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#PORWorldSBK Sunday Guide

Saturday, 16 September 2017 18:13 GMT

Take a look at the facts and stats ahead of race two at the Prosecco DOC Portuguese Round

P1 in the Championship – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)

Recorded his 4th pole in 2017: exactly the same as two previous seasons, and went on to win the race, leading all the laps and setting the fastest lap time. This was his 48th win, the 33rd for Kawasaki, equalling his team-mate Tom Sykes as the most successful for the Japanese manufacturer. This was his 4th straight win in Portimao: no other rider has won more than twice at this track.  10th win of the season for Rea: this is his second season with double-digit wins after 2015, in which he won 14 times. Kawasaki became in Race 1 the first manufacturer with three straight wins in Portimao. After Race 2 his undisputed lead in the championship will reach 70 straight races (started in Buriram, Race 1, 2015). In qualifying he kept alive the record string of British poles: 21 since Aragon 2016, taking over from his team-mate Sykes, who was the poleman in the four previous weekends. Sykes’ absence put an end to four race weekends in which the Kawasakis had always qualified 1-2. If one of the five Kawasaki riders in the Algarve manages a podium finish in Race 2, this will be the 50th straight race on the podium for the Japanese manufacturer, setting the 3rd all-time string behind the 67 recorded by Ducati (Sugo/2, 2002 - Losail/2, 2005) and the 63, always by Ducati (Brainerd/1, 1991 - Sugo/1, 1993). Rea recorded the 103rd fastest race lap for Kawasaki in Race1: the same value of Honda, at the 2nd all-time spot. Ducati leads with 339 fastest race laps.

P3 in the Championship – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

62nd career podium for Chaz Davies in Race 1, his 3rd in Portimao after a 3rd in Race 2 in 2014 and in 2015 Race 1. In qualifying, Davies recorded his worst result of the season in 9th, down from 6th in the previous weekend in Lausitz: up to that point he had always qualified in the top-5 in this championship. This was the 555th WorldSBK race on the podium for Ducati: the total podium placements scored by the Italian manufacturer is 854.

P4 in the Championship – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

58th career podium in Race 1 for Marco Melandri: this was the 7th time this year he finished third. Only three times in history there was a higher number of third places in just one championship, eight, recorded by Fabrizio Pirovano in 1993, Ruben Xaus in 2002 and Troy Corser in 2008. Also Tom Sykes was seven times third this season. Will take the start for the 120th time in Race 2.

P7 in the Championship – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

Will start from the front row for the third time this year in Race 2 after the second races in Aragon and Misano.

P8 in the Championship – Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

In Race 1 Leon Camier equalled the best ever result obtained by MV Agusta in the WorldSBK championship, finishing 4th. It had happened 4 times before, all last year (Assen/1; Donington/1; Lausitzring/2; Magny Cours/2).

P9 in the Championship – Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)

Thanks to the new regulations, Jordi Torres will enjoy his 3rd front row start this season after the second races in Aragon and Misano: in the latter he led from the 6th to the 13th lap. The 6th place in Race 1 is BMW’s best result here since Chaz Davies was 5th in Race 2 2013. In that weekend, Marco Melandri won in Race 1.

P10 in the Championship – Eugene Laverty (Milwuakee Aprilia)

In Qualifying Eugene Laverty recorded his 25th front row, the first one since he was on pole at Jerez in 2013.

P11 in the Championship – Lorenzo Savadori (Milwuakee Aprilia)

In qualifying, Savadori recorded his third front row this season after he was equally third in Assen and at the Lausitzring.

Takumi Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)

Takumi Takahashi became the first Japanese rider to score points in the WorldSBK championship since the legendary Noriyuki Haga made a one-off appearance at Imola in 2013 and was twice 15th at the flag.