World Superbikes: Jonathan Rea retires from opening race at Magny-Cours
Jonathan Rea’s challenge in the opening of the world’s superbike world race in Magny-Cours in France ended early when he retired with eight laps to do.
The race was won by the leader of the Toprak Razgatlioglu championship with Nicolo Bulega in second and Alex Alex in Alex in third.
The champion six times Rea was in eighth place in the first round when he got tangled in a collision between Yari Montelli and Andrea Iannone.
After returning to the stand field, Rea joined the race on a screening mission for Sunday races on the site at 10:00 am BST and 2:30 p.m. BST before abandoning early.
Meanwhile, at the British Superbike Championship in Donnington Park, Glenn Irwin ranked sixth in the first race on Saturday.
The Northern Ireland runner finished a little more than six seconds behind the winner Scott Redding who had previously broke the record for the fastest BSB circuit.
Irwin started racing in the eighth and improved this position, but Redding paved the way in a race that finished early.
