Rea untouchable as Bautista recovers from first-corner clash

Full World Superbike Race 1 results from Portimao

Jonathan Rea has notched up his eighth consecutive World Superbike race win at Portimao to take a firm grip in the 2020 title tussle, as Alvaro Bautista is forced into a recovery race after dropping down to 17^th place following a first-corner clash with Aruba.it Racing Ducati team-mate Chaz Davies.

The reigning World Superbike champion was untroubled throughout the race to take a lights-to-flag victory and duly extends his advantage to 93 points in the riders’ standings over Bautista.

The Spanish rider got beaten up on the opening lap, triggered by a bash of fairings with Davies at the first corner, which saw Bautista down in 17^th place.

While Davies charged into second place, Bautista gradually climbed up the order to take fourth place by the chequered flag as Michael van der Mark kept clear to complete the podium with third place for Pata Yamaha.

Leon Haslam battled hard to keep Bautista behind him but to no avail as he had to settle for fifth place on the factory Kawasaki ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu for Puccetti Kawasaki.

Alex Lowes endured a late-race fade to finish in seventh place for Pata Yamaha but comfortably clear of front-row starter Sandro Cortese in eighth place for GRT Yamaha.

Marco Melandri followed his GRT Yamaha team-mate to the finish in ninth, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi rounding out the top 10 for Barni Ducati, as Jordi Torres claimed a solid 11^th place for Pedercini Kawasaki.

Markus Reiterberger finished in 12^th place directly ahead of BMW team-mate Tom Sykes who tumbled off on Lap 7 having initially been as high as second place on the opening laps.

Leandro Mercado (Orelac Kawasaki) and Takumi Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda) completed the points positions ahead of Loris Baz who also suffered a fall in the race as Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Ducati), Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Honda) and Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda) rounded out the finishers.

Eugene Laverty was the only non-finisher with a technical issue with his Team Goeleven Ducati.