Everyone expected history in race one, but it was Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) who scored his first win rather than (Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) becoming a stand-alone all-time race winner in WorldSBK.
Van Der Mark was the first Dutch rider to score a full race win in WorldSBK, and this was the first Yamaha win since 2011.
Rea and eventual third placed rider Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took turns to lead, but after VDM hit the front he proved to have a higher pace on a different rear tyre choice from the other top riders.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) finished fourth, six seconds down, with Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) beating his team-mate Eugene Laverty for fifth.
In seventh place front row starter Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) had a strong finishing position, but was 15 seconds down.
VD Mark and Jonathan Rea, WSBK Race1, Donington WSBK 2018
A terrible day for the Ducati riders saw their best placed rider being Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in eighth, who passedLeon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) near the end as Haslam and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) clashed and the Turkish rider fell.
A gutsy ride from the still-injured Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) finish tenth. Wildcard rider Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) was 14th, ahead of PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) and Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team). Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) fell and restarted to finish 22nd.
In the championship Rea has 229 points, Davies 170, Sykes 153 and VDM 138.
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- Jonathan Rea and Sykes, WSBK Race1, Donington WSBK 2018
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- VD Mark, WSBK Race1, Donington WSBK 2018
By Gordon Ritchie