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Tissot-Superpole – Tom Sykes (Race 1: 2nd)

The Gaerne Spanish Round marks the 38^th career pole for Tom Sykes, his 8^th this year: now he is only one pole shy of his season record of nine from 2013. This was Sykes’ 6^th pole in Spain, equalling the highest number of poles recorded so far in the country by Troy Corser.

Sykes’ second place in Race 1 equals 18 podium finishes this year, matching his personal best from 2013. His career podium tally is now 82.

This was the 9^th pole for Kawasaki this season, matching their best year in 2012: that year all Kawasaki’s poles were achieved by Sykes.

Great Britain is the first country to record 10 straight pole positions in WorldSBK history. The run began at MotorLand Aragon in April. Since then the polesitters have been Tom Sykes (7 times), Chaz Davies (2) and Jonathan Rea (1).

In Race 1, Kawasaki achieved 38 podiums equalling their season best from last year. Starting from Race 2 in Jerez, Kawasaki has the chance to become the second manufacturer in history to record at least 40 podiums in a season. The only other manufacturer to do so is Ducati who holds the record with 64 podium placements in 2003.

2nd – Jonathan Rea (Race 1: 3rd)

Jonathan Rea in second completed the fourth 1-2 in qualifying for Kawasaki this year (the same number they recorded in 2015) and completed the 1-2 Kawasaki recorded here twelve months ago, when they were joined on the front row by Niccolò Canepa’s Ducati.

Sykes has started from pole eight times this year and Rea has started from the front row eight times, matching his personal best set last season.

With his third place in Race 1, Rea not only increased his career podium count to 85 but also became the first rider in history to score 20 or more podium finishes in two different seasons (last year he scored 23 podiums and he could still equal this in 2016).

The other riders who have scored 20 podiums or more in a single year are: Colin Edwards (25 in 2002); Troy Bayliss (22 in 2002); Doug Polen (21 in 1991); Carlos Checa (21 in 2011) and Neil Hodgson (20 in 2003).

This was Rea’s first podium at Jerez: now he has finished on the podium at 19 different tracks - the same number as his teammate Sykes. The absolute record belongs to Troy Corser, who in his 377-race career achieved podium finishes at 25 different tracks (130 individual podium finishes in total). Rea now has climbed on the podium in all the tracks of the current calendar.

3rd – Davide Giugliano (Race 1: DNF)

Jerez marks the 26^th career front row start for Davide Giugliano, his fifth this year. Unfortunately, Giugliano crashed out on lap two of Race 1, meaning he has completed only four laps from his last two WorldSBK starts.

Other notes

• Alex Lowes starts fourth this weekend at Jerez, having qualified no higher than tenth at the previous three rounds.
• In Race 1, Chaz Davies won for the 17^th time in his career, equalling Frankie Chili for 13^th in the all-time rankings. His 46^th podium has taken him only one podium shy of the late Fabrizio Pirovano (15^th all-time spot).
• Like Race 2 at Jerez last year, Davies won from sixth on the grid. This year only Davies and Rea (Lausitzring/2, in the wet) have been able to win from sixth; the other 21 wins in 2016 came from top 4 grid spots.
• For the first time in his career Davies has won the last three consecutive races. In Race 2 he will attempt his fourth double of the season after Aragon, Imola and Magny Cours. Among the current riders, only Jonathan Rea has recorded more doubles in a single season, with five last year. Before the Jerez weekend, 10 of Davies’ 16 wins came as doubles.
• Since the World Championship returned to Jerez in 2013, only Chaz Davies has been able to finish on the podium for Ducati, which he has done four times.
• In Race 2, Davies can become the first rider with three Jerez wins; at the moment he is one of four men who have won here twice: Raymond Roche, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri are the other three.
• Race 1 marked the seventh straight win for a British rider on Spanish soil - a run which started at Aragon last year.
• After Race 1, Ducati has 33 wins from the 63 races held on Spanish soil in WorldSBK history.
• Peter Sebestyen scored his first career World Championship point with his 15^th place in Race 1.

Jonathan Rea’s Championship chances

These are the permutations, which would give Jonathan Rea his second World Superbike Title on Sunday in Jerez;

• Rea wins the race and Sykes finishes third or lower;
• Rea finishes second with Sykes fourth or lower;
• Rea finishes third with Sykes sixth or lower (with a 50-point gap, Rea would become champion with more race wins);
• Rea finishes fourth with Sykes ninth or lower;
• Rea finishes fifth with Sykes 11th or lower;
• Rea finishes sixth with Sykes 12th or lower;
• Rea finishes seventh with Sykes 13th or lower;
• Rea finishes eighth with Sykes 14th or lower;
• Rea finishes ninth with Sykes 15th or lower;
• Rea finishes tenth and Sykes does not score points;

Chaz Davies will remain in contention only if he wins the race and Rea finishes 13th or lower.