Breakthrough win for Rinaldi as Rea moves ahead in the Championship
RACE 1
SUPERPOLE RACE
Redding Wins After Big Early Pass
For the first time this year Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) did not win the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole sprint race, which was taken by Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) after ten laps of hard pushing and great consistency. It was Redding’s first Superpole race win, and the fourth WorldSBK victory of his career.
Redding made a big move inside of Rea on lap one and piled on the pace to make sure he made some ground back in the championship fight after his Race 1 no-score.
Behind the ever-changing fortunes for the overall championship lead Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven Ducati) posted his second podium of the weekend after his Saturday race win.
Behind the top three there was more action, as Alvaro Bautista (HRC Honda) finally held off the progressing Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for fourth, with a still suffering Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) dropping back to sixth after setting the fastest lap of the race.
Another tough day for Yamaha saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) seventh, just ahead of Leon Haslam (HRC Honda).
Tom Sykes lost places but finished ninth, as Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounded out the top ten.
RACE 2
Rea Wins To Take 36 Point Lead
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) won a race that had three leaders after first Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and then long time leader Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GoEleven Ducati) had to give way to Rea’s dash to what was his eighth race victory of 2020.
Rea made his late push after passing Rinaldi with two to go, taking a 1.244 second margin of victory and a 36 point championship lead over early challenger Redding. This was Rea’s 96th career race win.
Leon Haslam (HRC Honda) had a strong ride on the Honda for fourth place, after some other top runners like Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (HRC Honda) crashed out. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was a gritty fifth, just under five seconds clear of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Toprak Razgatlioglu, his team-mate, was another second down in seventh place.
All five Yamahas covered the last five places in the top ten in this race, with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) in one loose group at the flag, followed by lone BMW finisher, Eugene Laverty in 11th.
Rea leads the Championship with 243 points ahead of Redding in second with 207 points, Razgatlioglu on 147 and Davies 141.
Report Gordon Ritchie
Pics GnG