Photo: WSBK
It was a great weekend for Kawasaki at Magny-Cours, especially for Jonathan Rea.
Rea, who’s had a fantastic first season with the Kawasaki factory team, dominated the racing, taking two wins. His teammate Tom Sykes was second in Race 1, and third in Race 2.
In rain-shortened Race 1, the top five were Rea, Sykes, Sylvain Guintoli (Honda), Michael Van Der Mark (Honda), and Leon Camier, whose fifth-place finish was the best-ever for MV Agusta in World Superbike history. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) had started at pole, but the wet conditions that plagued racers all weekend made him decide to change his tires with only seven laps left. He finished 16th.
The wet track had caused many riders to crash in the run up to Sunday’s racing. But conditions dried out through Sunday. The World Supersport race took place on a drying track, with American PJ Jacobsen winning the race on a Honda. Kenan Sofuoglu was second on his Kawasaki, giving him enough points to clinch the championship. Lucas Mahias was third on a Yamaha R6.
Sofuoglu won the championship with 213 points. PJ Jacobsen has 183 points in second place, which isn’t enough to catch up, with only one race left.
In Race 2, Rea, Chaz Davies (Ducati), Sykes, Van Der Mark and Haslam made up the top five. No doubt Haslam was much happier with this result than Race 1, although he has to surely be contemplating missed opportunities after his pole position start in that race. That win gives Rea 22 podiums this season. There’s only one race weekend left, in two weeks at Qatar, so he won’t have a chance to break Colin Edwards’ 2002 record of 25 in a season. Rea does have a chance to hold down the second-best record, as he’s currently tied with Troy Bayliss for second-most podiums in a season. All it would take is one podium finish at the desert track.
World Superbike standings after Race 24
1). Rea, Kawasaki, 528
2). Davies, Ducati, 383
3). Sykes, Kawasaki, 367
4). Haslam, Aprilia, 297
5). Torres, Aprilia, 222
6). Guintoli, Honda, 201
7). Van Der Mark, Honda, 170
8). Baiocco, Ducai, 139
9). Lowes, Suzuki, 135
10). Mercado, Ducati, 125
