After Argentina, the Superbike World Championship headed to Indonesia and the Mandalika circuit. In the Lombok heat, the riders had to contend with a newly resurfaced track whose grip evolved considerably over the weekend. As in South America, Jonathan Rea achieved three podiums without getting on the top spot. On Saturday, the Kawasaki rider finished third in Race 1. Starting behind Toprak Razgatlioglu, he hung on to the Turkish rider for a long time before losing grip. "When my front tyre started to go off, I couldn't maintain the pace", admitted the six-time world champion. Which is how Alvaro Bautista was able to pass him just before the finish line. At the start of the sprint race, Rea was again just behind Razgatlioglu. And this time he stayed there until the chequered flag, finishing just half a second behind the winner. Race 2 was again a battle between the three WSBK frontrunners. “We were more competitive on Sunday than on Saturday," commented the Brit. “The team found a better set-up and the track surface had also improved as the bikes had put a lot of rubber on it.” Rea may have lost out to his two rivals, but he nevertheless took his 200th podium for Kawasaki, the 243rd of his WSBK career. Alex Lowes struggled at the Mandalika circuit. Ninth on Saturday after a crash early in the race, the Brit finished seventh in the sprint race and ninth again in Race 2. "I gave it my all but I just wasn't on the pace," admitted the Kawasaki rider.
