FSBK – Mano a mano in French Superbike –

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Mano a mano in French Superbike

FSBK - Mano a mano in French Superbike -

The races contested at Magny-Cours this weekend promised to be epic: on a route that many know by heart, the duels between the strongmen of the championship did not disappoint the spectators! Story and analysis with Guillaume Dietrich.

It is under a radiant sun that the fastest pilots in France rediscover one of their favorite playgrounds: often combining the speed and endurance pilot cap, a large majority of participants indeed know the Nevers Magny route. Course on the tips of the gloves !

And for this penultimate meeting of the season, the pressure between the different protagonists is at its height: gradually nibbling his return to the current champion, Erwan Nigon and his ZX-10R arrive in Nièvre with ambition. to resell !

Tour of the circuit by Guillaume Dietrich

Nose in the handlebars in the straight line of the pits, you approach the Grande Courbe with a lot of momentum. It is imperative to keep a lot of speed at the entry, in this turn which you approach in 3rd. Then, you cut the vibrator to enter Estoril which is a very important bend, because it conditions the straight ahead.
Estoril is a delicate turn where you have to favor the exit and where you have a lot of angle and speed. Taking advantage of the entire width of the track to re-accelerate well, you approach the straight line until Adelaide brakes. It’s a physical passage, because the golf break prevents you from resting and you reach 260/270 km / h !
You take the brakes on the bridge and even if this pin is a good place to overtake, it is not a turn where you can save a lot of time: the speed of passage is low (around 60 km / h in 1st) and Above all, you have to be very careful to control the high acceleration on the first report.
As you approach the Nurburgring, you go back to 3rd and everything depends on the release of the brake and the agility of your machine. The 180 ° just after is a delicate turn where several trajectories are possible: you come in 2nd with a lot of angle and a lot of speed and you can choose between letting yourself be deported to the second point of rope, where to return very late and take the rope out.
The acceleration is once again important until Imola where you take the brakes at about the 100 m panel: personally, I release the brakes at the top of the bump to be able to pass very quickly. When you arrive at the Château d’Eau, you load the front end and take the curve in 1st: the front tends to slide under stress and you must have a lively machine with a lot of grip.
The following acceleration is very strong and the bike drifts while you are in 4th and 5th gear: it’s a very nice passage which requires good traction. As you approach the Lycee, you go down to 2nd and for lack of downforce, the bike moves a lot: you have to tighten the bike tight to tackle the chicane on the pit straight line.

"It’s true that at one point, when I was 30 points ahead, I was focused on the title and certainly unconsciously that urges you not to take all the risks.", Guillaume Dietrich frankly admits to the readers of Site.

"But that does not mean that I relaxed: the fact is that I have experienced some uncertainties and above all that I really have difficulty qualifying well. In Albi for example, I started 9th, I was seven seconds behind and I finished 3 seconds: clearly if I had started in front, I could play for the win, because I had an excellent rhythm".

Yes, but here it is: in front of nobody expects the champion of France, especially that his adversaries know how formidable he is in the race, in particular with worn tires! "I’m not worried about the equipment available to my opponents, but it’s true that today my rival for the title is Erwan (Nigon) and that his Pirelli have made remarkable progress since Ledenon: so much the better for the fights for the victory and championship level !"explains Guillaume.

The level and the organization: two points questioned at length in the French championship. Some people claim that the pace is not high – Matthieu Lagrive even thinks that no French Supersport driver would manage to fit into the 15 in the World SSP! – and that progress remains to be made.

"Maybe everything is not yet perfect, but the federation and all the players are really struggling to move the process forward: everything is more structured, more "pro", the races are more contested with clarified regulations and that suit everyone", confides the reigning French champion,"I know that this weekend, I spoke with spectators and if the general organization suited them, they regretted having to wait seven hours between each round of Superbike: most of them only come for the SSP and SBK and indeed those there pest a little …

"Regarding the allegations on the level, a simple observation: Erwan has recently been a Michelin development rider on a MotoGP Honda RCV and he does not stick to us for a second! What’s more, we shot almost a second faster than during the Bol d’Or 2007 !", continues the Suzuki pilot.

