He felt somehow almost unwor-
thy of the win, not because both
factory Ducati riders crashed, but
because he made many mistakes,
albeit not serious enough that his
closest challenger and second-
place rider Tom Sykes (Kawasaki
Racing Team) could capitalize on
them.
But in race two the champion-
ship pendulum swung away from
the inexorable reality of Rea as
the first back-to-back champion
since Carl Fogarty and some-
where nearer another green zone
where Sykes may still be in with a
shout.
BY GORDON RITCHIE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
T
wo great rides from long-
time championship leader
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki
Racing Team) and the champion-
ship would have been all over—
bar the shouting and gnashing of
teeth from those not on a factory
Kawasaki in 2016.
At Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca, Rea got his own little bit of
history and a 71-point lead after
race one, his Saturday success
being his first ever at this Ameri-
can circuit.
VOL. 53 ISSUE 27 JULY 12, 2016 P61
TWO KAWASAKIS CLAIMED THE HONORS AT LAGUNA
SECA, BUT THE 60,000 FANS ACROSS THE WEEKEND
WERE THERE FOR ONE MAN, NICKY HAYDEN
Tom Sykes (66)
and Jonathon Rea
(1) were the ones
to beat at Laguna,
each walking away
with a win.
LAGUNA SECA
GOES GREEN
