WSBK: Double victory in Thailand for Rea
The Kawasaki rider was in a class of his own in round two of the world superbikes, and now leads the championship from fellow Briton Leon HaslamKawasaki's Jonathan Rea has made world superbike's first visit to Thailand a memorable one, winning both races at the new Chang International circuit in Buriram from Aprilia's Leon Haslam, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) and Alex Lowes (Suzuki) sharing the third places.
“For me it has been a perfect weekend with pole position and two race wins-- we could not have asked for any more,” said Rea. “The bike can always be better but at the beginning of the weekend the Ninja ZX-10R was at a really good level, my pace was really fast, the rhythm was good so we did not necessarily chase something we really could have got lost with.
"I have not had so many double wins in my career but I have been lucky to have some. They do not come round a lot so I want to savour this moment and reflect on what we have done tomorrow and enjoy these next few days.”
Australia's Troy Bayliss (Ducati) finished with 9-11 finishes as he continued to fill in for the injured Davide Giugliano, and has now announced his permanent retirement from WSBK competition.
"It’s been fun, I came back in particular circumstances and wanted to do one more event after Phillip Island to see how it would go," said Bayliss. "I love racing, Ducati and the people that work here and it’s been really great to race with the Panigale R Superbike.
"I was lucky enough to finish my career fit and healthy and I’ve seen that I can still be fast, but now I am ready to return to enjoying life with my family in Australia. I want to thank everyone for their support and now I leave things to the young talents.”
In terms of the overall championship standings, Rea leads the way with 95pts out of a possible 100, 10 ahead of Haslam as the series heads to Aragon in Spain in three weeks’ time.
In world supersport, local rider Ratthapark Wilairot (Honda) won ahead of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) and PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki). Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta) led for most of the race but retired with three laps to go.
Australia's Glenn Scott (Honda) was 14th.
For full results from Thailand, click here
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