French rider Loris Baz returned to the site of his first career World Superbike race win to claim his second.

Honda’s Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki’s Loris Baz have claimed their first World Superbike Championship (WSBK) race wins of the year, managing a mix of conditions at the Silverstone circuit, host of the series’ ninth round.

The weekend was characterised by changing weather, with Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty claiming pole in a rain-affected Superpole shootout.

After a delayed start to proceedings, the opening race finally got underway, with Rea taking the initiative to lead early on.

As the rainfall became heavier, Rea found himself edging away from the pack who were exchanging positions lap by lap in the race for the minor podium placings.

Polesitter Laverty eventually locked on to second, with Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier faring well in the inclement weather to secure third, and an all-British podium.

The race was pivotal for Sylvain Guintoli, who was fourth, while his main championship rival Tom Sykes struggled to 11th.

Australia’s Mark Aitchison bagged a single championship point in 15th, holding his own upon a one-off return to the class on Pedercini Kawasaki machinery.

A red flag stoppage ultimately ended the second race but there was no denying Kawasaki’s Baz his first win in over 12 months.

The French rider setup a solid win over the second Fixi Crescent machine of Jules Cluzel, who was lucky to retain his podium placing after falling from his Suzuki in the difficult wet conditions.

Officials ended the race early, reverting positions to the previous lap and allowing Cluzel to maintain second. Third place went to Laverty from Rea and Camier.

Guintoli was sixth, and importantly, leaves round nine with a 13-point lead over Sykes who was a place behind in seventh.

Aitchison improved again in the second race, finishing 14th in what was an impressive weekend.

Kenan Sofuoglu won a fiery battle with points leader in the Supersport ranks at Silverstone, with the pair coming together on the final lap and Lowes falling from his Yamaha as a result.

Lowes re-mounted for second, while Sofuoglu took the win and a chunk out of the Briton’s points advantage.

Fabien Foret claimed the final step on the podium, with Kev Coghlan fourth and Christian Iddon rounding out the top five.

Lowes’ lead is still 29 points over Sofuoglu, with Foret sitting third.

It was a tough race for the four Aussies entered, with British Supersport regular Glen Richards the best placed in a wildcard ride to 17th.

Smiths Triumph teammate Billy McConnell was 22nd, with PTR Honda’s Matt Davies 25th and AARK Racing’s Mitchell Carr 30th.

In the World Superstock 1000 ranks it was Sylvain Barrier who claimed both race wins to extend his points advantage.

World Superstock 600 race wins were shared by Alessandro Nocco and Christian Gamarino, while Bastien Chesaux podium placings were enough to ensure he left Silverstone with his title lead intact.

Australia’s Adrian Nestorovic carded eighth and fourth place finishes in a strong showing, while Mike Jones was 15th and 20th.

The European Junior Cup Race was won by New Zealand’s Jake Lewis, with Aussie Zac Levy a commendable 12th.

2013 World Superbike Championship
Round Nine – Silverstone, England

World Superbike race one:
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Eugene Laverty
3. Leon Camier
4. Sylvain Guintoli
5. Loris Baz
6. Jules Cluzel
7. Leon Haslam
8. Ayrton Badovini
9. Marco Melandri
10. Chaz Davies
15. Mark Aitchison (Aus)

World Superbike race two:
1. Loris Baz
2. Jules Cluzel
3. Eugene Laverty
4. Jonathan Rea
5. Leon Camier
6. Sylvain Guintoli
7. Tom Sykes
8. Ayrton Badovini
9. Marco Melandri
10. Carlos Checa
14. Mark Aitchison (Aus)

World Superbike championship standings (after round nine of 15):
1. Sylvain Guintoli 262
2. Tom Sykes 249
3. Eugene Laverty 226
4. Marco Melandri 221
5. Chaz Davies 180
6. Loris Baz 180
7. Jonathan Rea 176
8. Michel Fabrizio 138
9. Leon Camier 114
10. Jules Cluzel 113
22. Glen Allerton (Aus) 6
23. Mark Aitchison (Aus) 5
24. Jamie Stauffer (Aus) 4

World Supersport race:
1. Kenan Sofuoglu
2. Sam Lowes
3. Fabien Foret
4. Kev Coghlan
5. Christian Iddon
6. Roberto Rolfo
7. Jack Kennedy
8. Florian Marino
9. Michael Vd Mark
10. Vladimir Leonov
17. Glen Richards (Aus)
22. Billy McConnell (Aus)
25. Matt Davies (Aus)
30. Mitchell Carr (Aus)

World Supersport championship standings (after round nine of 14):
1. Sam Lowes 160
2. Kenan Sofuoglu 131
3. Fabien Foret 101
4. Michael Van der Mark 80
5. Lorenzo Zanetti 73
6. Luca Scassa 66
7. Jack Kennedy 56
8. Andrea Antonelli 55
9. Roberto Rolfo 50
10. Vladimir Leonov 48
23. Glen Richards (Aus) 6

Click here for detailed results