Factory Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes just had the edge over team-mate and newly-crowned World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea in the opening free practice session at Magny-Cours despite a late tyre change and last-lap dash from the Castletown resident.
Sykes put in a 1’38.755 with only 15 minutes gone to top the timesheet and was only 0.046s ahead of Leon Haslam’s Red Devils Aprilia but Rea had designs on the top spot and came out of pitlane for a one-lap dash with only two minutes left on the clock. The Irishman didn’t quite make it, however, but narrowed the gap to just 0.017s with a lap of 1’38.772 compared to Haslam’s 1’38.801. Sykes is the most consistent with four laps in the 1’38s, Rea has two with Haslam and Davies on one each.
Haslam had taken top spot from Rea early doors but then lost out to Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies before Sykes stamped his authority on proceedings. Davies managed to slice his laptime down to a 1’38.956 which left him in fourth place while Sylvain Guintoli, who has stood on the podium in his native France for the last two years, bagged fifth on the Pata Honda.
Voltcom Suzuki’s Alex Lowes bounced up to sixth place with his penultimate lap of 1’39.172 and is only 0.012s off the pace of Guintoli while Nico Canepa is again proving quick in free practice, setting the seventh-best time of 1’39.348. Ayrton Badovini was eighth, Michael Van Der Mark ninth and Matteo Baiocco completes the top ten, and is 1.204s off the pace.
Guest Aruba Ducati rider Luca Scassa bagged 11th place on his return to action, one ahead of Jordi Torres who will have not seen the Magny-Cours circuit before. The Spaniard put his Red Devils Aprilia in 12th place, one ahead of IDM champin Markus Reiterberger, also a Magny-Cours WSBK virgin. Leon Camier, who has a new fuel tank and chassis parts to try this weekend, was 16th.
