On a track surface that featured fully wet rivers of water on some sectors, after an afternoon sandstorm and then rainstorm of disaster movie proportions, Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing Yamaha) finally won the WorldSSP championship after a tricky fight with his only rival for the crown, Jules Cluzel (NRT Yamaha).

Such were the conditions and the closeness between the championship contenders that the eventual race winner was neither of them, as Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) slipped through while the leading duo scrapped it out and ran wide in one corner, and the 2017 champion got away for his third win of 2018.

Cluzel was to finally crash on the last lap, then restart, trying the impossible to get back to the front, and then suffering a highside after passing the wet apex at turn 15 to no score.

Even second place would not have been enough to win the trophy anyway as Cluzel needed a five point score over Cortese. In the points, Mahias eventually scored second place overall, with Cluzel no scoring.

Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) finished third today, with Cluzel’s team-mate Thomas Gradinger, from Austria, going fourth.

Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) was fifth, and early podium runner in a short 12-lap race,Corentin Perolari (Yamaha GMT94) was sixth.

Hector Barbera (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) got his wish of his best finish of the season in seventh, ahead of Raffaele De Rosa(MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag).

Hannes Soomer (Racedays Honda) secured ninth and another Honda rider, Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda) was tenth.

Only 16 riders finished.

After the WorldSSP race was completed, the WorldSBK race was cancelled, due to the prevailing track conditions.

By Gordon Ritchie

Photos GnG

Jonathan Rea and Cortese, Qatar WSBK 2018