The ninth round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway in the form of two 45-minute free practice sessions at the 4.411km long circuit in the centre of France.

Riding his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, Garrett placed himself ninth in the combined times, even without an optimum Magny-Cours set-up on his machine at this early stage of the weekend.

A very close and competitive first day in France saw Gerloff just 0.848 seconds from the fastest rider. Fully 18 of the 21 competing riders finished within 1.178 seconds of the quickest lap time.

Some riders were faster in the morning session, and some set their best pace in the positively hot FP2 session, when air temperatures reached 33°C. Gerloff set his best time in the afternoon session.

With Friday’s action now complete, FP3, Superpole Qualifying, and then a 21-lap Race One will be next up for Gerloff and the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team at Magny-Cours.

Garrett Gerloff, stated: “It has been a pretty good first day at Magny-Cours. I felt decently fast, even though I am having some issues with the bike at the moment. We just need to look at the data and understand what’s going on with the electronics, mainly. I think we can figure those things out and be stronger on Saturday, I hope. We will be back at it tomorrow and I hope to have a strong day.”