REA DOMINATES AT WSBK ROUND THREE IN PORTUGAL| Bikesportnz

Britain’s Jonathan Rea ended the World Superbike Championships (WSBK) weekend at Estoril on a high, with the Kawasaki Racing Team rider finishing top step on the podium.

Ever-changing overhead conditions made each aspect of the final day at the Estoril track, in Portugal, difficult to judge, but the hugely-experienced Rea was able to make the difference in each race.

The Superpole race, run over 10 laps as usual, started after a fully wet morning warm up session. With damp patches still around and some narrow dry racing lines developing lap-by-lap, the race was an intense affair for all.

Rea had been run onto a wet section of the circuit under braking by his race-long rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha), but Rea fought back strongly.

Closing in on the final lap he was to have a stroke of good fortune when Razgatlioglu almost crashed, and Rea swept past to hold onto the lead in the final corners and take the race win.

In the full 21-lap race two, Rea eventually battled with championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Ducati), after breaking away from a four-rider fight with Razgatlioglu and his own Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes.

It took two late attempts to pass Bautista, but Rea timed his final manoeuvre into the slow chicane very well and prevented Bautista from mounting an immediate comeback and soon the chequered flag was waved on another Rea victory.

In the overall championship fight Bautista has 161, Rea 144, Razgatlioglu 109 and, in seventh place, Lowes has 54 points.

With the Estoril weekend now complete, round four takes place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli between on June 10-12.

“The Superpole race was a little bit of a gift really. Toprak just got really deep into the chicane, used a lot of back brake, and that took the weight off the front. He lost the front and then I just kept my line,” said Rea.

“I wanted to lead into that last long right corner, and we did it. That was an exciting final race today! I had made a small mistake but in the penultimate lap I was quite strong and able to recover everything.

“Going into the last lap I just got really good traction from the last corner onto the straight, used the slipstream for the first part and said to myself, ‘just brake, don’t mess up.’ I was able to stop, hook the corner, and by T3 I was right there with Alvaro.

“My traction was really good out and I was able to drive close to him. I tried to pass in T7 but he cut back then parked in the apex of the chicane.

“I did my line and tried to make a good exit. On the final corner I had such a big slide that I thought he was going to ‘do me’ but I just kept riding the slide, riding the slide, and then eventually I was able to get the job done. It is really nice when a last lap goes your way.

“Race two was a great battle, right from the early laps.”

Photo courtesy Kawasaki Europe

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