WSBK – WSBK Spain (1): Rea, 2015 Superbike world champion –

WSBK Spain (1): Rea, 2015 Superbike world champion

WSBK - WSBK Spain (1): Rea, 2015 Superbike world champion -

Eliminated from the podium for the first time this season – by Sykes, Davies and Van den Mark – Jonathan Rea finished Jerez’s first race in fourth position but accomplished his mission: to win the 2015 WSBK title. Johnny rocks! First Superbike race Niccolo Canepa misses his start and lets Sykes and Rea slip past Davies. Follow …

Eliminated from the podium for the first time this season – by Sykes, Davies and Van den Mark – Jonathan Rea finished Jerez’s first race in fourth position but accomplished his mission: to win the 2015 WSBK title. Johnny rocks !

First Superbike race

Niccolo Canepa misses his departure and lets go Sykes and Rea who see in front of Davies. Canepa, Leon Haslam, VDM, Pirro, Guintoli, Lowes and Mercado follow. De Puniet is 16th, Ponsson is just behind. Torres found himself 18th at the end of the 1st lap after having drawn straight in the very first corner !

The two official Kawasaki immediately widen a gap of one second on the factory Ducati n ° 7 jostled by Canepa. Haslam, Van den Mark and Pirro complete the hunting party. Alex Lowes is at several lengths, chased by our world n ° 1 Guintoli.

The 3rd lap marks the end of Niccolo Canepa’s great ride, who started for the first time in his career from the front row of a WSBK grid. Victim of a simple slide forward, the Italian cannot start again but will benefit from a second chance in a couple of hours.

In front, Tom Sykes drives home the point and distances his teammate a second and a half at the start of the 4th lap. Johnny keeps his second ahead of Chaz Davies now being chased by Leon Haslam and Van den Mark.

Meanwhile, Jordi Torres moved up efficiently in the field and reached 13th place on the fifth lap. Victim of a mechanical problem on his ZX-10R, Christophe Ponsson joined the pits and had to retire. Guintoli is 8th, De Puniet 16th.

At the forefront, "Major Tom" always turns around the Andalusian circuit like crazy. Three seconds behind, Jonathan Rea is lost in two corners and allows Chaz Davies to grab second place. Also very fit, Van den Mark and Haslam are fighting for 4th place without leaving the aspiration of Kawasaki n ° 65 !

Michael van den Mark moved up to fourth position at the very start of the 10th lap and climbed onto the podium under the opposite straight line braking, passing Rea in the hairpin. The # 60 Honda rider is one second behind the # 7 Ducati and a solid four seconds from the leading # 66 Kawasaki.

The leaders complete the 11th lap, overtaking Christophe Ponsson back on the track! In the following loop, Jonathan Rea almost lost the front in the first curve – on a slope … – of the Andalusian layout! He finally stays on his wheels, phew !

The future 2015 champion seems feverish: Van den Mark is moving away quickly, Haslam is showing more and more pressing, Michele Pirro is getting dangerously close … But the title is also getting closer for Johnny, and this is undoubtedly the most important !

With five laps to go, Sykes is still more than three seconds ahead of Chaz Davies and four and a half seconds over Michael van den Mark. Jonathan Rea, who can settle for ninth place to secure the 2015 world title, still sits fourth just ahead of Haslam and not far from Pirro…

The reigning world champion Sylvain Guintoli is 17 seconds behind the 2013 champion and has to defend his eighth place against Matteo Baiocco. Randy de Puniet covets the point of 15th place but Ayrton Badovini is in his rear wheel. Christophe Ponsson is three laps less than Tom Sykes…

The end of the race is going perfectly for Tom Sykes. Unlike previous races, the # 66 Kawasaki didn’t damage its rear tire too much and allows the English Ninja to win this first WSBK round at Jerez. The No.66 driver is joined on the Spanish podium by Chaz Davies and Michael van den Mark.

The happiest driver, however, is Jonathan Rea who crosses the finish line in fourth position … and thus wins his very first world title! Kawasaki’s new recruit performs his lap of honor with the No.1 on his fairing

The ruthless "JR" also pays homage to Brian Reid and Joey Dunlop, the two previous motorcycle world champions from Northern Ireland, by wearing their helmets on the first and second third of the Jerez circuit. He ends his celebration with his own helmet, golden as it should be.

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