Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

Brno WSBK: Rea moves clear of Fogarty with 60th win

Jonathan Rea cruised to a historic 60th career World Superbike victory in Brno to become the leading rider on the all-time winners list, surpassing Carl Fogarty.

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing
Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing
Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing
Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing
Marco Melandri, Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team
Michael van der Mark, Pata Yamaha
Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
Jordi Torres, MV Agusta Reparto Corse

The race was red-flagged at the start of the fourth lap, after a crash for Michael Ruben Rinaldi at Turn 5 on the previous tour punctured an air fence. 

A 20-minute delay followed while the air fence was repaired, while there was a further delay due to a fault with the start lights before the race got underway again.

When it did, it was Rea's Kawasaki teammate Tom Sykes who got the holeshot from pole.

However, Rea was able to draw alongside Sykes on the run into Turn 3, and execute a move for the lead, before easing away to a near-second lead by the end of the opening lap.

Rea continued to ease away out front, while Ducati's Marco Melandri scythed past Sykes into Turn 1 at the start of the fourth lap for second.

Yamaha duo Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark were cast a further half-a-second adrift of the podium battle in the opening stages as they engaged in a heated duel, although the former was able to grab fourth and close down Sykes.

Rea remained unchallenged to the flag to claim his sixth win of the year and surpass the tally of 59 WSBK victories set by four-time champion Fogarty in 1999.

Melandri quickly put daylight between himself and Sykes, and took a lonely second, while Sykes pulled away from the Yamahas in the closing stages to complete the podium.

Double Donington Park winner Van der Mark launched another assault on Lowes' fourth place in the final few laps, and got the upper hand at Turn 3 in the latter stages.

The Dutchman kept Lowes at bay to the finish to secure fourth and pole for the second race, with Lowes heading Aprilia duo Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori.

Ducati's Chaz Davies battled hard with the Aprilias, but faded in the end to eighth, while Leon Camier (Honda) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Kawasaki) rounded out the top 10.

Rea's victory now puts him 81 points clear in the championship battle at the halfway stage of the season, with Davies holding second, 10 points ahead of Sykes.

Jordi Torres pulled out on lap six having crashed on the initial start, the MV Agusta rider joining Honda's Jake Gagne on the sidelines.

Loris Baz was also a late crasher, but remounted his battered Althea BMW to finish 18th.

Race results:

Pos.#RiderBikeTime/Gap
1 1 united_kingdom Jonathan Rea  Kawasaki 32'08.759
2 33 italy Marco Melandri  Ducati 5.381
3 66 united_kingdom Tom Sykes  Kawasaki 7.336
4 60 netherlands Michael van der Mark  Yamaha 11.893
5 22 united_kingdom Alex Lowes  Yamaha 13.145
6 50 ireland Eugene Laverty  Aprilia 14.210
7 32 italy Lorenzo Savadori  Aprilia 17.051
8 7 united_kingdom Chaz Davies  Ducati 17.743
9 2 united_kingdom Leon Camier  Honda 18.104
10 54 turkey Toprak Razgatlioglu  Kawasaki 21.783
11 68 colombia Yonny Hernandez  Kawasaki 30.614
12 36 argentina Leandro Mercado  Kawasaki 31.111
13 40 spain Roman Ramos  Kawasaki 31.188
14 12 spain Xavi Fores  Ducati 31.864
15 21 italy  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  Ducati 33.079
16 99 united_states PJ Jacobsen  Honda 33.685
17 37 czech_republic Ondrej Jezek  Yamaha 53.662
18 76 france Loris Baz  BMW 1'44.844
Ret 81 spain Jordi Torres  MV Agusta 11 laps
Ret  45 united_states Jake Gagne  Honda 12 laps

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Brno WSBK: Sykes smashes lap record for pole
Next article Brno WSBK: Lowes scores maiden win as Rea and Sykes collide

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia