Lucas Mahias on the secret of Magny-Cours: “You risk a crash”

Whilst there is no French rider in the Superbike category, there are five on the starting grid for the Supersport World Championship – the regular riders are Valentin Debise (ZX Moto), Lucas Mahias (Yamaha) and Corentin Perolari (Honda). In addition, the French MV Agusta team Flembbo is fielding local hero Samuel Di Sora instead of the underperforming Jacopo Cretaro, whilst the Yamaha team GMT94 is organising a guest appearance for Mathieu Gines.

What they all have in common is motivation right down to the tips of their hair and first-class track knowledge. The latter relates to the peculiarities of the asphalt, which is very slippery in wet conditions, but also to line choice. This is because the Circuit de Nevers has a technically demanding layout that does not allow for a natural rhythm. Riders often approach the slowest corners of the entire season at very high speeds, sometimes even downhill. For example, at the end of the back straight, at the entry to the ‘Adelaide’ hairpin. There, riders brake from 290 km/h down to under 50 km/h. Braking errors and race-deciding manoeuvres are almost inevitable at this point.

For Mahias – the 2019 and 2020 Magny-Cours winner – the fast corners 1 to 3 are the ones leading up to the iconic Adelaide. There, you have to decelerate from 290 km/h to 50 km/h. “You enter the first corner on the inside and then let yourself drift out by about 1.5 metres before choosing your apex. If you’re too close to the white line, you’re already a bit too far out and risk a crash,” explained the Frenchman. “It’s not an easy section. You might think it’s just a full-throttle corner, but you have to take the perfect line.”