Tom Sykes brought an end to Jonathan Rea’s winning streak in dramatic fashion after winning a sensational scrap between the two in the second race at Buriram. Rea had taken victory in the first three races of 2016, including Saturday’s opener in Thailand, but a feisty battle between the Kawasaki teammates saw him relegated to second for the first time this year.
After botching the start on Saturday, Michael van der Mark was intent on making better use of pole position but the strength of the Kawasakis off the line saw the Dutchman relegated to third on the opening lap. With the Honda gradually dropping back, it was left to Ducati’s Chaz Davies to take up the challenge and after passing van der Mark at half distance, the Welshman gave chase.
With the Kawasaki riders too busy watching each other, Davies soon turned the battle for victory into a three-way tussle but the Ducati Panigale’s relative lack of top-end grunt kept him nailed in third spot as the two ahead of him disputed the win. With two laps to go, Rea made his move with a dive up the inside of turn four but Sykes was wise to the manoeuvre, cutting back through on the exit. A second attempt followed at turn five, but the Yorkshireman, once again, would strike back immediately.
One lap remained and turn four would again be the chosen overtaking spot with Rea taking the inside line. This time, he appeared to have completed the move successfully but a slight error at turn six left the door slightly ajar for Sykes who barged through decisively. With Tom covering his line in the remaining corners, Rea was forced to make do with P2 while Davies, despite finishing just 0.314s off the victory, couldn’t make any impression in third.
Van der Mark took fourth, missing out on the rostrum for the first time this year, while Nicky Hayden saw off Sylvain Guintoli for fifth on the second Honda. Markus Reiterberger won the battle of the Althea BMWs for seventh, fending off Jordi Torres, while Lorenzo Savadori and Davide Giugliano rounded out the top ten.
WorldSBK 2016: Motul Thai Round – Race Two Result
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