AFTER what looked for all the world to be one of the greatest World Superbike races in history at Phillip Island, it was the reigning champion doing the celebrating — and the sledging.
Jonathan Rea outfoxed Chaz Davies to win Race 1 by a bike-length after a thrilling multi-rider battle for the entire race.
Or at least that’s what it looked like from the outside.
RESULTS: Click here for full results from WorldSBK Race 1
Rea had a very different perspective on how the “slow” race had unfolded, and delivered some pointed words for his rival riders.
“I don’t know about a fight. No-one was willing to fight,” Rea said.
“It was more like a bicycle race, to be honest. Two times I rode away and they came, but nobody wanted to push the pace forward.
“It should have been much, much faster, but we did what we had to do at the end.”
The Ducatis got the holeshot off the start, Marco Melandri leading Davies into Doohan Corner before the Kawasaki duo asserted themselves.
First Rea, then Sykes rushed past and by the end of the second lap, it was the two green bikes leading the two red ones across the line.
But Melandri, in his first race back in the championship in three seasons, was not to be denied. He raced around the outside of Sykes into Doohan on Lap 3 and began to reel in Rea, teammate Davies following suit a lap later.
Xavi Fores and Alex Lowes tacked onto the tail of the leading group, the six bikes building a gap over the rest of the field, the next group seeing a multi-bike squabble featuring Aprilia riders Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori, the second Yamaha of Michael Van der Mark, Honda’s Nicky Hayden, MV Agusta’s Leon Camier and BMW’s Jordi Torres.
Savadori was first to break free of the peloton and rapidly closed up on the leaders, only to crash out at Southern Loop with 17 laps to go.
By that time Melandri had blown past Rea to take the lead, the fighting between the leading sextet allowing the second group to follow Savadori’s lead and close in. Camier and Van Der Mark were first to arrive, and with 16 laps to go the leading train comprised almost as many bikes.
At the same time Josh Brookes, the only Australian in the field this weekend, slowed and headed for pit lane with rising water temperature on his Yamaha.
Hi, sorry to deliver the bad news. The water temp went above maximum. Now investigating and it appears to be a blown head gasket 😔
— Josh Brookes (@JoshBrookes) February 25, 2017
Fores tried to nip past Sykes at MG but the two-time champion shut him out, allowing Lowes to get a run and move past into fifth.
Melandri continued to do the grunt work at the front of the group, Rea keeping a watching brief in second with Davies right on his tail as the halfway mark ticked past.
The leading group split again with 13 laps to go, Van Der Mark and Torres’ scrapping for eighth allowing the first seven bikes to build a gap.
The battle for the lead was no less frenetic.
Sykes decided it was time to show his hand, slipstreaming past Melandri, Rea and Davies to steal the lead with 12 laps to go, Lowes using the ruckus to his advantage to move into second.
A lap later it was the Yamaha in front for the first time, Lowes outbraking Sykes into Honda Hairpin to take the lead. The Brit’s time in the sun would last roughly a lap and a half before Rea stormed back into the lead.
Melandri was the next to crack, crashing out at Southern Loop with eight laps to go.
Sykes moved to the front with five laps to go, Lowes forcing his way back up into second as Rea and Davies carved each other up at Honda Hairpin. The pair dispatched the Yamaha a lap later, before Lowes ran wide at MG to leave the leading group at just three for the final three laps.
The battle soon boiled down to Friday’s fast men, Rea and Davies edging away from Sykes as the chequered flag neared. The Ducati rider left his braking ultra-late for Doohan Corner on the final lap, briefly snatching the lead before the Kawasaki nipped back past.
It was a lead he’d hold to the line — but only just.
The result will ensure the leading trio will start Sunday’s Race 2 from the third row of the grid based on World Superbike’s new inverted grid
RESULTS — Race 1, World Superbike Rd. 1, Phillip Island
1. (1) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 33m52.290s
2. (7) Chaz Davies (Ducati) +0.042s
3. (66) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +1.05s
4. (22) Alex Lowes (Yamaha) +1.082s
5. (2) Leon Camier (MV Agusta) +3.002s
6. (12) Xavi Fores (Ducati) +3.32s
7. (81) Jordi Torres (BMW) +8.725s
8. (50) Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) +12.135s
9. (60) Michael Van der Mark (Yamaha) +12.18s
10. (88) Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki) +12.439s
11. (69) Nicky Hayden (Honda) +19.344s
12. (21) Markus Reiterberger (BMW) +21.336s
13. (40) Roman Ramos (Kawasaki) +24.866s
14. (15) Alex De Angelis (Kawasaki) +24.902s
15. (6) Stefan Bradl (Honda) +28.936s
16. (84) Riccardo Russo (Yamaha) +39.404s
17. (86) Ayrton Badovini (Kawasaki) +42.941s
18. (37) Ondrej Jezek (Kawasaki) +48.043s
DNF (33) Marco Melandri (Ducati) 15 laps, crashed
DNF (25) Josh Brookes (Yamaha) 6 laps, mechanical
DNF (32) Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) 5 laps, crashed
Originally published as Rea wins Race 1 thriller — or so it seemed
