Superbikes | Laguna Seca Round, Race1: Rea wins and flies up the rankings

What happens to Alvaro Bautista? The first race of the Geico US Round at the WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca ends with the eighth victory of the season for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and yet another crash for the Spaniard who leaves the race in the early stages.

Now the gap in the standings becomes important: 49 points to which is added the opposite psychological state of the two rivals.

At Aruba.IT Racing - Ducati Chaz Davies saves the situation with a good second place, but it's too little when considering a world championship that only two months ago was firmly in the hands of Alvaro Bautista.

Moving on to the race news, Rea made a masterful start, immediately taking an advantage over the two Ducati riders. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) did not start well and found himself in fourth position at turn 5. Unlike the Turkish rider, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made a cat-like sprint from fourth place but then lost a position to the advantage of Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing).

A new circuit record was set, first set by Davies on the second lap and then lowered further on the following lap by his pit mate, the Spaniard becoming the first driver to lap under the 1'22 mark.
On the fourth lap the race loses another protagonist: Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashes at the Corkscrew.

At the start of lap 5, Davies challenged Rea in the first two corners and the Welshman took the lead but then ran wide allowing Rea to pass.
Alvaro Bautista was in the mix when ready to attack but suddenly lost the front end of his Panigale V4 R entering Turn 5.

Bautista rejoined the race, but was now too far from the leading group.
Meanwhile Jonathan Rea eluded Davies to close the race with a 5 second lead. Toprak Razgatlioglu moved up to third and, despite a battle with Sykes mid-race, the Turk managed to confirm third place.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was also involved in a battle with Torres for fourth position in the second part of the race. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), started from 15th place, climbed up to seventh position, placing himself ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha).

Nice comeback by Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), 17th in the Tissot Superpole and then ninth at the finish line. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) returned to form and was the protagonist of a brilliant duel against Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) then 11th. Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) battled Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) for 13th position.

This Race 1 is the eighth victory of 2019 for Jonathan Rea who opens the podium followed by Davies and Razgatlioglu. Sykes misses the top 3, fifth place for Alex Lowes, while Jordi Torres is sixth, signing his best result of the season. Van der Mark and Baz are seventh and eighth while the two from Romagna, Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) complete the top 10.

Below are the top six finishers in Race 1:

1.) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2.) Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
3.) Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
4.) Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
5.) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
6.) Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing)