What a weekend at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. British rider Fenton Seabright, running with PHR Performance Triumph, finally bagged his maiden FIM Sportbike World Championship win in Race 1 and backed it up with a stunning podium in Race 2. He has quietly grown into one of the fastest names in WorldSPB, and leaving the Acerbis French Round, he now boasts four podiums from the last three rounds. This machine and this rider are clicking at just the right time.
The Acerbis French Round started with a second-row qualifying effort for Seabright, posting a 1’46.043s that left him a half second slower than Championship leader David Salvador on pole with Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI. Holding his P5 spot for the opening three laps, Seabright unleashed a thunderous Lap 4 that culminated in a brilliant Turn 6-7 move on Xavi Artigas of MTM Kawasaki to seize P1. From there, a ferocious duel erupted between Salvador and Seabright, with Salvador's teammate Antonio Torres right in the mix. As the laps wound down, the battle went ballistic. Salvador struck in the first sector at Turn 4, cementing the move in Turn 5, before taking the lead at Turn 13. Seabright fired back at Turn 14, but the Spaniard returned the favor at Turn 15 to cross the line in P1. However, FIM WorldSBK Stewards intervened, ruling that Salvador had exceeded track limits at the final Turn 17. He was penalized one position down to P2, handing the victory to Seabright.
Speaking after landing his first win in the WorldSBK paddock, Seabright shared his disbelief: "It’s an amazing feeling; we’d been hunting for this all season; we knew it was at our fingertips, and we just had to put the last bits together to grasp it fully. It’s an amazing feeling to be up on the top step and hear your national anthem. Salvador is a difficult rider to beat; I knew he was going to come in strong. he, Torres, and I all had the pace. I knew it was going to be elbow to elbow on the last lap, and it was. It was a great battle and I’m glad I came out on top. I still can’t even believe it. Seeing my team in Parc Ferme waiting for me by the number 1 was an amazing feeling."
Sunday brought a fresh set of challenges. Seabright started from pole position, but the lights out saw him get bogged down into the first corners, dropping all the way to P8 at the start of Lap 2. True to form, he clawed his way up to P4 a lap later, soon tailing his Race 1 rival Salvador by Lap 3. Carter Thompson of Team BrCorse then jumped into the fight for the top spot, passing the #73 on Lap 5. Seabright even managed to lead briefly on Lap 8 before tumbling down to P5 with just two laps remaining. Thankfully for the Brit, a daring Turn 5 move past Pepe Osuna of Deza-Box 77 Racing Team and Championship leader Salvador on a wild final lap salvaged his second podium in two races.
Reflecting on Sunday's grueling scrap and the road ahead, Seabright noted: "It was great. I had a bit of a moment in the morning’s Warm Up, I pulled my arm a bit hanging onto the bike, and it didn’t help in the Race. We settled in nice and easy and kept chipping away. Sunday felt like a harder battle than Saturday; it was a lot more aggressive. It was a great accomplishment for the team. It was a weekend to remember, winning in a World Championship race on Saturday, then topping off the weekend with a podium. We’ll try to keep this momentum going to Cremona. The oldest in the team is 25, we're a new team in the World Championship. We’re all learning as youngsters; I’m sure by the end of the season you won’t stop seeing us."
Now, the paddock looks ahead to Cremona for the upcoming rounds.
