Round 8: Portimao
Sykes and Rea shared wins on Portuguese soil.
Portimao’s Autodromo do Algarve was the stage for the eighth round of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship, the last event before the summer break for all classes but Superbike. After coming out on top for the third consecutive year in the Portuguese Tissot-Superpole, in race 1 reigning champion at the time Tom Sykes looked well on his way to another perfect sweep as the Briton crossed the finish line in first place ahead of Sylvain Guintoli and Loris Baz.
The few spots of rain in the first encounter turned into a shower in race 2, which saw Jonathan Rea edging out the factory Ducati duo of Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies. Aprilia Racing Team’s Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli crashed out of turn five following an overtaking attempt by the Frenchman on the Italian for second place.
David Salom and Sylvain Barrier finished as best EVO classified riders in the two races.
Michael van der Mark won the World Supersport race ahead of Jack Kennedy (maiden WSS podium for the Irishman) and Kenan Sofuoglu, while Lorenzo Savadori and Marco Faccani were victorious in the STK1000 and STK600 classes, respectively.
Remember to click on the links in this article to watch highlights and interviews of this round.
