Jonathan Rea secures race two victory at Portimao

Jonathan Rea drops to fourth spot in the World Superbike Championship standings

Jonathan Rea mastered the difficult wet conditions best to win the second race of the day at the World Superbike championship round at Portimao.

Pata Honda rider Rea came home almost seven seconds ahead of Davide Giugliano after finishing fifth in the opening race which was won by Tom Sykes.

Eugene Laverty was eighth in race one and ninth in race two on his Suzuki.

Rea remains fourth in the championship on 235 points, one behind Loris Baz, while Yorkshireman Sykes leads on 284.

The reigning champion has a 43-point advantage over nearest challenger, Sylvain Guintoli from France.

Toomebridge man Laverty lies eight in the overall series standings with 121 ahead of the next round at Laguna Seca next week.

Rea led early on in race one, but was overtaken by eventual winner Sykes, runner-up Guintoli, and Baz and Marco Melandri, who took fourth and fifth.

Race two was held over a reduced distance of 18 laps and Rea's cause was helped when Aprilia pair Guintoli and Melandri collided six laps from the end as they led the chasing pack.

It was the fourth race win of the year for the Ballyclare man.

Guintoli re-mounted to salvage a seventh-place finish, while Chaz Davies completed the podium.

Meanwhile Irish rider Jack Kennedy clinched his first podium in the World Supersport series when he crossed the line second in a race which was red-flagged with four laps remaining as the rain started to fall.