#FrenchWorldSBK – Manufactures Profiles from Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

Aprilia have won three times at Magny-Cours, first with Max Biaggi in the second 2010 race and a double 1-2 in 2014, when Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli swapped wins. Last year the best results for Aprilia were scored by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Leandro Mercado as they both finished sixth, respectively in Race 1 and Race 2.

BMW have secured two podium finishes at Magny-Cours. These came as Leon Haslam was third in the first 2011 Race, while Marco Melandri was the runner up the following year, both in race one. The Italian didn’t have the speed to challenge Sylvain Guintoli, who pulled away with his Ducati. Last year the best result for BMW at this track was an eighth from Jordi Torres in Race 2. Torres had also been the best BMW rider the year before with a seventh in Race 2.

The 16 wins secured by Ducati represent half of the races run at Magny-Cours, and the last three were won by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with a double in 2016 and Race 2 last year. Ducati leads also the podiums ranking here with 36 bikes on the podium, followed by Yamaha at 16 and Kawasaki at 14. All these amazing results contrast with the fact that Ducati claimed only one pole here, in 2003 with James Toseland.

Honda have won twice here, the first time in 2005 when Chris Vermeulen won from pole in Race 1 and the second time the following year, when James Toseland won Race 1. Since that last win, Honda climbed on the podium seven times at Magny-Cours, five of these being third positions. The last time a Honda rider stood on the Magny-Cours podium was in 2016, which was a second position secured by Michael van der Mark in Race 1. Last year their best result was an eighth with Davide Giugliano in Race 1. They had their share of bad luck, as Jonathan Rea fell on two separate occasions from the lead, in 2012 race 1 and in 2014 in race 2.

Kawasaki have won six times at Magny-Cours and they opened their account here in 2012’s Race 2 with Tom Sykes, who went on to record a double the following year. Another double came from Rea in 2015, with the champion also winning Race 1 last year. Race 2 last year was left without Kawasakis on the podium as Rea crashed after a contact with Laverty and Tom Sykes managed a seventh, blaming his tyre choice. In the last 6 qualifying sessions here, the best Kawasaki on the grid was either on pole (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) or second (2015).

Yamaha have won five times at Magny-Cours, the last win coming in 2010 from pole in Race 1 (Cal Crutchlow). Last year they were able to add two podiums to their tally, as Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) was 2nd and van der Mark 3rd in Race 2. Yamaha have stood on the podium 16 times here, the second highest podium tally at the track after the 36 from Ducati.

MV Agusta recorded their best WorldSBK result of fourth just six times in history, two of them here in Magny-Cours with Leon Camier, who secured them in Race 2, 2016 and Race 1 last year.