Superbike: Rea's gesture in Qatar is still controversial

Even though a week has now passed since Race 2 of the Gaerne Qatar Round, the last act of the 2016 Championship season, Jonathan Rea's gesture is still making people talk, given that what was at stake was still second place in the drivers' standings.

In fact, when the new double World champion realized that he would never catch up with Chaz Davies, who was dominating the race alone, he decided to at least allow his teammate Tom Sykes to maintain second place in the Championship, making it easier for him to overtake. in the last stages.
Team Kawasaki confirmed that there were no team orders behind Rea's chivalrous gesture but it was his decision, of which Sykes he declared himself very grateful:
“I'm quite speechless, being a gentleman, I really appreciate this kind of gesture. I will remember it forever. We have lost championships in the past, due to team orders from other manufacturers, and this allowed us to finish in the top two positions, first and second for Kawasaki in the Championship. It was an extraordinary season for Kawasaki!”

Jonathan Rhea he therefore made a point of behaving like a member of the entire team, aiming to play as a team: “The red flag saved us and starting from ninth position I was ready to have a good race. The pace was good, I felt really good on the bike and then on the last lap I realized that, if Chaz didn't make mistakes, there was no way for me to win, so I played smart. I knew the math and wanted to be a player on the team. Without team orders, speaking within the team like gentlemen I knew it was more important to do the one-two. So I'm very happy with myself, because I achieved my goal. I'm happy for Kawasaki with the first two places in the Championship, because I think it's the first time. I'm also happy for Tom because he played a key role in Kawasaki's success. Thank you all. I can't wait to get home and recharge my batteries for 2017, but I enjoyed the race! ”

However, if on the one hand Kawasaki is pleased with Rea's gesture and the harmony in the team, there was disappointment in the Aruba Racing Ducati garage, also because Chaz Davies, with 7 victories in the last eight races, would have deserved second place in the championship .
The British Bike Sport News reports that Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali declared that the KRT pair would have shown an "unsportsmanlike" attitude during the final round in Qatar.

A gesture therefore that causes discussion despite the fact that we have seen much worse things on the track, even if, it is important to underline, there has been no official controversy.
The attention of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer is now entirely turned to 2017 where it will throw down the gauntlet to the Kawasaki giant.