World Superbikes: Alvaro Bautista edges closer to title with Portimao win

Alvaro Bautista won his 12th race of the season

Alvaro Bautista denied Toprak Razgatlioglu a World Superbike hat-trick at Portimao by winning the final race of the weekend.

Ducati rider Bautista won by 2.2 seconds over reigning champion Razgatlioglu, who claimed the opening two races.

Bautista leads the championship by 56 points over Razgatlioglu.

Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea was a distant third in the race and trails Bautista by 82 points.

Bautista is in a commanding position to pick up his maiden World Superbike title with three rounds remaining.

Starting from the front following his Superpole victory earlier on Sunday, Yamaha's Razgatlioglu led from the off but Rea pounced into the lead with a late move at a hairpin.

Kawasaki rider Rea continued to hold the lead and was shadowed by Razgatlioglu, Bautista and Ducati team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The Turkish rider took the lead with a move on the brakes at the start of the sixth lap.

Rea attempted to respond with an identical move but ran wide, which allowed the Turkish rider back through. But it wasn't long before six-time champion Rea made the overtake stick and he was followed through by Bautista.

However, in the story of the season, Bautista used the Ducati's superior horsepower to charge past Rea down the main straight and move clear, and it wasn't long before the Northern Irishman dropped to third as Razgatlioglu worked his way through.

It looked like Bautista would cruise to victory and put one hand on the championship, however Razgatlioglu pulled off a superb move at turn 13 to barge his way into the lead.

Yet again Bautista hit back by powering clear down the straight, and the Spaniard edged away to win by 2.2 seconds despite the best efforts of his title rival.

The Portimao circuit had been a happy hunting ground for Northern Irishman Rea over the years, the Kawasaki rider having enjoyed 13 wins there during his World Superbike career.

The six-time champion has now gone 18 races without a win during the current season, however.

This ninth round of the series is the last to be staged in Europe this season, with races in Argentina, Indonesia and Australia still to come to conclude the championship.