Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) took his second FIM Supersport 300 World Championship win of the season in a hard-fought battle at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as the Championship battle got even closer. The results of Race 1 at the Pirelli French Round mean just five points separate the top three, and 21 separate the top five, heading into Sunday’s Race 2 after a dramatic and action-packed start to the weekend.

RACE-LONG BATLTE: Buis fights to top spot

As always in WorldSSP300, the action was fierce, hard-fought and unpredictable as Buis claimed his second win of the season with the 2020 Champion taking advantage of squabbling behind him in the final few laps to pull out a gap of almost two seconds over his rivals. The #6 made his move for the lead on Lap 11 at Turn 5 and, despite getting sideways under braking often, was able to pull away from his rivals to claim victory at Magny-Cours, his second win at the French venue after he took victory in Race 1 in 2020.

Behind him, the fight for the podium was decided right at the line. Veteran Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) claimed his third podium and his first since 2019 when he won at Donington Park. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) had been strong all weekend and the young Dutchman converted it into a maiden World Championship podium as he finished 0.278s behind Sabatucci.

Buis’ win was his ninth in WorldSSP300 as he extended his lead at the top of the all-time win list while it was also his 17^th podium as he closes in on compatriot Scott Deroue’s record of 17. It was a milestone podium for Kawasaki with the Japanese manufacturer now on 150 in the Championship. Sabatucci’s rostrum was Italy’s 30^th and he also equalled the record for longest timespan between podiums. His five-year, three-month, 27-day wait is the same as Marc Garcia’s wait when he claimed a podium last year. Coincidentally, both spans spanned from Imola to Magny-Cours, with Sabatucci’s starting in 2018 and ending this year while Garcia’s was between 2017 and 2022. Veneman became the 50^th rider to stand on the podium in WorldSSP300. In the Championship standings, the top five are separated by only 21 points.

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS FIGHT HARD: the fight closes up

Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) had been fighting for the lead throughout the 13-lap battle but dropped down to fourth in the closing stages as he finished less than a tenth behind Sabatucci; the battle for second went right to the line. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) was fifth as he gained places in the final few laps to maintain his consistent form of eight top-five finishes in 11 races. Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) rounded out the top six.

POST-RACE PENALTY IMPACTS TITLE FIGHT: Vannucci drops one place…

Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) crossed the line in sixth place but was demoted one place for irresponsible riding at Turn 16 on the final lap, dropping him to P7. The #91 had been one of the fastest riders all race but he lost ground in the final few laps before being classified in seventh. Britain’s Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) had a dramatic end to the race. He finished in eighth after a crash with Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) at Turn 13, with the Spaniard finishing in 24^th. Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team) finished in ninth with Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing completing the top ten.

SECURING POINTS: a dramatic battle…

German star Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) took 11^th after missing out on a place in the top ten by just 0.033s, with Marc Garcia (China Racing Team) in the points after overcoming a five-place grid penalty. Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) was 13^th ahead of Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) and Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) as the two Italian riders rounded out the points-scoring positions. Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) was 16^th but had crossed the line in the points. The Indonesian rider was given a three-second penalty for shortcutting the Turn 6-7 chicane and not losing sufficient time.

HOUSEKEEPING: home hero crashes out

Samuel Di Sora’s (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) search for home glory ended on Lap 2 at Turn 5 when he crashed out after contact with Margo Gaggi (Team BrCorse), with the Italian able to re-join the race and finishing in 25^th. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards. Enzo Valentin (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) retired on Lap 7 when he had a technical issue with his Yamaha machine. Teammate Maier retired from the race while Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) crashed out on the exit of the final chicane on the last lap. The incident involving him was placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards and Garcia was taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Garcia was later declared fit.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here:

1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki)

2. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PI Performances) +1.890s

3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +2.168s

4. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +2.238s

5. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +2.589s

6. Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) +2.654s

Fastest lap: Fenton Seabright, Kawasaki – 1’53.133

Watch WorldSSP300 Race 2 from 13:45 Local Time (GMT+2) on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!