SBK Thailand – Rea back in form wins race one

Bruno Gomes

March 24, 2018

Jonathan Rea crosses the line in style with his Kawasaki. Photo credit: World SBK

In what was a perfect performance during race one of the Thai round of World Superbike, Jonathan Rea took a fantastic win and is back in his usual performance. At the Chang International Circuit, Rea dominated the action on track, and after securing Superpole, he then took the race win in front of Xavi Forés (Barni Ducati) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Ducati).

The 3-times World Superbike champion didn’t have a clear path to victory until he passed his teammate at Kawasaki, Tom Sykes, second on the grid, and from that moment on until the checkered flag, Rea wasn’t disturbed anymore and also managed to register the fastest lap of the race.

Who doesn’t seem to be bothered by not being in a factory team is Spanish rider Xavi Forés. The Barni Ducati rider continues to impress in this 2018 season, and at Chang International Circuit he even secured his best finish in World SBK. With second position in race one, Forés moves to third in the series overall classification.

Behind Forés, another Ducati made it to the podium: Chaz Davies didn’t have the best qualifying here in Thailand, but during this race one, the Aruba.it Ducati rider moved up behind Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda) in the last 6 laps, and even though Camier showed impressive defensive moves to keep his rival behind, the fact is that Davies eventually made the move for third and the Honda rider couldn’t do more than chase Davies to the finish line.

The World Superbike overall ranking after race one in Thailand has Marco Melandri on top with 58 points, now followed by Jonathan Rea with 56 and Xavi Forés closes the Top 3 with 49 points.