WSBK: Britain
Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea claim victory at the British WSBK round
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM once again dominated the weekend at Donington Park as Tom Sykes entered history books by winning the British round for the ninth consecutive time, followed by Rea’s stellar victory in race two. RACE ONE
The drama at Donington Park was high as the riders made their way round the track in the opening stages of the race. As usual, the Ducati and Kawasaki duos were right at the front, fighting for the top three places. And it was Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies who took an early lead with the Kawasaki duo comprising Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea following the Welsh racer. However, on lap six, Davies’ front end tucked in and off went the Ducati rider. This cleared the way for Rea and Sykes as the two were now the leading pair. Sykes and Rea kept exchanging positions as the race progressed; however, in the closing stages of the race, Rea suffered a massive crash that compelled the reigning champion to retire from P2. Rea’s crash cleared the way for Sykes to take his ninth consecutive Donington Park victory, which also sent him into history books as the only rider to win nine races at the same track.
Rea’s exit also allowed wildcard entry Leon Haslam of Kawasaki Puccetti Racing to take second place on the podium. It was Alex Lowes of Pata Yamaha who gave a stellar performance and went from 20th to third, earning valuable points in the championship. RACE TWO
If race one was dramatic, race two was nothing less than a reality show. The race started on a high note with the Kawasaki duo leading the pack. However, in the first nine laps seven riders retired followed by a few more in later stages of the race. Once the dust settled, it was Jonathan Rea who was leading with Sykes in second, chasing the Northern Irish rider hard. Chaz Davies, who was pushed to 17th after running wide and on to the grass in the opening stages, was able to climb up the order pretty quickly.
Sykes chased Rea hard, bridging the gap a little, but it wasn’t good enough to catch Rea who won the race with over a second between him and Sykes. Rea’s win meant that Sykes dream of making it 10 consecutive wins at Donington was over. However, his second-place finish earned him good points to fight for the championship. Completing the podium was Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies, who fought his way up the order to take an impressive third place in the closing stages of the race.