World Superbikes: Jonathan Rea crashes out as Razgatlioglu wins opening race
- Published
World champion Rea is a five-time winner at the Phillip Island circuit
Jonathan Rea's attempt to win a sixth consecutive World Superbike title got off to a bad start as he crashed out of the season's first race in Australia.
The 33-year-old Northern Irishman was able to walk away from the incident and the race was won in a close finish by Toprak Razgatlioglu of Turkey.
Razgatlioglu narrowly held off English pair Alex Lowes and Scott Redding.
The shorter Superpole sprint and the second full race take place at the Phillip Island circuit on Sunday.
Kawasaki rider Rea was actually involved in two collisions in the 2020 season opener.
While leading in the first lap, he came off his ZX-10RR machine after contact with 2013 champion Tom Sykes.
Rea remounted and was trying to work his way up the field when he lost control on the sixth lap, forcing him into a first race retirement since the 2018 Czech Republic round.
In an exciting finish, 23-year-old Razgatlioglu hung on as Lowes and Redding closed in, with fourth-placed Michael van der Mark of the Netherlands just 0.137 seconds behind the winner.
World Superbikes 2020, Phillip Island Race One | ||
|---|---|---|
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Tur) | Yamaha | 33:48.344 |
2. Alex Lowes (GB) | Kawasaki | +0.007 secs |
3. Scott Redding (GB) | Ducati | +0.041 |
4. Michael van der Mark (Ned) | Yamaha | +0.137 |
5. Leon Haslam (GB) | HRC | +3.910 |
6. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) | HRC | +4.426 |