Source: WorldSBK.

World Superbike action from Spain’s Aragon overnight, with Jonathan Rea extending his championship lead and Chaz Davies breaking Ducati’s 58 race drought with a win in race two.

In the opening 18-lap encounter at MotorLand Aragon, Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) claimed his fourth win of the season, equalling his previous best for number of victories in a year in just five starts.

The Ulsterman came out on top at the end of an enthralling last lap saw, which him lose the lead only to retake it on the final corner from fellow Briton Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) who finished second, missing out the victory by 0.051s.

Initially leading from the start, other KRT rider Tom Sykes was put under immense pressure from the current championship leader and teammate Rea who eventually overhauled the former champion on lap 14 and Chaz Davies, whose pace in the closing stages was impressive as he clawed back a small gap that had opened up to put himself into contention as the trio neared the last lap.

Sykes would eventually finish in the final podium place. Behind the leading three another three way fight ensued, with pole position man Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) getting the better of his team mate Jordi Torres, the pair finish fourth and fifth respectively, just ahead of Xavi Fores on the second factory Ducati Panigale R machine.

Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati) closed to within 2.3s of Haslam to claim a well-deserved seventh ahead of Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s Leon Camier, who completed the top 10.

It was a difficult opening race for the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki pairing of Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet who both retired to the pits within the opening five laps before rejoining at half distance in an attempt to ensure the technical issues do not re-appear in race two. Pata Honda rider Michael van der Mark also retired on lap 11.

The second 18-lap race at MotorLand Aragon, run in much warmer conditions, was won by Davies, after a dominating performance. The Welshman led from turn one to build up a comfortable lead courtesy of a stellar race pace, eventually taking the flag for his fifth career win by 3.1 seconds.

Davies last won a WorldSBK race at the Nürburgring in Germany in 2013, but his victory in Spain not only ended Ducati’s 58-race winning drought but also marked the first win for the Panigale R machine in the series.

Race one winner Rea, suffering from a fever, battled hard throughout the whole race with former teammate Haslam, who looked much more at home in race two than he did in the earlier encounter.

Second position would eventually go to Rea, thus extending his championship lead to 26 points, with Haslam taking the final place on the rostrum as the pair were split by just 0.5s at the chequered flag.

Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) took a well-earned fourth position, circulating more or less alone for the latter part of the race, the rookie looking pleased on his return to the pit box. Fores claimed another solid result on his debut weekend with the Aruba.it Ducati Superbike Team in fifth.

David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) completed the top six after overhauling Mercado, Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati) in the final two laps.

Sykes was running fourth and looked comfortable before high-siding spectacularly on lap five. Reigning champion Guintoli also fell at the fast turn 14 which ends the lap, the Frenchman was able to walk away.

Lowes had another race to forget, the young English rider running off track in the early stages before recovering to salvage two points with a 14th place finish at the flag.

The first European race of the 2015 World Supersport championship was decided in favour of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Poleman Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto) was in contention until, for the second race in a row he suffered a technical problem while fighting for the lead.

The Frenchman was clearly distraught as he retired on lap 12, leaving former Champion Sofuoglu to claim his 21st WSS race victory by a comfortable margin of 3.224s, and with it the championship lead.

PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) who was also in the hunt from the start eventually finished 2nd, with Pata Honda World Supersport’s Kyle Smith taking the final podium place in 3rd (+5.695s).

Gino Rea recovered from an average start to end the 16 lap race in 4th, the Brit getting the better of Italian Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in a photo finish. Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) continued his solid start to the year, scoring 10 points for a hard earned 6th at the flag ahead of compatriot Fabio Menghi (VFT Racing) who had his best result in WSS since Imola last year.

There was a multi rider crashes on lap six, with Thai race winner Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand), Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) all falling from the top eight without injury.

AARK Racing Honda’s Glenn Scott rebounded from an early off-track excursion to finish 18th, in what was his first European appearance as a world championship regular.

The inaugural race of the season for the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup was one to remember and one which was decided at the very last turn. With a perfectly timed manoeuvre, Roberto Tamburini (Team MotoxRacing BMW) edged out fellow Italian Lorenzo Savadori (Nuova M2 Racing Aprilia) for the win, who led for most of the encounter.

The pairing was part of a four-way pack that pulled away in the early stages, which also included Kev Coghlan (MRS Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Althea Racing Ducati), third and fourth respectively at the flag. With Ondrej Jezek (Triple-M by Barni Ducati) in fifth and Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) in sixth.

A relentless Toprak Razgatlioglu has come out on top in the second race of the Aragon Round double-header of the FIM European Superstock 600 Championship, leaving the Spanish track with maximum points. In his second appearance, Australian first-timer Lachlan Epis was 30th in race two.

2015 Superbike World Championship
Round three – MotorLand Aragon, Spain

Superbike race one results:
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Chaz Davies +0.051s
3. Tom Sykes +4.977s
4. Leon Haslam +15.088s
5. Jordi Torres +15.290s
6. Xavi Fores +16.655s
7. Nico Terol +17.365s
8. Leandro Mercado +25.527s
9. Sylvain Guintoli F +34.464s
10. Leon Camier +43.013s

Superbike race two results:
1. Chaz Davies
2. Jonathan Rea +3.190s
3. Leon Haslam +3.712s
4. Jordi Torres +14.216s
5. Xavi Fores +20.524s
6. David Salom +25.878s
7. Leandro Mercado +25.939s
8. Michael van der Mark 26.075s
9. Ayrton Badovini +27.253s
10. Nico Terol +28.666s

Superbike championship standings:
1. Jonathan Rea 140
2. Leon Haslam 114
3. Chaz Davies 83
4. Tom Sykes 66
5. Jordi Torres 63
6. Sylvain Guintoli 48
7. Nico Terol 41
8. Matteo Baiocco 39
9. Leandro Mercado 38
10. Alex Lowes 34

Supersport results:
1. Kenan Sofuoglu
2. PJ Jacobsen +3.224s
3. Kyle Smith +5.695s
4. Gino Rea +11.281s
5. Lorenzo Zanetti +11.334s
6. Alex Baldolini +16.639s
7. Fabio Menghi +17.010s
8. Dominic Schmitter +18.801s
9. Christian Gamarino +24.178s
10. Roberto Rolfo +24.655s
18. Glenn Scott (AUS) +1m00.312s

Supersport championship standings:
1. Kenan Sofuoglu 55
2. PJ Jacobsen 42
3. Ratthapark Wilairot 36
4. Gino Rea 35
5. Lorenzo Zanetti 31
6. Kyle Smith 29
7. Alex Baldolini 26
8. Jules Cluzel 25
9. Roberto Rolfo 24
10. Dominic Schmitter 16
20. Glenn Scott (AUS) 4

Click here for detailed results