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Rea Wins At KRT’s Home Round
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his tenth race win of the 2021 season in the Tissot-Superpole race and then finished sixth in the subsequent Race Two. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was a battling fourth in the sprint race and then unlucky to crash after a collision with another rider in Race Two that saw him taken to hospital for checks on a painful hand and wrist injury.
Almost ideal racing conditions compared to a wet Race One on Saturday welcomed the final day of action at Barcelona - Catalunya and the races would be laden with the drama of both welcome and unwelcome kinds.
In the morning Tissot-Superpole Race Jonathan Rea would win what was finally a very short five-lap battle, after a red flag incident in the first attempted running of the planned ten-lap contest nullified that event entirely.
Rea fought hard from start to finish in the doubly intense competition once it began and beat his biggest championship rival Toprak Razgatlioglu by 0.211 seconds at KRT’s almost literal home circuit.
Lowes was on schedule to take a podium finish in the Superpole Race but eventually ended up fourth, scoring more valuable championship points for his efforts.
In Race Two another early red flag incident caused yet another delayed and restarted WorldSBK race, this time over 19 laps and not the scheduled 20.
For Jonathan, it became a tough afternoon as he found issues in stopping going into corners and could not defend his track position after a strong start. He called on all his experience to finish sixth.
Lowes was unlucky to get tangled with another rider early in the 19-lap restart and he fell, was then struck by his own spinning bike and finally had another competitor’s machine fall on top of him in the ensuing melee, as the following riders tried to take avoiding action.
Alex is currently receiving a full medical evaluation of his painful hand and wrist at a local hospital.
In the fight for the championship Rea is just one point behind leader Razgatlioglu with nine rounds completed. Alex is sixth in the championship, just nine points from the rider in fifth place.
The next round takes place next weekend, at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, between 24-26 September.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “We made several bike changes and tested different set-ups this weekend with the weather changing each day. In the end, the hard work paid off as we were able to find a proper set-up before the start of the Superpole race. It was a lot of fun fighting with Toprak and racing at a very fast pace. I really enjoyed getting the win and doing it at KRT’s home track is very special!”
Alex Lowes, stated: “We worked really hard on our tires all weekend and had a lot of confidence going into the races. Despite some bad luck, we still learned a lot about tire set-up and had a really good Superpole race. I finished in fourth, barely missing the podium. This is the team’s home race and I really wanted to be on the podium for them but I just couldn’t make the pass for third before the end of the race. A big thank you to the team and all the Catalan fans that showed up.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) had two difficult races on the final day at Barcelona - Catalunya, after first being involved in a crash with another rider in the first attempted Superpole race, which he did not finish. He was also forced to retire in Race Two.
Isaac Vinales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 12th and then 15th today, to sit 17th in the championship overall.
Loris Cresson (TPR Outdo Kawasaki) placed 14th in the short race and then retired from Race Two. Lachlan Epis (TPR Outdo Kawasaki) in his first WorldSBK weekend was 16th in the Superpole Race and then a faller in Race two, in a multi-rider incident that also involved Alex Lowes.