2018 Imola World Superbike Results

Heading into the Italian round of 2018 World Superbike at Imola, three-time World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea only had three wins – one each in Thailand, Aragon and Assen.

Impressive, yes, but very un-Rea like due to not scoring a double win at any round so far. That changed this past weekend for round five of 13 at Imola, the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10RR pilot claiming his first double of the WSBK season.

Rea’s double – earned from the pole position – also allowed him to equal the all-time record of 59 career race wins, a record he now shares with Carl Fogarty. This means he can become the leader in most career wins next weekend at his home race in Donington. The next closest rider Troy Bayliss with 52, and Noriyuki Haga with 43.

Joining Rea on the race-one podium Saturday were teammate Tom Sykes and Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Marco Melandri. Sunday’s race-two podium was all British; Rea claimed the win ahead of Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Chaz Davies and Sykes.

“We got it done and it was probably the best race win of the season,” Jonathan Rea said after Sunday’s race. “Coming from ninth on the grid, it was so difficult. I was not so confident I could win today. It was really nice to equal the record total of race wins, and with a long season left I feel confident that I can extend my win tally, and that is super-nice.”

In warm and sticky conditions Rea started the first 19-lap race of the WorldSBK race weekend from pole position, having secured his 16th career Superpole just a couple of hours before the start of race one.

Jonathan led from flag-to-flag with only his own team-mate Sykes for company in the first few laps, before Rea’s pace took him to an eventual margin of victory of 3.755 seconds. His latest win was his fourth of the season, all of them coming at different circuits.

In race two, starting from ninth, and not getting away as cleanly as Sykes, Rea had to put in several passes before getting into the slipstream of early leader Davies.

Rea was in second place after four laps, and sat behind Davies for much of the race before deciding to make a final pass into the Variante Alta, on lap 13. Rea put in two fast laps with clear track ahead of him and eventually won by a margin of 4.019 seconds.

Rea has now won half for the races in 2018, but this is the first time has been able to win the second race of any weekend, rather than the first.

In the championship standings, after five of 13 rounds, Rea has 209 points, 47 ahead of Davies. Sykes is in third with 137 points.

The WorldSBK series now breaks for two weeks ahead of Rea’s home race at Donington Park.

2018 Imola World Superbike Results, Race 1

2018 Imola World Superbike Results, Race 2

World Superbike Point Standings (after five of 13 rounds)