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The final round of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will see Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes go head to head for the Championship. They both travel to Qatar with winning the title the main goal but it's the Northern Irishman that holds all the cards. Rea holds a near unassailable 48 point lead in the title standings, so for Sykes to have any chance of winning a second title, he’ll need to win both races in Qatar and hope for the best. Rea needs just two points in either race to successfully defend his championship.

It's almost impossible to foresee anything but Rea joining the ranks of consecutive WorldSBK title winners. To put Rea's feat into perspective, only Fred Merkel, Doug Polen and Carl Fogarty have retained titles in the class consecutively. If the Northern Irishman can join these ranks he will cement his legacy in WorldSBK history.

Despite having long been seen as arguably the most talented rider on the grid, Rea's legacy has been forged over the last two years at Kawasaki. Racing for Honda, Rea won an admirable 15 races over six seasons but it was his untapped potential as a title winner that excited many in the paddock. Far from being a known commodity at the start of 2015, Rea was seen as a potential superstar - but 'potential' is the most used word in racing.

It's somewhat of a catch phrase used to talk about riders. The highlights are enough to prove the rider deserves to be on the grid and on a good bike but until they are in the position to win consistently, it's impossible to know exactly how strong a rider can be. For Rea, it took until 2015 and his move to Kawasaki before he could really prove, definitively, just how good he is. Since moving to Team Green he has amassed 23 race wins and 44 podiums from 50 races. It has been an incredible run of form for Rea and he stands on the verge of greatness with another title success.

Standing in his way is Sykes; The Englishman has quietly been able to put together another solid campaign but has been playing catch-up throughout the year after a poor start to the season at Phillip Island. Since then it seems he has been fighting with his back to the wall, because against Rea, you need to come out swinging and put the Champion on the defensive. Sykes hasn't been able to do that this year and that's why he goes to the last round of the Championship as a title long shot.

Of course Sykes could still prevail and win his second title. With two titles his legacy would change greatly. Having finished in the top three in the standings for five consecutive seasons, and winning the crown in 2013, his speed and talent is beyond doubt.

The intensity that has been Rea's hallmark - open the door against him at your peril - has been in stark contrast to Sykes’ more measured approach. When faced with a wheel-to-wheel battle, it has been Sykes that has backed down and Rea that has been victorious. If the Yorkshireman is to win the title again he needs to turn this tide and take the fight to his teammate. Barring a crazy turn of events, the 2016 title is probably already lost for Sykes. But, if he is to win the 2017 title, he needs to start attacking Rea - and there's no better time than now.