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Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea continues to re-write the sporting history books as he secured his sixth World Superbike world title at the final round of the 2020 season, after a spectacular fourth-place performance at the Circuito Estoril.
At 33, Rea has once again demonstrated his supreme powers in the sport.
Thirteen years after he arrived in World Superbike, and having won more titles and races than anyone in the Championship history, the Ballymena rider showed his class once again to ride to the crown for the 2020 campaign.
And this, despite the fact the 2020 season started as one of the mostcontested in recent years, and being dramatically interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and condensed to eight rounds of maximum intensity.
The last time a rider in a FIM Solo Road Racing World Championship won six consecutive titles was Giacomo Agostini in the 350cc World Championship between 1968 and 1974 when he won seven titles.
Rea will have to wait for his 100th win, though, as Toprak Razgatlioglu took a stunning victory on his Yamaha, while challenger Scott Redding retired from the race with a technical issue
Razgatlioglu made a good start from pole position and held first place as he converted his first career pole into his second win of the year; following on from his victory at the season-opening Australian Round.
He was joined on the podium by Chaz Davies as they fought off Rea to secure a podium place.
Rea finished the race in fourth as he lost ground to the riders in front of him but had a large margin over fifth-placed Leon Haslam, who battled hard with Alex Lowes and Alvaro Bautista; the Spanish rider had been fifth until Lap 20 before he crashed out of the race.
Lowes finished in sixth place after being unable to catch Haslam on the last lap.