Rea makes World Superbike history with perfect 10
Full World Superbike race two results from Argentina
Jonathan Rea has become the first rider in World Superbike history to win 10 successive races with an unstoppable charge to double up in Argentina.
Full World Superbike race two results from Argentina
Jonathan Rea has become the first rider in World Superbike history to win 10 successive races with an unstoppable charge to double up in Argentina.
The reigning World Superbike champion, who had been suffering with illness overnight, had been in the thick of the fight over the opening laps having started on row three on the reversed race two grid but once he found his rhythm he duly carved through the field.
On lap four Rea moved into second place by passing Toprak Razgatlioglu before setting chase to pole-sitter Xavi Fores. The four-time world champion caught the Barni Ducati rider on lap eight and dived up the inside at the first turn before stretching clear for a dominant victory.
Rea’s win sees him surpass the joint record of nine consecutive wins set by Neil Hodgson (2003) and Carl Fogarty (2002) to create further World Superbike history with his 70th career win.
The Kawasaki rider has also matched his 2017 season wins tally on 16 with one round to go, needing just one more win to set a new record for outright victories in a single season, 17, held by Doug Polen (1991).
Fores held on to second place to wrap up the World Superbike Independents’ title with Marco Melandri doubling up his rostrum in Argentina.
Melandri dropped from fourth to seventh on lap five after running wide but charged back through the order to take the final spot on the rostrum ahead of Aruba.it Racing Ducati team-mate Chaz Davies.
Tom Sykes enjoyed a late race surge for Kawasaki to take fifth place just ahead of Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes, as Razgatlioglu’s race fade saw the Puccetti Kawasaki rider drop to seventh at the chequered flag.
The Turkish rider did hold off Lorenzo Savadori at the chequered flag with the Milwaukee Aprilia rider in eighth, having seen team-mate Eugene Laverty crash out on lap three while running in second place, with Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) and Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda) rounding out the top 10.
In another heavy rate of attrition at Circuito San Juan Villicum, Loris Baz grabbed 11th place for Althea BMW ahead of Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing Kawasaki), as Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) and Gabriele Ruiu (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) completed the finishers.
