World Supersport French Wildcard Valentin Debise fastest on opening day of Pirelli French Round
Knowledge proved key for hometown rider and wildcard Valentin Debise, who took charge of Friday’s World Supersport practice. Debise rounded out FP2 with the fastest time of 1’41.776s as the track dried throughout the session, with Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) finishing second by just 0.023s.
Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha): “As a wildcard here, it’s a great day for me! I want to thank the GMT64 Yamaha for this one and to allow me to show my potential. Luckily for us, we had a round here with the French Championship a month ago, so I know the track very well. Once the track started to dry, I got up to speed very quickly. The bike was feeling great immediately. We put a new tyre on and I went for a lap time, and I was able to make consistent and fast lap times. I need to improve some more things for tomorrow but for now, first position is really nice for the team.”
Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) was second at the end of Friday with a best time of 1’41.799s. Reigning WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) finished Friday in third place, as he took to the track with the circuit at its driest during the session to move up the standings.
Flying the flag for Australia, Oliver Bayliss (BARNI Spark Racing Team) rounded out Friday’s combined Free Practice results after FP2 in 17th, just +1.723s off Debise’s time. While Benjamin Currie (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti) not far behind, sitting 22nd in combined times with a gap of +2.195.