In these conditions and ready for the fight, the two strongmen of the championship had only to settle their accounts on the track. !

125

On Saturday morning, Clement Dunikowski (Aprilia) signed his second pole position of his short season by turning in 1 ‘50.749. He is ahead of Steven Le Coquen (Honda) and Valentin Debise (KTM) by more than 3/4 of a second. Jimmy Petit (Honda) completes the first row but is relegated to two seconds behind his comrades !

France Vitesse Espoir team

Saturday afternoon, on the sidelines of testing, a press conference was held during which were presented the four drivers preselected to join the French Espoir Speed ​​Team: Cyril Carrillo, Kevin Meco, Gregory Di Carlo and Florian Marino !
Then on Tuesday, the FFM announced that Cyril and Florian had been selected: their debut under the French colors will take place this weekend on a test of the Spanish Championship in Albacète! By mid-November they will participate in six more rounds in Spain and Italy … To be continued, therefore.

In the second row, there are three Honda: those of Cyril Carrillo, Randy Pagaud – one of the few with Debise to have improved his time on Saturday afternoon – and Florian Marino. The fourth bike on this line is the TVX 250cc 4-stroke by Yannick Deschamps.

In the race, Clement Dunikowski and his Aprilia proved intractable: after a superb fight against Valentin Debise and his KTM, the 2006 French champion won with more than 2 seconds in advance and thus won his second victory in three races. !

"With tricky track conditions (oil had been spilled on the track during the previous event, that of the side-cars, Editor’s note), Clement chooses a wise strategy and leaves the leadership to Debise. Clement is "in his pumps" and observes his competitor: trajectories, braking, accelerations, chord points. With two laps to go, Clement saw what interested him, he passes it and escapes very quickly", summarizes the Provence Moto Sport team.

Behind this infernal duo, Steven Le Coquen climbed to the 3rd step of the podium: from the 4th lap, the first Honda rider let go of his two opponents and finished more than 20 seconds! Fortunately for him, the leader of the championship Valentin Debise – on whom Steve was only 5 points behind before this race – finished "only" second…

Author of a good comeback in the 1st lap – from 7th to 4th place – Florian Marino (since selected for the French Speed ​​Espoir Team, read the box above) finally finished 5th, 10 seconds behind his future teammate Cyril Carillo. This last, "lucid on the first 3 trust places", reports its press release, thus achieved its objective !

Injured in Albi (read), Ornella Ongaro was unfortunately unable to defend her chances against the boys. Second draw for the only girl entered, but she will be back in Ledenon !

In the championship, Valentin Debise therefore increases his lead to 9 points against Steven Le Coquen (116 pts against 109). But on September 7 in Ledenon, there can only be one left! Behind, the 3rd place of Cyril Carillo (67 points) is threatened by Clement Dunikowski (66). Follow Jimmy Petit (53), Jonathan Castillo (49), Kevin Meco and Ornella Ongaro (both 44 pts).

Pirelli Junior 600 Trophy

As in 125, the Pirelli Trophy riders overwhelmingly achieved their best times on Saturday morning. And it was finally the two Dylans who set the best times: Chevalley (Honda) is ahead of Buisson (Yamaha) by 89 small thousandths !

Baptiste Guittet (Triumph) and William Grarre (Yam ‘) take 3rd and 4th place while Anthony Loiseau (Honda), Gwen Le Badezet (Yam’), Nans Chevaux (Honda) and Étienne Masson (Yam ‘) ride on the 2nd line. Louis Bulle (Yam ‘) 9th is the last to be in the same second as the poleman.

At the start, Dylan Chevalley (integrated into the Dark Gog Academy from Albi, read) kept his advantage but was lost under Adelaide’s braking. Jimmy Maccio his teammate imitates him! Anthony Loiseau therefore takes command in front of Dylan Buisson and Baptiste Guittet.

