There was a podium for Ayrton Badovini, who was able to demonstrate that he can be fast despite torrential rain fall. There was fourth place for Axel Bassani, then a bittersweet interlude for Tati Mercado and Michael Ruben Rinaldi in Superstock 1000. But the most consistent rewards came in Superbike: Chaz Davies (on his Ducati Aruba) has achieved yet another splendid double-win and he wasn’t the only Nolan-Group rider to be honoured! There were also excellent placings for Leon Camier, Lorenzo Salvadori, and Xavi Fores, who are consistently brilliant and always very close to the top positions. The inclement weather can exacerbate the difficulty of the race-track and Magny Cours is not considered the favourite track for most riders. This time, however, it was different! We at Nolan (as true Italians) prefer to celebrate with "all Italian bubbles" in our Headquarters!
SUPERBIKE
Chaz Davies RACE1, 1st
“I tried to make an educated guess on tyres, as in the past we haven’t always opted for the best strategy in these conditions. Still, it was somewhat of a gamble and I knew that early on it was just a matter of survival but the reward could be great. At first, I just tried to stay on the bike as in some points it felt like riding on ice, but when I saw the gap from the front after the first few laps I realized we could pull it off. It was fun to come back through the field. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be dry and we have a good chance, but we still have room for improvement.”
Chaz Davies RACE2, 1st
“It wasn’t easy at all today. I took the opportunity when it came, but honestly I didn’t think it was going to happen. I was struggling early on, doing the same pace as on Friday in the mid 1’38 mark. I was also finding it hard to pass the Kawasakis, as I couldn’t see where to do it unless I took a big risk, so I had to let the race come to me a little bit. It did eventually, and as Jonathan and Tom pushed each other wide at the hairpin, I just took the opportunity and dropped the hammer to put some distance in between myself and them. It’s been one of the most important weekends of my career, because we won in very different conditions, reaping the fruits of a lot of hard work with the whole team.”
Lorenzo Savadori RACE1, 5th
“It ‘was a good race even if I’m not completely satisfied, although a top five is always positive, only that when you’re first at four laps from the end and then you’re passed by many drivers, the feeling is not good. It ‘was still a very difficult race because the conditions were changing frequently and also the track has changed so often grip and this was not easy. But it was still a positive experience running in these conditions so special, I have left the lovely feeling of being passed for a ride at the finish line in first position. Tomorrow we hope the weather will be more defined and that it is dry and not an half condition as today, this to continue the work started on Friday with the team. I thank the Iodaracing team and Aprilia for the work we are doing together”.
Lorenzo Savadori RACE2, 6th
“Even today we had a good race, more than that we could not do. Since Friday we have a little bit of set-up problems, but this morning we were able to make a small step forward just in the warm up, which allowed us to make this sixth place that could also become better if we had been a little more settled up. Unfortunately I had a big drop in tires after the first seven laps and this made me raise the rate of almost one second, then I stabilized trying to contain spinning as much as possible, because the step to get ahead than I had more. For this weekend, very positive for me, I want to thank Iodaracing and Aprilia for a job well done “.
Leon Camier RACE1, 7th
"It was a really good race and I am really happy. To be leading the race and pass the two Kawasaki with the same condition and the same setting is a thing proving we made a big step with the bike setting. It was really difficult to decide if and when come in and change to the slick tyre, especially because I was in front. For sure we have learnt something for the next time."
Leon Camier RACE2, 4th
"I am really happy with this result. I didn’t expect to be so fast in dry condition but today I found a good feeling with the bike and I was able to always stay with the front riders. For the future I think it is possibile to get close to the podium again and bridge the gap to the leaders. I want to thank my team for the great job on my bike: every race we become stronger and stronger and we are now constantly fighting for the podium."
Xavi Fores RACE1, 8th
"Today's race has been very hard and sincerely hoped to do better. We were able to avoid the flag to flag, starting immediately with the intermediate tires, but I preferred not to risk during the first few laps and I lost some time and I paid this on the finish. When I managed to find my rhythm I began to recover positions. Compared to Van De Mark, Sykes and Rea lost a lot, but it was my mistake because I did not change from wet to dry maps with that. Certainly the 'today's experience will teach me to avoid these mistakes in the future. Tomorrow we still have a chance to close the most of the weekend! "
Xavi Fores RACE2, 10th
"I'm disappointed about how the race went today. Unfortunately I did not have the same feeling with the bike and it was the time when I suffered the most during the whole weekend. This morning we did not do major changes, so now we'll try to figure out what happened. I'm really very sorry because I did not expect this performance. I was convinced that I've could do well and the tenth place was not my goal. But this is racing, now we don't have to give up and keep working to be ready for Jerez ".
SUPERSPORT
Ayrton Badovini 3rd
"Finally on the podium in the dry! I am very happy for this third place because many told me that I was only strong on the wet!
Honestly I have some bittersweet because we could repeat his victory at Sepang ... but the fall of Rea has kept me away from the leading group, I fought until the last lap to try to fill the gap ... we needed few more rounds ... shame! This still makes me happy and optimistic for the remaining races of the season.
I thank the whole team for their work, which has allowed us to be competitive throughout the weekend, in all conditions. "
Axel Bassani FIRST IN EUROPE SUPERSPORT CUP
“A wonderful race! This weekend the whole team worked very well, the bike was perfect and that’s the result. I had a good pace and from the first laps I was fighting for the podium in World Championship. Only at Turn 8 I lost something from the other riders, but I could recover in other parts. At the end, Badovini passed me and I tried to respond: I did everything to reach the podium, but the fourth place is very important for the European championship. I am very satisfied and with the points of advantage in the standings, we’ll do everything to end well in two weeks at Jerez.”
SUPERSPORT
Tati Mercado 7th
“After losing a session on Friday, we had to play catch-up and struggled to find the solution to some of our issues. That’s why we raced in a defensive mode, without taking too many risks, since we weren’t competitive enough on fresh tyres. Towards the end, our pace was better but it was impossible to climb back at that point. Jerez is a track that I like and it should be more favorable to our bike, so we’re confident about our odds ahead of the season finale”.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi 8th
“It’s been a tough race, as we’ve struggled throughout the weekend despite working methodically. The good thing is that we’ve improved our approach to the race, but it wasn’t enough. This track didn’t suit our bike too well, and we had to hold on. Thankfully we already had a test in Jerez, where we showed great potential. We’ll try to do our best to wrap up the season on a positive note and take third place in the championship”.
