2018 Portuguese WorldSBK Saturday Results—Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored his 11th race win of the season to extend his championship lead to 104 points, after a strong leading performance in race one at Portimao. The Northern Irishman set a new lap record of 1’42.304 as he eased out a lead of 0.4 seconds over Melandri on lap three.
2018 Portuguese WorldSBK Saturday Results
In winning his 65th WorldSBK race he matched the start number he ran before he earned his first number one plate. He also reached a landmark of 50 wins for Kawasaki since he joined then in 2015.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished second, unable to match Rea’s pace but eventually clear of the final podium rider, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha).
With eight laps to go long time third-placed rider Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) fell at turn one, promoting van der Mark to third.
Pole man Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) was taken out of the race on the first lap, at turn three, as Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) clipped the back of the Aprilia under braking, putting both out of the running.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) moved up to sixth from 14th after one lap and rode strongly to finish fourth, after the exit of Savadori.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) placed fifth, almost 13 seconds behind the win.
An excellent sixth place for Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) was as much as his privateer team could have expected, with Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) seventh.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) scored eighth, with the top ten completed by Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba Racing IT Ducati Junior Team) and a recovering Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK).
Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was forced to retire after running wide. Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was 13th and only 14 riders finished of the 20 starters.
2018 Portuguese WorldSBK Saturday Results
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