PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea became the 2015 FIM Superbike World Champion by finishing fourth in race one at Jerez, while his teammate Tom Sykes won the race by 2.865 seconds. Joining Sykes on the podium was Chaz Davies on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati in second and Pata Honda’s Michael van der Mark third.
From the start of the race Sykes piled on the pressure, running away to a 1.5-second lead after five laps, his teammate and soon-to-be World Champion Rea second and Davies third at this quarter race point.
Rea had set a new lap record on the second lap, of 1:41.136, but had set a high 1:42 on lap seven, as Davies passed, with Red Devils Aprilia Racing Team’s Leon Haslam and van der Mark right behind.
Sykes, like Rea on a brand new ‘A’ front tire in this race, was 3.3 seconds up by lap eight of 20.
Haslam and Van der Mark were having a re-run of some of their earlier season tussles in the fight for fourth as halfway approached.
Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Michelle Pirro was proving to be a good substitute choice for the injured Davide Giugliano, in a clear sixth at half race distance then closing later on.
The pace of all the top riders had dropped off after halfway, with Sykes still maintaining his lead of 3.4 seconds to Davies.
Van der Mark had won his battle with Haslam and Rea to ease out ahead of the pairing, chasing Davies for second, with slightly superior pace for a time.
It was not to last, as the Dutchman took third.
Behind Rea, in fifth place, was Haslam, Pirro placed sixth, Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes seventh, with Althea Racing Ducati’s Matteo Baiocco, MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s Leon Camier and Van der Mark’s teammate Sylvain Guintoli completing the top 10.
2015 World Superbike
Jerez Race One Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
2. Chaz Davies (Ducati)
3. Michael van der Mark (Honda)
4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki)
5. Leon Haslam (Aprilia)
6. Michele Pirro (Ducati)
7. Alex Lowes (Suzuki)
8. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati)
9. Leon Camier (MV Agusta)
10. Sylvain Guintoli (Honda)
