The ninth WorldSBK round will play out this coming weekend at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, a track at which both Tito Rabat and Zaqhwan Zaidi hope to kickstart this final phase of the 2025 championship.

Rabat continues his apprenticeship aboard the CBR1000RR-R, the veteran rider having only joined forces with PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda as of the UK WorldSBK round. Having scored points in the latest Hungarian race, the Spaniard is looking for more this coming weekend, not least because he has good knowledge of the French track and finished inside the points at the 2024 edition of the round. Teammate Zaidi has no prior experience of the circuit and so will once again adopt a methodical approach, building his race weekend step by step.

A regular fixture on the Superbike calendar since 2003, the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is located in central France and was constructed in 1960. It has served as the stage for a range of two- and four-wheeled championships over the decades, from the Bol d’Or and MotoGP to F1 and GT. Measuring 4.411 kilometres in length, the track incorporates seventeen turns, some of which are based on well-known corners from other tracks. The layout offers a good mix of slow hairpins and fast, flowing sections.

Tito Rabat

“After the summer break I’m so happy that we’re finally getting back on track this week. I feel fit and ready and have worked all season to stay 100% in shape. After the latest Balaton qualifying, I saw that we can achieve good results. If we can word hard and in the right way all weekend, I’m sure we can obtain a good position. I’m looking forward to it. Let’s go for it.”

Zaqhwan Zaidi

“Magny-Cours will be an interesting round as it’s my first time racing there. For sure, I’ll need to trust in the progress we can make, session by session. I’m looking for a better race result so the plan is to work hard and try to enjoy the weekend.”

Track Information:

Country: France
Name: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Length: 4.411 km
Pole position: right
Turns: 8 left, 9 right

SBK RECORDS: Best lap – Bautista (Ducati) 1’36.084 (2023). Superpole – Gerloff (BMW) 1'35.453 (2023).

2024 SBK RESULTS: 

Race 1 – 1. Van der Mark (BMW), 2. Bautista (Ducati), 3. Petrucci (Ducati)

Superpole race – 1. Bulega (Ducati), 2. Lowes (Kawasaki); 3. Petrucci (Ducati)

Race 2 - 1. Bulega (Ducati), 2. Petrucci (Ducati); 3. Gerloff (BMW)

Weekend schedule (CET):

Friday
10.20 - 11.05 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2

Saturday
9.00 – 9.20 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1

Sunday
9.00 – 9.10 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
15.30 – SBK Race 2