Jonathan Rea claimed pole position for the opening WorldSBK race at Magny-Cours after setting an identical time as Toprak Razgatlioglu. 

As was the case at Donington Park and the Autodrom Most, BMW rider Scott Redding positioned himself directly behind Rea, one of the favourites for pole. 

Following the opening flurry of laps Redding’s decision proved to be a good one as he settled into third place, on spot behind Rea.

 

However, it was Rea’s team-mate Alex Lowes who led the way after setting a time of 1:36.544s. 

The top three then changed when Razgatlioglu went two tenths quicker than Lowes on his second flying lap.

Alvaro Bautista was down in fifth following the first run of time attacks before managing to slavage fourth with his final effort. 

Rea went back to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1:36.124s as Redding closed to just over a tenth behind the Kawasaki rider, but all eyes were on Razgatlioglu who was the final title contender to come across the line.

Slower than Rea in the first three sectors, Razgatlioglu pulled back half a tenth in the final few corners in order to set an identical time as Rea. 

But with the six-time Superbike champion having completed his lap first, it resulted in a fourth pole of the year for Rea. 

Magny-Cours Superbike records

Fastest Lap – Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team 1:35.683s (2021) 

2021 Race Winners 

Race 1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha 

Superpole Race – Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team 

Race 2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha

Heading into qualifying it was Razgatlioglu who led the way following a dominant display in FP3.

The reigning WorldSBK champion was over five tenths clear of Redding, who continues to look strong aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, while the Pata Yamaha rider was also seven tenths clear of both his main title rivals Rea and Bautista.

Magny-Cours Weekend Schedule 

Saturday 

Free Practice 3: 08:00-08:30

Superpole: 10:10-10:25 

Race 1: 13:00 

Sunday 

Warm-Up: 08:00-08:15

Superpole Race: 10:00

Race 2: 13:00

31 points back from WorldSBK series leader Alvaro Bautista who has led the way since the opening few races, Rea needs to start taking points off the Ducati rider, with Magny-Cours expected to be a big opportunity to do so.  

However, the favourite going into the French round is Toprak Razgatlioglu, as the Yamaha rider has won five of the last six races, while also winning all three races at Magny-Cours last season – that was before being stripped of the Superpole race win due to exceeding track limits on the final lap. 

Despite Kawasaki looking like the weaker of the three bikes in recent rounds, Rea also has a very good record at Magny-Cours, making him a clear contender. 

 

“Every weekend is a new opportunity to score good points,” said Rea. “Magny-Cours in the wet is a tricky circuit, as there’s a lot of areas that can catch you out. 

“In the dry, it’s straightforward with the chicanes, acceleration points and braking; you need a bike that’s a bit of compromise on stability and agility. 

“Last year, I learnt a lot from Toprak, from accelerating off the first gear corners. I’m open-minded and ready to do three really strong races.”

Razgatliioglu without pain as he looks make WorldSBK title comeback

Nearly 80 points behind Bautista after Misano, Razgatlioglu has reduced that gap to 38 thanks to his stunning form over the last two rounds. 

Recently on-track at Cadwell Park – rode a Yamaha R1 as part of a guest appearance at the BSB round – following a two-day Barcelona WorldSBK test which saw him suffer a big crash that red-flagged the session, Razgatlioglu claims he’s in no pain and is ready to continue where he left off prior to the summer break. 

Razgatlioglu added: “After a long break, the feeling is very good! This is my favourite track after Donington Park, and I hope that we see two or three wins like last year. 

“After the big crash in Barcelona, I’m feeling much better; it was a very big crash for me but luckily, nothing was broken. 

“Now, I’m riding a bike without a problem and not feeling any pain, which is good. I am feeling ready; I tested the new front tyre in Barcelona which wasn’t bad, but I don’t know about the rear one. I hope that there’s no rain for Friday, so that we can try the rear tyre! 

“This is my favourite track and for me, it’s very important in the race. I’ll try my best again, like last year.”