Bautista on Damage Control with Race 2 Win at Magny-Cours

September 10, 2023Ray Milton
WorldSBK

After dominating the Superpole Race and Race 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu looked to secure the hat trick at Magny-Cours. However, Alvaro Bautista had other plans. Bautista was able to bounce back in the final race of the weekend to claim the win. Bautista got a great start sending him to the front of the field. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) didn’t let up though. Rea went for a move at Turn 5 on the reigning Champion on the inside, but Bautista was able to pick his bike up well and reclaim the lead instantly. Rea kept the pressure on Bautista but his efforts would be futile as Bautista edging out a gap. The fight behind became the race as Rea and Razgatlioglu duked it out for the best for the rest. Ultimately their fighting on track removed them from ever being able to catch Bautista.

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had an on track incident that resulted in the stewards ruling in Aegerter’s favor. Redding would receive a double long lap penalty. The incident brought out red flags. Aegerter was not able to continue. Redding continued the race but had a mechanical issue arise and thus retired.

Racing is Where it Counts

After a surprise pole position secured by Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW). Gerloff was not able to hold on to the top spot but he made strides of improvement on the weekend. He finished fourth in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2. The finish was his best of the season and is definitely something to build off of in the coming rounds. It was a special occasion where 4 different manufacturers filled the top 5 spots in Race 2.

Full Race Results are Below