Gordon Ritchie | October 26, 2018
2018 Qatar WorldSBK Race One Results—In taking his 17th race win of the 2018 season Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) equaled Doug Polen’s record for wins in a single year, thanks to a start-to-finish front-running display that underlines his credentials as the best ever.
Rea’s start from the front row, next to Superpole winner and eventual second place rider Tom Sykes, saw him first into turn one, and he rode with assurance to gap Sykes and respond when needed as his team-mate tried to get back on terms. Rea’s eventual margin of victory proved to be 1.424 seconds.
2018 Qatar WorldSBK Race One Results
Jonathan Rea equaled Doug Polen’s record of wins for the year in Qatar.
His latest win puts him on course to take a stand-alone 18th record race win in a single year, and also beat his own single season points record in race two on Sunday. Fourth or better will give Rea a new record of points scored in one year.
With Sykes an eventually second, after a race with himself after Rea made his escape, the fight of the day was between Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK). Lowes would take the podium place after a combative last lap.
With Laverty fourth, and just 4.723 seconds from Rea, the rest of the competition was a stage behind in pace today.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fifth, but over ten seconds from the win. A fine ride from Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) put him sixth, one up on a struggling Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was unable to get into contention after starting 12th on the grid, and finished eighth. He was working hard to stay ahead of a potent Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) on the final lap. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was tenth today, less than a second from Gagne.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) ran in fifth place but finished up 13th. Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) crashed out at turn 12, in a race in which only 15 riders finished.
2018 Qatar WorldSBK Race One Results
2018 Qatar WorldSSP Superpole Results—Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) recorded his sixth pole position of the 2018 season after heading up the second Superpole qualifying session in the WorldSSP class. It was his seventh career Superpole award in WorldSSP.
2018 Qatar WorldSSP Superpole Results
Pole again for outgoing WorldSSP Champion, Lucas Mahias.
The outgoing World Champion was 0.149 seconds ahead of current championship leader Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing Yamaha), with the only man who can take the final championship trophy from Cortese now, Jules Cluzel (NRT Yamaha), in third place.
Cluzel was just over half a second from Mahias as the championship decider on Saturday now sits in a finely balanced knife-edge.
A strong ride from British regular Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing Yamaha) saw him fourth, and the fifth Yamaha in the top five places belonged to Corentin Perolari (Yamaha GMT94). The top six was completed after Superpole 2 by Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda).
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) placed seventh, Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) eighth and Thomas Gradinger (NRT Yamaha) ninth.
Hector Barbera (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) made a breakthrough of sorts in 10th, while Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) was a disappointed 11th.
Hannes Soomer (Racedays Honda) placed 12th today. The 15 lap race to decide the championship takes place at 17.30 on Saturday the 27th of October, local time in Qatar.
2018 Qatar WorldSSP Superpole Results
