

 

 

48 spectators this weekend!

When the red lights go out, Toprak Razgatlioğlu makes the holeshot but is overtaken by Alvaro Bautista before Adelaide, then by Jonathan Rhea but the latter made a mistake before the chicane which allowed the Turk to regain 2nd place.

 

 

Drama in the 2nd round, Toprak Razgatlioğlu comes back to mind but above all Jonathan Rhea hits Alvaro Bautista and sends him to the ground!

 

 

Axel Bassani took the opportunity to go 2nd then first in the second lap.

 

 

Jonathan Rhea logically receives a Long Lap penalty.

 

 

On your mind, Toprak Razgatliolu just follows Axel Bassani, preceding Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Alex Lowes, Jonathan Rea, Scott Redding and Loris Baz.

 

With 14 laps to go, Axel Bassani, Toprak Razgatliogğu and Michael Ruben Rinaldi present themselves three abreast at the water tower, and it is the official Ducati who comes out in front in front Axel Bassani et Toprak Razgatlioğlu. In the process, the latter takes 2nd place.

 

Little by little, the Yamaha gets closer to the Ducati but, as before, remains behind. Strategy ?

 

 

You have to wait a few turns to get the answer, when Toprak Razgatlioğlu decides to overtake, 8th lap from the finish.

 

 

From then on, the race seems decided, Toprak Razgatlioğlu gradually increasing his lead to a good half-second over Michael Ruben Rinaldi, itself detached by almost 2 seconds on a Axel Bassani isolated in front alex lowes.

 

 

Jonathan Rhea moves up to 5th position by doubling Scott Redding and the gaps then no longer allow any changes in the last laps.

 

 

It was finally with a 2 second lead that the Yamaha rider achieved his second success of the weekend.

 

 

In the championship, Toprak Razgatlioğlu has therefore climbed back to 30 points behind the unfortunate leader Alvaro Bautista, Jonathan Rhea at 47: not sure that a Long Lap Penalty is very expensive to pay for the consequences...

 

Results of Race 2 Superbike at Magny-Cours:

Classification credit: WorldSBK.com