In Superpole qualifying Huertas was also the top placed Ninja ZX-6R rider, in sixth. Öncü was 21st in his first Superpole contest since Round Two at Mandalika.
The opening race was held over the scheduled 19 laps duration, with two riders finally competing for the win, but keen competition for the next few places providing lots of entertainment for the sun-kissed crowds.
Öncü paid a price in not being able to set a truly competitive Superpole qualifying lap, leaving him with a lot of work to do at the start of the race. He raced on the fringes of a points score, and finished up just two places from securing a championship point on the first day of his comeback race.
One more Magny Cours WorldSSP race remains to be run, on Sunday 10 September, over the same 19-lap duration as Race One.
Can Öncü, stated: “In Superpole I wasn’t able to complete a clean lap in order to set a good time. It’s never easy to start from further back on the grid in Supersport. I got away well anyway, and moved into the group fighting in the points zone. I had consistent pace and finished seventeenth in the end, but the important thing is that I was able to complete the race after such a long break - this is the main thing for now. I want to thank my team and all my supporters.”
Adrian Huertas continued on his impressive development curve inside the WorldSSP class with a fighting fourth place. Huertas ended up less than three seconds from a podium finish. He was over two seconds up on the rider behind him at the chequered flag.
John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) started from 18th on the starting grid and then took a championship point for his 15th place finish in the opening race.
Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing Kawasaki) was once again the top WorldSSP Challenge rider, finishing 13th in Race One. He still leads the points table in the ‘championship-within-a-championship’, which was created for riders who only race in the European rounds of WorldSSP.
Booth’s fellow WorldSSP Challenge rider Yuta Okaya (Prodina Kawasaki Racing) finished up 18th in the Saturday race and Luke’s own team-mate Luke Power was 28th.
#NinjaSpirit