Jonathan Rea earns podium spot in California Superbike round

Jonathan Rea in now 64 points adrift of World Superbike Championship leader Tom Sykes

Jonathan Rea earned third and sixth places at Sunday's World Superbike Championship round in California to move up to third in the series.

After retiring in Sunday's opening race, Eugene Laverty earned a fourth spot in race two to end a sequence of disappointing results.

Pata Honda rider Rea finished sixth in race one behind Marco Melandri with Laverty retiring on lap 18.

Rea then was just under three seconds behind winner Tom Sykes in race two.

Sykes's latest win extended his series lead over Sylvain Guintoli to 44 points but Rea's podium finished moved him above Loris Baz into third place in the championship.

Rea is now 64 points adrift of British rider Sykes.

The Pata Honda rider from Ballyclare was over 15 seconds behind Melandri in race one with Guintoli second and Sykes in third.

Toomebridge's Eugene Laverty retired after 18 laps in the opener but regrouped in race two to take fourth, under a second behind his compatriot Rea.

Laverty's finish puts him in ninth spot in the championship as he moved up Britain's Leon Haslam.