Portimao WSBK: Rea Wins rain-hit race one

Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea took his ninth win of the season in the first race at Portimao’s World Superbike round this morning, fending off a strong challenge from team-mate Tom Sykes as rain fell with only a handful of laps to go.

The Ulsterman secured victory in an action-packed race with Sykes making it a Kawasaki one-two and Chaz Davies taking the final podium spot for Ducati.

Rea, who began the race from eighth on the grid, sliced his way through the field in the beginning and was fourth into turn one, as he battled with Davies and Sykes in the early stages.

Sykes enjoyed a terrific start and led the race until the halfway point, when Rea began to close and close, putting his ZX-10R into the lead with nine laps remaining.

In behind the Kawasaki battle Davies was having his own tussle with Leon Haslam but on lap 12 the Derbyshire rider ran wide and the Welshman took full advantage, as moments later the rain arrived.

The wet weather flag was waved and in came most of the grid to change tyres, including Rea who had been leading. Sykes stayed out for an extra lap as he felt he had enough grip on the drier parts of the track but with just four laps left the Yorkshireman came in for the wet tyres as his team-mate regained the lead.

As the Kawasaki duo continued the battle, Sykes bore down on Rea with the laps disappearing. With just two laps left Sykes, re-took the lead and looked in the ascendancy but as quickly as he had taken it, he lost it as an electrical problem slowed his bike.

Davies tried in vain to get past the slowing Sykes but the Yorkshireman was able to hold him off as his problem vanished as quickly as it arrived - maybe helped by a couple of punches on the bike exactly where the electronics are housed.

Davide Giugliano took an impressive fourth place after a problem early doors saw him slide down the field with Sylvain Guintoli just in behind in fifth, a result that will give the Pata Honda man plenty of confidence ahead of race two.

Unfortunately for Leon Haslam, a crash late in the race ended his hopes of securing any type of meaningful result but he was able to rejoin the race and steered the Aprilia home to 12th place, just behind his team-mate Jordi Torres after no changing to wets when the rain appeared.

Both Alex Lowes and Randy DePuniet hit the points for Crescent Suzuki, in 10th and 13th respectively but there was no such joy for Lowes’ fellow Brit Leon Camier whose MV Agusta gave up with an engine problem five laps in.

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