The three leading men gradually break away from their pursuers, led by Masson and Le Badezet. Behind, Louis Bulle started a nice comeback: 7th at the start, he climbed 4th in four laps! At the forefront, Guittet passed 2nd in the 2nd round fails to worry Loiseau and must fight to contain Buisson.

Leading the race, Loiseau "intends to keep this place and oppose the attacks of Baptiste who, competing in two championships (Pirelli and Supersport) is Supersport poleman. Additional motivation to stay ahead", remarks the Honda rider !

Too tense, Chevalley lost the front on several occasions and did not manage to regain the pace of the lead sufficiently early: he overtook Étienne Masson on the 7th lap but could not go beyond 6th place … As for Jimmy Maccio, he crosses the finish line in 12th position.

Fast to the end – he sets the fastest time in the race two laps before the end – Anthony Loiseau finally wins 1.6 seconds ahead of Baptiste Guittet and 2.4 seconds ahead of Dylan Buisson. Despite all his efforts, Louis Bulle failed two and a half seconds from the podium, ahead of the duo William Grarre and Dylan Chevalley.

Seventh in the race, Étienne Masson has only 3 points ahead of Anthony Loiseau! With his 70 points, William Grarre is 20 lengths behind the leader and does not completely mortgage his chances of winning the trophy. It will be even harder for Louis Bulle (66 pts) but impossible for Baptiste Guittet (62).

Supersport

In Supersport, Baptiste Guittet (still on Triumph) took pole position by completing the track in 1 ‘45.499. Mathieu Ginès (Yamaha) is second to one tenth, then five riders are in a real pocket square !

Frederic Moreira and Julien Enjolras set exactly the same time on the handlebars of their R6s, 227 thousandths behind Guittet. Kevin Denis (Honda) climbs to 228 thousandths behind the Poleman, Olivier Four (Suzuki) to 285 and Mathieu Andrieu (Kawasaki) to 298 … Phew !

Then follow Laurent Brian (Honda), Gregory Lefort (Yam ‘), Fabrice Auger (Yam’) and Franck Millet (Honda), all in the same second as the leading men … As always, the races promise !

First race
The start was delayed by the fall of Julien Ruiz during the warm-up lap but that did not seem to destabilize Frederic Moreira who stole the lead from Baptiste Guittet in spite of the good takeoff of the Daytona n ° 4 !

In the 5th lap, Kevin Denis – the promising colt of Marc Fontan and his Dark Dog Academy – overtook Moreira and took the lead … For only one lap! Indeed, Olivier Four, who appeared at the start of the race in 5th position, went up one by one his opponents and took the lead from the 6th lap..

The battle intensifies between Denis, Moreira, Ginès and Guittet … Four pilots, two too many for the final podium! But two laps from the end, Moreira manages to regain control of the race…

"We are six to quickly detach. When I see the clients who are with me, it promises to be happy for the future", Kevin Denis will relate."And indeed I will enjoy myself. We overtake each other constantly, the entrances to each chicane are very hot and the braking at the Adelaide hairpin unrealistic. A treat for 16 laps, because all the drivers (Ginès, Four, Enjolras, Moreira, Guittet) are all hot but correct".

Unfortunately for Frederic Moreira, he missed his braking in Adelaide on the last lap and let his pursuers slip away towards the podium … Olivier Four ended up winning ahead of Julien Enjolras and Kevin Denis. Mathieu Ginès is 4th, Frederic Moreira 5th, Baptiste Guittet 6th and Fabrice Auger 7th.

Second race
During the second start, it was Mathieu Ginès’ turn to win against Moreira, Denis and Four. However, it is a fifth thief who takes the reins of the race from the 2nd lap: Julien Enjolras !

Once again, a superb fight opposes Enjolras to Gines, Denis, Moreira, Four but also Auger! After having carefully analyzed his first race, Fabrice tackles the second "with great confidence". And for good reason, the young Reims" kinenveu "(read) even allows himself to go up to 2nd place … before falling without seriousness at the exit of the 180.

