ROUND 13/OCTOBER 4-6, 2013
CIRCUIT NEVERS MAGNY-COURS/MAGNY-COURS, FRANCE
WORLD SUPERBIKE
P72
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Teammates
Eugene Laverty
(58) and Sylvain
Guintoli (50)
battled for
second in both
races.
FRANCOPHILE,
FRANCOPHOBE
There is nothing like la belle
France. The windswept, rain-lashed
vast expanses of the former Formula One circuit Magny-Cours feels
nothing like la belle France when the
weather gods have had too much
wine the night before and decide to
vent their bladders all over the Nievre
region. Fair enough, it is October.
So many pivotal, final, decisive moments of recent World Superbike history have happened here at this time
of year and that is why the MagnyCours management always try to get
its race to run as late as possible in
the calendar.
The risk is, like on Saturday, heavy
overnight rains and an air of misery
you cannot shoo away no matter how
many bottles of Sancerre you know
you can smuggle back home in your
hand luggage, at direct from the local
producer prices.
The Loire valley in France is
charming in its own way, but despite
a usual enthusiastic local crowd, an
interesting layout laden with passing
opportunities, and big scale openplan facilities - Magny-Cours has had
a charisma bypass. You could be in
Kansas, the English Black Country
or a Russian Steppe for all the charm
Magny-Cours emanates, especially in
October.
Like your mom used to say when
the TV was broke, "we used to make
our own fun in the old days." At Magny-Cours, you have to bring your own
fun and feel good factors because the
track and locality provides little inherent cheer.
Thank God for the French motorcycle fans.
Even this year, in recession and
rain, they came to the track and got
off on the sight of Tom Sykes, Sylvain
Guintoli and Co., all going at it like
maniacs on track. The fans seem to
make it the last big bike weekend
away of the year, especially when the
