FOUR OF A KIND
By the time you read this Qatar will be a distant memory, but even so a lot has happened since the last time you read these pages, so let’s start things off by looking back at Magny Cours. As with 2017, Jonathan Rea decided to clinch the title in race one… the talented bugger.
Chaz Davies was the only person who still had a chance of denying Rea the title but needed a second place finish to delay the celebrations until Sunday. However, he could only manage a fifth; and a monumental 10 seconds off the win. He must be hoping that V4 is going to be a rocketship, as he rode past the celebrations – three other ‘Jonathan Reas’ were waiting at turn five, with 2018 Jonathan sitting at a poker table and going all in, for the ‘four of a kind’ tag line. The charismatic four-time world champ then climbed the fence and gave the French fans something to shout about, between red-lining bikes and starting fires in the campsite...
Race two was a similar event. Rea starting from ninth on the grid, embarrassed the rest of the field to win again, sealing his fourth double win on the bounce. Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies finished runner up with the likeable Michael Van der Mark completing the podium.
Incredibly Rea’s teammate for 2019, Leon Haslam, mathematically would have also sealed the British Superbike championship with five races left to run. Maybe an idea similar to BSB’s showdown would increase the interest in the series? Then again maybe not...
And it’s not just championships being sealed, as the WSBK circus made its way to the San Juan circuit in Argentina. Some thought they wouldn’t go, others thought it wouldn’t be finished, but bar a few final kerbs getting painted it was all go at Villicum. But although the circuit brought something new to the championship, the current and reigning champion didn’t, winning both races with relative ease – even chucking his guts up for most of Saturday night didn’t slow him down.
But then again it wasn’t all about Rea winning, as next year’s game of musical chairs was made harder by jobless for next season Marco Melandri and Xavi Fores putting in some impressive rides. There’s now more top class riders than there are top class seats, and with the likes of Eugene Laverty out of a job as well, things are looking tough…