"I instantly lift my machine to start again and finish in 13th position … a shame not to have materialized this good weekend but I am still satisfied with my performance", Fabrice Auger will conclude once getting out of his R6.

Enjolras therefore retains the lead ahead of Denis, Gines and Laurent Brian who managed to overtake Four and Moreira. Towards the end of the race, however, Olivier Four and his GSX-R were the fastest: they managed to reach 2nd position but could not climb under the pots of the Yam ‘n ° 69 of Enjolras..

Julien Enjolras therefore won this second round just ahead of Olivier Four and Baptiste Guittet. After three seconds Denis – "forced to opt for more caution, having hit the brakes too much", explained his team – and Ginès, then Brian (at 6 sec), Moreira (at 10 sec) and Millet (at 17 sec).

"I am of course disappointed with this weekend. I had a hard time finding my bearings and adjusting my bike properly. I had a good start in both heats but couldn’t keep pace with the best"will regret Frank Millet, who was competing in his second race on the Honda of the Dark Dog Academy.

In the championship, Olivier Four and Julien Enjolras increase their respective scores by the same number of points, so that 6 points still separate the two men (respectively 176 against 170). Mathieu Gines with his 143 points remains in the race for the title but will have a lot to do in Ledenon…

"The objective is clearly defined now for Ledenon: we will try to clinch victory in both heats to keep a tiny hope. Motorcycle racing is so indecisive…", concluded Mathieu, who will compete with his team GMT94 in the next European Superstock race at Brands Hatch..

Fourth in the championship, Frederic Moreira (111 points) will have to watch out for Ledenon in the young "Chien Sombre" Kevin Denis (103) while Mathieu Andrieu (91) and Laurent Brian (90) will fight for 6th place … or the 4th ?

Superbike

From the tests, the KMF team driver made the powder speak: more than three tenths ahead of Gwen Giabbani and Emeric Jonchière during the Superpole, the n ° 7 puts pressure on Guillaume who will fail in fifth place on the grid. Lucas de Carolis signs an honorable 4th place, while Thomas Metro, Stephane Duterne and Cedric Tangre play shock observers behind the 2007 French champion.

First race
Very good start for Erwan Nigon (Kawasaki), who took the lead ahead of Jonchière (Suzuki), Dietrich (Suzuki), De Carolis (Suzuki) and Metro (Suzuki). Bad start Gwen Giabbani whips right away to go up.

Guillaume Dietrich quickly took control of the race and applied himself to driving properly on the physical layout of Magny-Cours: "you never rest on this circuit, the straights are short and the one leading to Adelaide has a break !", will explain the n ° 1 to Site after the race.

Moreover, Lucas de Carolis is the first to pay the price for this demanding route where "the liveliness of the motorcycle and its reactions to releasing the brakes are essential": word of a French Superbike champion! Gwen Giabbani confirms his good form and climbs inexorably towards the front of the race, passing Jonchière and Nigon successively on the 5th lap. Then he passes Guillaume Dietrich in the corner of Adelaide.

Composed of Dietrich, Giabbani and Nigon, the leading group is a little detached from Jonchière and engages in a beautiful mano a mano with a lot of overtaking: Erwan Nigon hoists his Kawasaki to the front of the race in the 11th lap before Guillaume Dietrich does not take it again the next round: the Suzuki driver is not there to ensure the points in the championship and he will return blows for blows to his fierce opponent !

Sadly "a shifter problem will deprive Guillaume of the final fight for victory and it is ultimately death in the soul, but happy to be "well fought with good pilots!"that the 25-year-old driver will have to settle for third place. The fight in the second round promises to be close, because in the operation Erwan Nigon has taken nine points from the championship leader…

Second race
First to arrive in the Great Curve, Erwan Nigon immediately shows his claims: to take advantage of his speed to escape at the head of the race and never let go! A scenario that seems inevitable, because behind his opponent in the championship appears only in sixth place after a poor start! At the end of the first lap, Emeric Jonchière passes second, ahead of Gwen Giabbani and Thomas Metro.

