With the World Superbike Championship title now firmly in Max Biaggi’s hand, the first free practice at the French circuit of Magny–Cours for the final round of the season, saw Michel Fabrizio take the top spot of the time charts with a best lap of 1′39.
175, in what will be the Ducati factory’s last race weekend.
The Italian rider, who has yet to announce for which team he’ll be riding for next season, was followed by an excellent Ruben Xaus (who will be replaced by Leon Haslam in BMW in 2011 and is still looking for a saddle) in second spot despite a crash at turn 13 in the final minutes of the session.
Third went to Cal Crutchlow who will be moving to MotoGP next season and he was followed by Jakub Smrz on the Aprilia Pata B&G (next year with Liberty Racing) who was ahead of Noriyuki Haga (with Aprilia DFX-Borciani) and Lorenzo Lanzi, who also crashed during the session.
James Toseland and Shane Byrne who are still officially without a ride for 2011 where seventh and eighth respectively.
Ninth went to the World Champion Max Biaggi, who is nursing a bad case of tracheitis and Luca Scassa closed out the top ten.
Scassa will be heading the Supersport championship next year.
Jonathan Rea who was in doubt for the weekend after missing Imola after rupturing a ligament between his scaphoid and lunar bones and a disclocation of the acromioclavicular joint in his shoulder took a very surprising 11th place.
WSBK Magny Cours 1st Free Practice Results:01- Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox Team – Ducati 1198 – 1′39.
17502- Ruben Xaus – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 0.
16503- Cal Crutchlow – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team – Yamaha YZF R1 – + 0.
28904- Jakub Smrz – Team Pata B&G Racing – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.
29605- Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox Team – Ducati 1198 – + 0.
30906- Lorenzo Lanzi – DFX Corse – Ducati 1198 – + 0.
46007- James Toseland – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team – Yamaha YZF R1 – + 0.
46008- Shane Byrne – Althea Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 0.
46609- Max Biaggi – Aprilia Alitalia Racing – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 0.
49710- Luca Scassa – Supersonic Racing Team – Ducati 1198 – + 0.
58611- Jonathan Rea – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 0.
58812- Leon Haslam – Team Suzuki Alstare – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 0.
59113- Carlos Checa – Althea Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 0.
68814- Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX 10R – + 0.
78515- Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 1.
06916- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Alstare – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 1.
22917- Max Neukirchner – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 2.
06418- Ian Lowry – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX 10R – + 2.
73919- Matteo Baiocco – Team Pedercini – Kawasaki ZX 10R – + 2.
93520- Roger Hayden – Team Pedercini – Kawasaki ZX 10R – + 3.
52321- Fabrizio Lai – ECHO CRS Honda – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 3.
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