Image: Supplied.

Defending champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chas Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) split wins in Buriram’s second round of the 2018 Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) over the weekend.

Rea scored Superpose and went on to win race one in Thailand, topping Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) and Davies, while second of the Kawasakis Tom Sykes slipped from podium contention to cross the line sixth.

In an unpredictable second race, Davies surged through the field to take a 28th-career victory and a first around the Chang International Circuit, becoming the third different winner in the opening two weekends of the season.

Davies produced a stunning ride with an average gain of a position per lap over a seven-lap period, hitting the front by the end of lap eight and controlling the race from there. Taking advantage of the reverse grid format, Pata Yamaha duo Michael Van Der Mark and Alex Lowes completed the podium.

Kawasaki’s unbroken record of victories at the Thai round was finally ended on a day where neither of their top performers could make it on to the podium. Sykes retired from the race, while Rea crossed the line fourth despite issues under braking.

With his rivals in the race well adrift of him overall, Rea becomes the championship leader and the man with the momentum as the highest scorer of the series’ top three for a second race in succession. He leads Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) by two, with Fores third.

In World Supersport it was Phillip Island runner-up Randy Krummenacher (Evan Bros Yamaha) who took his second race victory to tie the points lead in the 2018 championship, beating defending champion Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha) in a last-lap thriller, while his teammate Federico Caricasulo was P3.

Of the Australians, Anthony West (EAB West Racing Kawasaki) scored a solid sixth-place result, while debutant Ted Collins (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) rounded out the field in 22nd. Teammate Lachlan Epis crashed out early in the race.

The 2018 Motul Superbike World Championship resumes with the Motorland Aragon round in three weeks time from between 13-15 April.

Detailed results