Superbike Magny-Cours, Race 1: Chaz Davies dares and wins

Superbike, Fassi French Round, Race 1. At the end of the season, the world championship for production-based derivatives has decided not to take anything for granted: the first race at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours gets underway in uncertain track conditions after this morning's rain.

The winner was Chaz Davies, the only top rider to dare and decide to mount the intermediates: the Welsh rider had explained that the choice was exclusively his and he therefore assumed all the responsibility.
He therefore deserves all the credit for a decision that took him to the top step of the podium, while the others, who started on rain tyres, had to return to the pits to change them.

The turning point of the race was on lap 13, when Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, fourth and fifth respectively at the time, succumbed to wear on their rain tyres: the English driver decided to gamble for everything all by mounting the slicks, while the current leader of the standings decided not to risk it, choosing the intermediates.
On this day it seems that daring pays off: Sykes manages to recover 10 positions, finishing his race in third place, just behind Van der Mark.
The feeling is that if Sykes had advanced the gearbox by a few laps he would have had the opportunity to try to catch Davies, as the young Dutchman did, relegated to the rear until he returned to the pits to mount the intermediates.

Jonathan Rea manages to overtake Lorenzo Savadori in the photo finish for the final fourth place, a position that allows him to lose only three points from Sykes in the standings: a conservative race today for the reigning champion, who did not make his race exclusively on his teammate .
A note for Lorenzo Savadori, author of a great race, who found himself in second position more than halfway through the race and gradually had to make room for the others with fresher tyres.
Given the difference on the track between rain and intermediate, fifth place can already be considered a good result.
Sixth position for today's big surprise, Matthieu Lagrive, for the Pedercini Kawasaki team, who after this morning's good qualifying was the author of a courageous race, the only rider on the track to opt for the singular choice of rain at posterior and intermediate at the front.
Seventh position for Leon Camier: the English driver was the author of a crazy race and was in first position, after more than half the race, when the rain tires began to give way.
It's a real shame because he would have deserved the podium.
Eighth position for Xavi Fores, followed by Sylvain Guintoli and Alex De Angelis, who was also in the podium area after more than half the race and was unable to make his tires last until the checkered flag.
Finally, close to the top ten we find Alex Lowes: the English rider is not in the best shape due to yesterday's accident, which exacerbated the shoulder pain that caused him to miss the Aragon MotoGP.
Nicky Hayden was unlucky as he had to abandon the race around the 13th lap due to a breakdown.

By virtue of today's results, Sykes reduces his gap from Rea to 44, while Davies gets even closer to -86: we'll see what happens tomorrow in Race 2, start at 13pm, which promises to be dry, optimal conditions for Ducati.

Below is the order of arrival for Race 1:

1. C. DAVIES – Aruba Racing Team Ducati – Ducati Panigale R
2. M. VAN DER MARK – Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR1000RR
3. T. SYKES – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R
4. J. REA Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R
5 L. SAVADORI – Iodarcing Team – Aprilia RSV4
6 M. LAGRIVE – Pedercini Racing – Kawasaki ZX-10R
7 L. CAMIER – MV Agusta Racing Department – ​​MVAgusta 1000 F4
8 X. FORÉS- Barni Racing Team – Ducati Panigale R
9 S. GUINTOLI – Pata Yamaha WorldSbk Team – Yamaha YZF R1
10 A. DEANGELIS – Iodarcing Team – Aprilia RSV4
11 A. LOWES – Pata Yamaha WorldSbk Team – Yamaha YZF R1
12 J. BROOKES – Milwaukee BMW – BMW S1000 RR
13 R. RAMOS Kawasaki ZX-10R
14 J. TORRES – Althea BMW RacingTeam – BMW S1000 RR
15 L. SCASSA Ducati Panigale R
16 K. ABRAHAM – Milwaukee BMW – BMW S1000 RR
17 M. REITERBERGER – Althea BMW RacingTeam – BMW S1000 RR
18 S. AL SULAITI – Pedercini Racing – Kawasaki ZX-10R
19 P. SEBESTYÉN – Team Tóth – Yamaha YZF R1
20 M. LUSSIANA – Team ASPI – BMW S1000 RR
21 G. VIZZIELLO – Grillini RacingTeam – Kawasaki ZX-10R
22 A. PLANCASSAGNE – 3ART – Yamaha YZF R1

Not Classified
I. TÓTH – Team Tóth – Yamaha YZF R1
N. HAYDEN – Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR1000RR
D. SCHMITTER – Grillini RacingTeam – Kawasaki ZX-10R