Rea closes in on the lead

Facing tough resistance and on-form opponents, Jonathan Rea negotiated his Estoril weekend in almost perfect fashion. After finishing third in the first Portuguese race, the six-time world champion took two wins on Sunday. Rea, set the fastest time in the Superpole, before going on to win both the Sprint race and the 21-lap second race. “Despite my very good practice time, the first race was difficult," admitted the Elf Kawasaki rider. “I wasn't very good in the last laps, I lacked traction and I couldn't do anything to stay in contact with Alvaro and Toprak. I rectified that the next day. For the Sprint race, the conditions were tricky because the track was still damp in places after the morning rain. Toprak gave me the victory a bit by going too hard into the chicane. He lost the front and I was able to pass him. 

In the second race, it was Alvaro who provided the toughest competition. We were stuck to each other all race and I had to wait until the last corner to win, taking advantage of my acceleration. I stayed in the slipstream for a long time before crossing the line.” With this new victory, Rea closes the gap to the championship leader. Alex Lowes also improved over the weekend. Unlucky in the Netherlands, the Brit finished the final race of the weekend in fourth place after finishing seventh on Saturday and sixth in the Sprint race. Commented the Elf Kawasaki rider: "We made good progress with the bike between the two days. I was still a bit handicapped over the last few laps, but overall it was a solid weekend." With this result Lowes moves up to seventh place in the overall standings.