WorldSBK: Sykes Wins As Rea Retires In Race Two
Gordon Ritchie | July 10, 2016
Sykes (66) pulled back 25 points in the title standings with Rea’s (1) DNF.
A halted and restarted second FIM Superbike World Championship race at Laguna Seca was won by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) after the first attempted running got red flagged. The restart made 21-laps of the intense circuit in central California.
A final podium battle between Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended with the Italian rider in second place, and the top three covered by only 0.786 seconds.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) ran off track on lap five at turn six, then stopped trackside to inspect his bike before pulling out of the race to retire for the first time this season.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was fourth, eleven seconds down, with race one podium finisher Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) fifth, just ahead of Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team).
Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) placed seventh, and after a last lap clash with his team-mate Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Niccolo Canepa (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) scored eighth place.
Lowes’ fall and restart saw him finish 14th and allowed Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) to be ninth and Roman Ramos (Team GOELEVEN Kawasaki) tenth.
Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) retired from the first race start, as Josh Brookes (Milwaukee BMW) crashed out and did not make the restart.
Rea now has an unchanged 368 points, Sykes much closer to the lead now with 322.