Eager to show everyone that a title of champion of France can only be acquired with the strength of the wrist (preferably right!), Guillaume Dietrich achieves a superb comeback and soon appears third behind Gwen Giabbani. He overtook Emeric Jonchière in stride and took second place. Two loops further, the n ° 1 passes Jonchière, then three laps later he settles his account with Giabbani in the 180 ° !

Taking advantage of the agility of his machine, Guillaume will carry out the interior on Erwan Nigon at the Lycee corner: from there, the positions will no longer change and Dietrich will fly to a victory in front of Nigon and Giabbani. Behind, Jonchière came in 4th after a long solo rider. Thomas Metro (Suzuki) finished 5th ahead of Jerôme Tangre (Suzuki).

In the provisional classification, the title will be played in Ledenon in September between Guillaume Dietrich (200 points) and Erwan Nigon (179 points). Lucas de Carolis is 3rd with 129 points and mathematically will not be able to get involved in the fight for the title.

"I was of course a little disappointed for the first round, but the fights were great and the lap times extremely fast !"relates Guillaume Dietrich to us."Now he is keeping focused for the final fight and I hope there will be a good fight, in good sportsmanship. The only thing that bothers me is that the championship organizers scheduled the last round a week before the Bol d’Or. But hey, Erwan and I are in the same position: with our factory handlebars in endurance, we are not allowed to fall and get injured !"

Side-cars

After a hectic morning – barrel roll for the Soulet / Leymond duo and the Legrain brothers – the afternoon session saw the Delannoy / Cluze team take pole position ahead of Dernoncourt / Romand, Ducouret / Herman and Barbier / Chaperon.

In the first round, no less than six sidecars leave the track, interrupting the race! At the second start, the Dernoncourt / Romand team are deluding themselves … but are inexorably overwhelmed by Delannoy and Cluze who fly to their 7th victory … in 7 contested races !

Ducouret and Herman, posted in 3rd place, threatened Dernoncourt and Romand for a while, but the latter resisted and the two sidecars kept their respective positions until the end. The two Bessys are 4th, followed by the two Porets.

In the second round, the Delannoy / Cluze duo maintained the suspense for four laps during which they fought to successively overtake Ducouret / Herman and Dernoncourt / Romand. Three laps later, the red flags are waved: trace of oil on the track !

Offenders, Ducouret / Herman are downgraded "in accordance with the amendment to the regulations which entered into force before the weekend", specifies the FFM. Delannoy / Cluze continue their winning streak, ahead of Dernoncourt / Romand and the Bessy brothers.

In the general classification, Delannoy and Cluze are back in the lead with 100 points ahead of Dernoncourt and Romand (95.5), Ducouret and Herman (86.5) and Le Bal and Chaigneau absent this weekend (84.5). Bourch’is and Scellier are 5th in the scratch but 1st in the F2 category with 53 points, they finished 8th in both races.

Top Twin

In the two-cylinder, Louis Bulle and Stephane Molinier will shine on the handlebars of their respective Ducati 999 and 1098! Already in practice, only 3 thousandths separate them, to the advantage of Louis! Far behind – at 2.7 and 3.6 sec – qualified Jean-Yves Mounier (Ducati 1098) and Bruno Destoop (Buell 1125R)

The first race is again led by Bulle and Molinier and it is only in the last laps that the 999 will slightly outpace the 1098. Third at 38 seconds, Mounier is ahead of Destoop by a quarter of a second !

The second race was marked by Bulle’s breakaway … forced a few laps later to let Mounier and Molinier pass because of the gearbox problem! It was three laps from the end that Molinier made the decisive attack. He won the round ahead of Mounier and Bulle. Destoop is 4th again but this time, more than 30 seconds from 3rd !

Overall, Bulle has 198 points against 170 and 155 for Mounier and Molinier while there are only 50 points left to earn at most. The Les Buells of Destoop and Amalric are 4th and 5th with 143 and 84 points respectively.

Last meeting for the French Superbike Championship: September 7 on the Ledenon circuit, already visited on June 18 !

Alex BARDIN and Matt BRETILLE – Photos DR

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