Jonathan Rea immediately takes the lead in the first free practice session of the Acerbis French Round, which is being held at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, setting the best time in 1'37.202 and entirely dominating the 40 minutes of the session.
For Rea, the eleventh round of the Championship could be the historic weekend of his fourth consecutive title, with Kawasaki potentially winning the manufacturers' title at Magny-Cours.
In second position we find the other Ninja of Tom Sykes, chasing his fourth victory in France, after having won three races between 2012 and 2013, 0.522 thousandths behind his teammate.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) took third on the final lap, finishing ahead of teammate Alex Lowes, who improved his time at the checkered flag and managed to keep Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) behind him. .
The Italian was among the best in FP1 with fifth place, while teammate Eugene Laverty stopped in ninth place.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) is in sixth position, first of the Ducati riders on the track, followed by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it racing – Ducati), while Marco Melandri was unable to record a useful time due to a problem that arose in the initial stages of FP1.
The session was interrupted by a red flag with 2:02 minutes remaining due to a high-speed crash by Tati Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) at the final chicane.