SBK: Tommy Bridewell, what a scare—the Ducati hits the wall and shatters into a thousand pieces

Against the very same wall at Magny-Cours two years ago, Toprak Razgatlioglu nearly lost the first of his two Superbike World Championships won with BMW. This time it went better: the Briton Tommy Bridewell avoided the impact, but the Advocats Anglo-Australian team’s Ducati Panigale V4 R was smashed to pieces.

Rarely has a bike been seen in such a state: the front end torn off, the engine left as the only intact piece and, in light of things, perhaps the only salvageable one. A very substantial loss, including financially. But what matters, of course, is that the former BSB champion walked away practically unscathed: just a few grazes on his arms and torso. Today he will regularly take the start in the two concluding races of the French round of the Superbike World Championship.

Toprak Razgatlioglu was less fortunate. The dynamics of the slide were identical, namely losing the front in the very fast downhill left-hander, but in that instance the rider didn’t slow much in the run-off area, striking the outermost part of the wall that protects the following Turn 14 very violently. Without that protection, bikes and riders who fall on the downhill risk crossing the track at the next section. It’s the same situation as at Rivazza 1 in Imola; the wall is essential and cannot be removed. After the Turkish rider’s crash, from which he miraculously escaped without fractures and therefore didn’t see his season significantly compromised—ultimately ending as World Champion—the International Motorcycling Federation requested changes. Since 2024, that wall has been protected not only by rows of tires but also by air fences, which would have been very useful in Toprak’s crash.

This time, however, they were almost useless, because the Ducati dug into the run-off, bouncing multiple times before slamming into the barriers: the front end, torn from the rest, flew into the air, while the remaining debris, engine included, struck the air fence. But the damage was already more than done. Fortunately, the rider slid away at high speed without hitting anything. At that point, riders are in fifth gear, leaned over to the left, and must brake hard to tackle the next corner. Losing the front takes an instant. Bridewell had been demoted to the back of the grid for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags during practice. So he was pushing hard to regain positions. In the Superpole Race he will occupy the seventh spot earned in qualifying. So it all restarts as if nothing had happened. But what a scare...

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