Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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IN THE WIND P46 REA MAKES HIS MARK J onathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) chiseled out a permanent marker in the annals of WorldSBK history when he won race one at Magny-Cours in France, September 30, and in doing so became the first rider in this class to win three champion- ships in succession. Neither Carl Fogarty nor Troy Bayliss had managed that feat, but the seemingly greatest rider of the modern era blitzed his way to what felt like an unopposed title decider, as he won race one by over 16 seconds. The next day, the fates had a cruel DNF, Rea's second blame- less one of the year, lined up in race two. He tangled with the crashing Eugene Laverty's Mil- waukee Aprilia and the contact broke his right footpeg assembly off, and cut his right foot open. He escaped fractures and was philosophical about it, knowing it was not his fault and that he had his third title in the locker al- ready one day earlier. Rea really wanted to win the title by winning a race, as he explained. "I won in 2015 in Jerez not even reaching the podium and it was such a hollow feeling," said Rea. "Right from when I released the clutch on the start line, I just put my head down and wanted to win the race. It was all I was thinking about—not the champi- onship. To be crowned champi- on standing in the middle of the podium, on the top step, is the best feeling I have had so far." Rea has approached champi- onships one race at a time, and in race one, he just attacked the 2.7-mile circuit in France, de- spite running full wets after heavy overnight rains. Rea's stats are getting scary for the competition, and the series organizers who want more compelling competition out front. Rea reached the milestone of 50 race victories in all, with only Bayliss at 52 and Fogarty with 59 ahead of him. Second place in race one would go to comeback king Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Ducati) who worked his way forward after a great fight with eventual third-place rider Tom Sykes (Ka- wasaki Racing Team). Melandri was impressive on a different rear tire choice than Sykes, but Sykes could have rivaled his championship-winning teammate for ride of the day on Saturday, after having seven screws and a plate inserted into his little finger and left hand. He was just happy to make it through Friday, but then the instincts that made him world champion in 2013 took over and he and Melandri battled so hard they touched at one point, draw- ing sparks between them. The race-two podium was a completely changed affair—no single rider the same, as race- one technical struggler Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Ducati) belted out another of his front-running displays and won by over three seconds. Behind him was a Pata Ya- maha WorldSBK team duo of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. Lowes, who had fallen twice in the previous round in Portimao and scored no points then, reasserted himself in over-