The seventh WorldSSP round at Portimão left the team a little disappointed after the race results failed to reflect the potential that riders Toba and Pawi had shown during the practice sessions. The Japanese and the Malaysian will both be aiming to quickly build confidence with the French track, another at which they have never raced before. The duo did at least complete a test session at the track on 17-18 August, which has gone some way to helping them feel better prepared for the races making up this eighth Supersport World Championship round. Kaito and Khairul have used the last three weeks to focus on their training programmes so as to be ready for this latest challenge, one that they are both looking forward to after the break. 

Situated in the Burgundy region of France, the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was constructed in 1960 and began staging events the following year. The circuit has been a regular host of World Superbike and World Supersport since 2003 and has also welcomed F1 and MotoGP in the past. Having undergone modifications over the years, with significant work completed in 2014, the track now measures 4.411 kilometres in length, is made up of seventeen turns, and runs in a clockwise direction. 

Kaito Toba 

This weekend we're racing at Magny Cours. Although it's a new track for me, we did complete a test there a few weeks ago, so I'm a bit more familiar with it now. While testing, we had the chance to try out some ideas, some of which we discarded while others we confirmed. This is very valuable when we don't have so much time on track during a race weekend. Hopefully it will help us to set out on the right foot on Friday, already having some kind of base for the bike. I'm looking forward to this upcoming round and hope we get some sunny weather, so we can continue where we left off. 

Khairul Idham Pawi 

It feels like a while since we raced so it will be good to get back on the bike in France, and at another new track! We had quite a positive test at Magny-Cours in August, but I’ve never competed there; I know it’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I think I’m as prepared as I can be. The aim is to improve both the feeling and outright results with respect to the Portimão round, where I was left disappointed with the outcome of the races. I’d like to reach the points zone this weekend. 

Track Information: 

Country: France
Name: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Length: 4.411 km
Pole position: right 

Turns: 8 left, 9 right
 
SSP RECORDS: Best lap – Debise (Yamaha) 1’40.520 (2023). Superpole – Bulega (Ducati) 1'40.074 (2023). 

2023 SSP RESULTS: 

Race 1 – 1. Bulega (Ducati); 2. Manzi (Yamaha); 3. Debise (Yamaha) 

Race 2 - 1. Bulega (Ducati); 2. Debise (Yamaha); 3. Manzi (Yamaha)