Luca Scassa has won his first World Supersport race since
Donington Park with a fine victory at Magny-Cours, but all eyes are on his ParkinGO Yamaha team-mate Chaz Davies after he did enough to secure the 2011 WSS title.
Davies needed a sixth place result, regardless of where sole rival Fabien Foret finished, to confirm the WSS title with one round remaining, the Welshman calmly playing the points' game as he ceded an early second place to eventually cross the line in sixth.
The race itself looked to be going the way of pole sitter Broc Parkes, who snatched the lead of the race at the first bend, ahead of fellow front row sitters Scassa, Massimo Roccoli and Sam Lowes, though a feisty Davies would get himself up to fourth by the end of the opening lap.
Indeed, Davies looked keen to emulate Carlos Checa before him by winning the title in style, pushing up to third at the expense of Scassa, and then second when Roccoli's Lorenzini Kawasaki expired on lap three.
However, Davies's pace stabilised at around two seconds behind Parkes, with Lowes, now up to third, applying pressure that would see him past into second place on lap eight.
Meanwhile, Foret was struggling on home soil, mired in the chasing pack and unable to get on terms with those ahead of him. Indeed, as was the case at Imola, Foret would require a race win to keep his title dreams alive, though his hopes were fading as the race progressed/
As such, though Scassa spent several laps deliberately shadowing Davies, such was the margin back to Foret, he'd eventually get the go-ahead to move into third and push for the win.
Scassa's rise to third coincided with Lowes running wide at Chateau d'Eau on lap 15, allowing the Italian a chance to pass on lap 16 and go hunting for Parkes, whose lap times had tumbled with only a handful of laps remaining.
With Scassa lapping almost a second faster, he would get the better of Parkes with three laps to go to secure a first win since he opened his rookie Supersport season with a double victory Phillip Island and
Donington Park.