WSBK Supersport Magny-Cours: Bad weekend for the GMT94!

The operation was nevertheless beautiful for the GMT94: Lining up three French riders during the national WorldSBK Supersport event, it was all the more exciting as it was also the fruit ofa motivating challenge for the participants of the French FSBK 600 championship.

Jules cluzel was therefore joined by Valentine Debise, the winner of this challenge, and by Andy Verdoïa, Yamaha rider, followed by Eric de Seynes and currently participating in the Italian Speed ​​Championship.

Three very different courses but a trio of very motivated riders who were going to battle it out aboard the Yamaha R6s with the impeccable presentation of the GMT94 directed by Christophe Guyot.

The qualification also went to confirm the judicious side of the choice of drivers, the two newcomers positioning themselves directly in the world top 10, Valentine Debise et Jules cluzel second row on the grid, Andy Verdoïa in 10rd position.

However, despite this impeccable start, the dark side of the competition would not take long to appear, Valentine Debise being hit while stationary on the grid when second start procedure for race 1.

It is often said that plane accidents are the result of a cascade of individually benign incidents, and the analogy could be appropriate with regard to the Albigensian: A start to the race during which “ VD53 » maintains its 4th position behind Jules cluzel author of a very good start, an event interrupted by the red flag on the first lap by the fall of Michelle Fabrizio, a second grid setting during which Valentine Debise decides on its own to cut off its engine so that it does not heat up too much, a motorcycle whose starting procedure is a lot more complicated than on a production R6 and is unknown to the pilot, the stress which brings the pilot down from his motorcycle at the moment when the others set off for the warm-up lap, and it is the violent percussion by Vincent Falcone, with the consequences of a cervical sprain and a thoracic contusion for the latter, and a fracture of the radius for Valentine Debise which not only prevented him from participating in any races last weekend, but almost destroyed his chances of winning the Superbike title in Alès next weekend.

This lack of success continued the next day with Jules cluzel, author of a little podium the day before but involved in the chaos which followed the fall of Luca Bernardi at the end of the first round. Unconscious for a moment on the ground, the Montluçon pilot scared us very much and was finally relieved with head trauma.

Even though the ex-Grand Prix driver does not suffer from any cranial fracture and should be able to return home after 48 hours of observation, he was still in Nevers hospital this morning while Valentine Debise was heading to Toulouse to carry out new radios: The kind of weekend we would have done without at GMT94, especially since the bride was very promising! But when it doesn't want to, it doesn't want to...

On the positive side, we will still remember the fact that the three drivers were at the highest level of the world championship, which fully justifies the wildcards of Valentine Debise et Andy Verdoïa, and that the latter did his job by finishing 10th then 8th at the end of two races which were nevertheless not devoid of adventures for the valiant Niçois.

Andy Verdoïa : “First of all I wish a speedy recovery to my teammates who were injured. I still managed to have a good race, with several laps in the leading group. Following contact with an opponent I had to go off the track which caused me to lose contact. I want to thank the GMT94 because I felt really good on the bike. The mechanics did a great job. It was a truly enriching experience. I thus achieved my best result in dry conditions in Mondial Supersport. »

We wish the speediest possible recovery to Jules cluzel, Valentine Debise, But also Luca Bernardi et Vincent Falcone, themselves touched in their flesh by these regrettable accidents.