Dominique Aegerter immediately took the lead from the second grid positon and didn’t lose it again. The Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider took his ninth victory of the 2021 season in the shortened race at the Magny-Cours circuit. Unfortunately, Galang Hendra Pratama crashed in the third lap after a good start.

Dominique Aegerter was the fastest World Supersport rider during the first day of the seventh round of the season in France. Galang Hendra Pratama had never ridden the Yamaha R6 at a dry Magny-Cours before and struggled in practice. The Indonesian rider set the twenty-eighth lap time in Superpole. Aegerter did considerably better and posted the second lap time in qualifying. This meant a fifth consecutive front row start for the Swiss rider.

After the start of the first race, there was a red flag on the opening lap due to a crash at the back of the field. The race was shortened to twelve laps. Aegerter took the lead. In the opening laps, the 30-year-old rider led the pack, but wasn’t able to pull away yet. Around half race distance Aegerter accelerated and managed to create a gap to his competitors. This was enough for the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider to score his ninth victory of the season and his fourth in a row. Hendra Pratama managed to gain a lot of positions after the start. The young rider came through in 21st position after the first lap. However, Hendra Pratama crashed on the third lap, which unfortunately resulted in an early end of the race.

Dominique Aegerter: “It was a nice race. I had a good start both times and was in first place at the first corner. We already had a good pace in practice and also during the race. I was able to lead from start to finish. It’s very cool to get a win so close from my home. Ten Kate Racing Yamaha has put together a great bike and it is great to ride with it. Tomorrow we will try to continue this good flow during the second race!”

Galang Hendra Pratama: “It was not my day. We had a very really tough qualifying. I tried everything I could, but we had to start from P28. The race was also difficult. I pushed to follow the group, but it ended with a crash. I feel so sorry for the team, they worked hard. For tomorrow, I’m going to forget everything of this day completely and will push go for a good result!”

Team manager Kervin Bos: “The ninth victory of the season: fantastic! We know there is still a challenge ahead of us for the Catalunya round, but with a lead of 52 points we are in good position. Dominique controlled the race brilliantly. Besides a big compliment to the riders, credits also go to the team. Especially the tuning department, who have improved our straight-line speed considerably throughout the season. It was a shame about Galang’s crash. We have to analyse how we can help him out of this difficult phase and make him feel more confident on the bike.

Dominique Aegerter was involved in a crash on the opening lap of the second WorldSSP race at Magny Cours which led to a red flag situation. The Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team did a fantastic job in getting the damaged bike back up to speed just before the restart. After a great battle for the win Aegerter finished second and extended his lead in the championship. Galang Hendra Pratama finished in twentieth place.

Aegerter managed to win the first World Supersport race on Saturday afternoon. In the second race the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider started again on the front row of the grid. Galang Hendra Pratama was looking for revenge after his early crash during the first race. The rider from Indonesia had to start the race from the ninth row of the grid.

Aegerter went second into the first corner, while Hendra Pratama also managed to gain some positions. At the end of the opening lap Luca Bernardi crashed in front of Aegerter in the final chicane. As a result of that, the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider and Jules Cluzel also crashed: a red flag followed. Aegerter was able to bring his bike back to the box. The team did a great job to get the damaged Yamaha R6 ready with just ten minutes for the restart.

Aegerter was first away this time. On the second lap he lost the lead for a while, where he regained it on the third lap. During the race, Aegerter kept increasing the pace. Only Manuel Gonzalez could follow his speed. In the closing stages of the race there was a great battle with many changes of position. Aegerter finished second after a sensational last lap, but won important points in the championship. Hendra Pratama was twenty-fourth after the first lap, but managed to work his way up to twentieth during the race.

After the French World Supersport round, Aegerter leads the world championship by 62 points over the number two. Hendra Pratama is eighteenth in the standings with 21 points. The next round will be held from 17^th to 19^th of September at the Circuit de Catalunya. Aegerter has to miss these two races because of commitments in another championship. Hendra Pratama will compete with the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha in Catalunya.

Dominique Aegerter: “I think all the fans and attendees enjoyed this race. It was also a crazy race with the crash and red flag situation. I hope the other riders are OK. I had pain in my knee after the crash, but was able to bring the bike back to the box. The bike was really damaged. The team did an amazing job, everyone helping each other to get the bike ready for the restart. I was able to lead for many laps. After a fair fight I lost the win, but gained a lot of points in the championship. I won’t be in Catalunya because I will be racing for the MotoE championship, but in Jerez I will give everything again on the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha!”

Galang Hendra Pratama: “P20 today. I’m not really satisfied. But to come from my starting position to P20 isn’t easy at this track. I didn’t find the rhythm this weekend at Magny-Cours and it was also my first full dry race on this track. It is what it is, but we learned a lot this weekend which I want to thank the team for. I’m looking forward to the next races at Montmeló, a fast track and close to where I’m staying in Europe.”

Team manager Kervin Bos: “Even though it is a second place, this feels like the best race of the year. This result feels like so much more than a victory. Dominique had an unfortunate crash in the first lap as Bernardi fell in front of him. The Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team proved once again how strong they are by getting an impossible bike ready in time. Aegerter kept a cool head and fought for the win, an amazing job! Our engine update couldn’t have come at a better time. We had an optimal result for the championship. We can also confirm that we will miss Dominique in Catalunya. Galang managed to finish the race in twentieth place. A big compliment to the team and the tuning department!”