Superbike, Geico US Round, Race2: Jonathan Rea is stronger than the cabal

Until now, at the Madza Raceway in Laguna Seca, no driver who had started beyond the seventh spot on the grid had ever won: today Jonathan Rea also debunked this case, taking the highest step of the podium after starting in eighth position, following the regulation change of this year.

The World Champion took the lead of the group by overtaking Tom Sykes during the second lap, and from there he maintained a constant pace that was unsustainable for his rivals, which allowed him to cross the finish line in first position without difficulty, while behind him Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies played rubber band for over 20 laps, with the Welshman getting closer and further away without really worrying the Kawasaki rider.

While Tom Sykes still had problems with the feeling of the tyres, especially at the start of the race, Jonathan Rea's set-up was perfect: his team made important changes after Race 1, "playing" with the weight distribution on the bike, and results were evident already from the warm up.
Sykes will work on the problems encountered in Laguna, and on other components, during the Kawasaki tests which precede the Round at the Lausitzring, after the summer break.

Seventeen seconds behind the leading trio, Marco Melandri concluded the eighth round of the season by repeating yesterday's fourth place: the Italian Ducati rider was understandably not satisfied at the end of the race, complaining of grip problems, especially when entering corners.

The gaps between the top three and the rest of the group are impressive: starting from the already highlighted seventeen seconds of Melandri, we have Xavi Fores, fifth at almost twenty-three seconds, then the Aprilias of Eugene Laverty, Tati Mercado and Lorenzo Savadori within half a minute.
Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark complete the top ten: it is worth highlighting the performance of the two Yamaha riders who, despite struggling to hold the bike in some sections, gave rise to one of the best battles of this race.

The missing protagonists were Jordi Torres, who crashed on the sixth lap and was immediately followed by Leon Camier's retirement due to technical problems, with his MV Agusta suddenly shutting down.

The World Championship of production derivatives will now return on the weekend of 18 to 20 August, with the Prosecco DOC German Round, at the Lausitzring, in Germany.

Below is the finishing order of Race 2 of the Geico US Round:

1. Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10RR 25 laps
2. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10RR +2.887s
3. Chaz Davies GBR Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale R +4.847s
4. Marco Melandri ITA Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale R +17.159s
5. Xavi Fores ESP Barni Ducati Panigale R +22.741s
6. Eugene Laverty IRE Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 +26.377s
7. Leandro Mercado ARG IodaRacing Aprilia RSV4 +28.475s
8. Lorenzo Savadori ITA Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 +29.718s
9. Alex Lowes GBR PATA Yamaha R1 +33.044s
10. Michael van der Mark NED PATA Yamaha YZF-R1 +33.541s
11. Stefan Bradl GER Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR SP2 +36.756s
12. Roman Ramos ESP Team Go Eleven Kawasaki ZX-10R +43.031s
13. Alex de Angelis SMR Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10RR +47.306s
14. Randy Krummenacher SWI Puccetti Kawasaki ZX-10RR +50.488s
15. Jake Gagne USA Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR SP2 +51.093s
16. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Yamaha YZF-R1 +59.197s
17. Ondrej Jezek CZE Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10RR +1 lap

Did not finish:

18. Ayrton Badovini ITA Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10RR
19. Leon Camier GBR MV Agusta RC F4 RR
20. Jordi Torres ESP Althea BMW S1000RR
21. Raffaele De Rosa ITA Althea BMW S1000RR