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With seven rounds gone, the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship will be decided at the last possible moment, at the final round in France. Those left in the title race have shown the consistency and composure to keep their options alive in one of the fiercest and most evenly-matched championships in the world. Four riders just 22 points apart face the most important 12 laps of their career so far – here’s what each one of them needs to take the gold.

Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) – 1^st position – 90 points

Despite missing her first shot at the championship at Portimao, the speedy Spaniard is still in pole position to become the first female world champion in motorcycle racing history. Her path to glory is clear: if she finishes on the podium at Magny-Cours, she becomes World Champion.

A non-rostrum finish would complicate things for Carrasco, however. Should she finish anywhere from 4^th to 6^th, she would need Deroue to finish anywhere but first; a 7^th to 9^th finish would require Deroue to cross the line 3^rd or lower. Same for a 10^th place finish, with the added condition that Pérez doesn’t win.

Anything lower than 10^th would put Carrasco’s lead in peril. The worst-case scenario would be a non-point finish or DNF: the DS Junior Team rider would need Deroue to finish lower than fifth, Pérez lower than second, and for Grunwald not to win the race.

Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki) – 2^nd position – 80 points

The Dutchman seems to be hitting form at just the right time, but there’s still a way to go before he can be crowned World Champion. As we just mentioned, a Carrasco podium finish leaves no option for Deroue to win the title; if Deroue finishes 2^nd, he would need Carrasco outside the top six; if Deroue finishes 3^rd, the Dutchman would need Carrasco out of the top ten – and for Pérez not to walk away with the win.

Anything from a 4^th to 5^th place finish in France would complicate things further for Deroue, while 6^th or lower would make a title win mathematically impossible for the Dutchman.

Mika Pérez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) – 3^rd position – 72 points

It all seemed over for Pérez after he was forced to withdraw from the Acerbis Czech Round following a Superpole 1 crash. The Spaniard was 11^th in the standings, 46 points off the lead and with just three races remaining. Three months and one remarkable turnaround later, he enters the final stage with slim yet existing options, after finishing second at both Misano and Portimao.

Eighteen points behind, there are two ways Pérez can take home the championship. If he wins at Magny-Cours, the Spaniard would need Carrasco to finish 10^th or lower, with Deroue 3^rd or lower.

Should he finish 2^nd in France, Pérez would need a small miracle: Carrasco 15^th or lower, Deroue 5^th or lower, and to finish ahead of Grunwald. Anything from 3^rd downwards wouldn’t be enough for Pérez.

Luca Grunwald (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) – 4^th position – 68 points

After being taken out of action in the Algarve race, there is little the German can do to win the championship in his first season in WorldSSP300. A second race win at Magny-Cours is his only hope; even then, he needs Carrasco to finish 13^th or lower and Deroue 4^th or lower. Don’t count the German out just yet however: as the saying goes, it ain’t over until it’s over – especially in WorldSSP300.