Delight for Rea and Ratthapark
BURI RAM: Jonathan Rea claimed his 18th career win at the first ever FIM World Superbike Championship to be held in Thailand yesterday.
The Kawasaki Racing Team rider put on a dominating performance to claim his third career double at the Chang International circuit and extended his lead in the championship to 10 points in the process.
It was a perfect weekend for the Ulsterman who also took pole position and recorded the fastest laps in both races.
Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team — Red Devils) finished second in both races while another KRT rider Tom Sykes and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) came third in the first and second races respectively.
Rea leads the overall championship standings with 95 points, 10 ahead of Haslam as the series heads to Aragon in Spain in three weeks’ time.
Meanwhile Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand) won the second round of the World Supersport Championship coming home ahead of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpre) who were second and third in a photo finish at the end of an enthralling 17-lap race.
Pole winner Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was keen to make up for his mistake in the opening round of the series, but by lap five a group of five that included championship leader Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Kyle Smith (Pata Honda World Supersport Team), PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) and local hero Ratthapark were locked together, much to the delight of the home fans.
Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed out of the top eight at turn five on the eighth lap, the Italian was unable to continue while Smith slid out of contention a lap later.
Cluzel, who had been leading for most of the race, retired with three and a half laps to go leaving the 26-year-old Ratthapark to claim an emotional first race victory in his home country.
Sofuoglu came second and third place went to Jacobsen.