Rea Secures Another Podium Finish In Motorland Race Two

From pole position Sykes attacked the lead of race two and held his strong pace even after eventual race winner Chaz Davies had passed him on the second lap. Rea eventually passed Sykes as the race reached the closing laps. However, on lap 15 Jonathan ran wide and lost time and track position. He had been pushing hard throughout race two but after rejoining he could not regain ground on his team-mate and had to settle for third place.

Set-up changes from day one to day two did not have the full desired effect and grip issues did not help his cause in the final result of the second race of the weekend.

In the current championship rankings Jonathan still enjoys a clear lead, some 26 points ahead of Davies. Sykes, in third, is 29 points from Jonathan after three rounds and six races have been completed.

The next round is at Assen in the Netherlands, with races on Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th April.

Jonathan Rea stated: “It was a difficult race because straight from the off we did not have so much grip in the rear and I was having to pick the bike up. When I back-shifted going into turn one with a few laps to go the rear locked and I could not stop, that was end of the chance to fight for 2º today. Being second or third today is not the issue it is being so far from the fight for the front. There were some areas where we were struggling today. We just need more time with the new bike and it is a step-by-step process. When a tough weekend is second and third it is not so bad!”

Pole position : Tom Sykes - 1m 49.374 - 167.107 km/h
Fastest lap : Chaz Davies - 1m 51.053 - 164.581 km/h
Circuit record lap : 2016 Chaz Davies - 1m 50.421 - 165.520 km/h
Circuit Best Lap : 2016 Tom Sykes - 1m 49.374 - 167.110 km/h
Crowd : 27,600
Temperature : Air 19°C / Track 29°C
Humidity : 48%