WSBK France (2): Davies relaunches in the 2017 vice-world championship
Rea unlucky, Sykes feverish … Davies had the green light in the second round of the WSBK 2017 at Magny-Cours! Unimpressed by the drops of water on his screen, Ducati rider n ° 7 won over the two factory Yamaha riders and moved closer to second place in the provisional !
The Supersport pilots leave the track – dry – to their World Superbike comrades … Fine drops of water fall on the starting grid, but the race is declared "Dry" and the pilots have all opted for slick tires…
Departure : Leon Camier started well from his pole position (due to his fourth place in the first round …) but Alex Lowes placed his Yamaha ahead of the MV Agusta in the first curve. Michael van den Mark quickly imitates his teammate, then Eugene Laverty in turn overflows Camier outside Adelaide. Follow Tom Sykes, Chaz Davies, Leandro Mercado, Jonathan Rea, Xavi Fores and Marco Melandri.
Lowes sets a strong pace in the lead and has four tenths of a second ahead of a pack that has remained very compact. Davies places his Panigale in front of Sykes’ ZX-10R and aims at Laverty’s RSV4. Strangely, Rea stumbles on Mercado and even finds himself under threat from Melandri !
At the forefront, "Kamir" finds second place ahead of "Chazie" and "Magic Michael". Laverty falls in the high school complex: his pursuers miraculously avoid him. Rea is the only one to hit the RSV4: the three-time world champion immediately returns to the pits, inspects the right side of his motorcycle and his boot … then gives up.
On the track, Davies takes the lead in the race as more drops of water fall on the last section of the circuit … The marshals wave their white flags, signaling to the drivers that they can enter the pits to change tires if they wish !
Chaz seems unimpressed and instead tries to run away from the 4th lap. A short second behind him, Camier passes Lowes when braking at Château d’eau. Van den Mark is still in their wake, Fores and Melandri are three seconds behind.
The Ducati n ° 7 sets the fastest time in the race in the 6th loop and irresistibly moves away from the MV Agusta n ° 2 still pursued by the Yamaha n ° 22 and, a little further, by the Yamaha n ° 60. Davies is warned that Rea is out of the race. No info, however, about his rival in the championship: Sykes…
The English Ninja is in eighth place, more than nine seconds behind the Welsh leader. Tom is a few lengths from Savadori and Melandri, but above all a few meters in front of Mercado: the Argentinian tries to brake at n ° 66 on the 8th passage through Adelaide but widens generously and must start again….
On lap 9, Savadori took Melandri’s sixth place, then Lowes took second place from Camier! The only driver MV Agusta is still fighting for his first podium on the F4 RC … but has to retire again due to a technical glitch. "Lioness" must roar with rage under her helmet !
Rid of Camier, teammates Lowes and Van den Mark find themselves on the podium, five seconds behind the imperturbable Davies! Very incisive in the middle of the 11th lap, the Dutch n ° 60 pretends to attack his colleague n ° 22 before Nurburgring, but changes his mind.
Two seconds after the two factory R1s, the private Panigale of Xavi Fores occupies a solitary fourth place. Conversely, Savadori is only a few lengths ahead of the inseparable Melandri and Mercado! Sykes is relegated to three seconds of this dissipated duo.
Tom will have to beware of Jordi Torres: the one the 2013 world champion affectionately nicknamed the "Spanish Elvis" has just passed Ramos and De Rosa who are fighting for ninth place. BMW driver # 81 spins a hint faster than his target # 66. But four seconds separate them, six laps from the end…
In front, Davies has four seconds ahead and the official Ducati rider can start to manage. Between Lowes and Van den Mark on the other hand, the "attack" mode remains more engaged than ever! VDM almost lost the front by passing the final chicane of the layout in a somewhat dry way … Should he calm things down ?
Fifteen seconds behind Davies, Mercado distinguished himself by passing Melandri from the outside in Lycee, at the end of the 16th lap! A little too optimistic, the Argentinian then cuts in the Nurburgring, passes into the 180 ° but takes sixth place on the climb to Imola. Impressive !
Far from this uproar, a certain Jake Gagne does not demerit either: the American driver – replacing Bradl – is in thirteenth place, two short seconds behind his teammate Davide Giugliano – replacing Hayden … Could the No. 45 get handlebars for next year ?
Far ahead, Chaz Davies safely completed his impeccable race. The Ducati official is joined at the finish line by two factory Yamaha camped high on their rear wheel: for a bit, it looks like Alex Lowes and Michael van den Mark have won this second French round. !
Xavi Fores took a solid fourth place, well ahead of the distracting Marco Melandri and Leandro "Tati" Mercado. Tom Sykes finished in a disappointing seventh place. Small consolation for the Ninja n ° 66: he ensures his team the first place in the team classification (1184 points more than the official Ducati team)
In the general classification of pilots, far behind the indestructible and ruthless "JR" who did not have the opportunity to score points this afternoon (counter blocked at 456), the gap between Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies is reduced at nine small dots. The last two meetings of Jerez then Losail promise to be as hot as last year…
On the constructors side, Ducati is taking advantage of Davies’ eighth victory this season to get closer to Kawasaki. However, Japanese retains a clear advantage: 59 points more than Italian. Yamaha practically secures its place on the final podium with a total of 91 points more than Aprilia…
Result of the second WSBK 2017 race at Magny-Cours
Related articles
-
WSBK France (1): third world title watered for Jonathan Rea The Magny-Cours circuit was the scene of a new fugue in Rea major, which ensures Ninja n ° 1…
-
WSBK – WSBK France (1): Davies does not stop! – Used DUCATI
WSBK France (1): Davies does not stop ! As at the Lausitzring, Chaz Davies won the first WSBK round at Magny-Cours, launched on a Wet but drying track!…
-
WorldSBK France (1): Jonathan Rea, 2018 world champion (2017 , 2016 and 2015) A square of Aces … of the handlebars! This is what Jonathan Rea has…
-
WSBK – WSBK France (2): Davies does not really stop – Used DUCATI
WSBK France (2): Davies does not really stop Winner of a funny first round yesterday at Magny-Cours (drying track), Chaz Davies doubled the bet this…
-
08-13 USA – Laguna Seca – WSBK United States (1): winning comeback for Davies – DUCATI Occasions
WSBK United States (1): winning return for Davies Injured in the back three weeks ago during the first WSBK 2017 round of Misano , Chaz Davies had missed…
-
WSBK – WSBK Qatar (2): Davies ends the year on a high note – Occasions DUCATI
WSBK Qatar (2): Davies ends the year in style The last race of the 2016 World Superbike season has just been won by Chaz Davies. Despite his three…
-
03-13 Spain – Aragon – WSBK Aragon (2): Davies debunks Rea from the top of the podium – Used DUCATI
WSBK Aragon (2): Davies debunks Rea from the top of the podium Falling during the last two Superbike races while competing for victory against the…
-
WSBK Netherlands (1): Davies’ Ducati gives Rea victory… Stuck in Davies’ rear wheel for the majority of that first WorldSBK round in Assen, Rea was…
-
WSBK – WSBK Italy (1): brilliant victory for Davies and Ducati –
WSBK Italy (1): brilliant victory for Davies and Ducati Dominated by Rea in the championship, Davies defeated the No.1 Ninja this afternoon at Imola. The…
-
WSBK Spain (1): Melandri’s Ducati gives Rea victory Jonathan Rea had never won a Superbike race in Jerez. It is now done, but the triple WSBK champion…