2016 Chang Thailand World Superbike Race Two Results: Are You Not Entertained?

Race two in Buriram was highly anticipated after yesterday's close finish and the venue was packed, just like last year, with manufacturers bussing in eager fans.

As the lights went out, it looked like Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea had the drop on pole-sitter Michael van der Mark, but the Dutchman only lost one place, tucking in behind Sykes for the first corner. Rea didn't wait too long before taking second place off him, however, and he ended up in third, ahead of Chaz Davies who tried to pass but had to back off after nearly hitting him. The near contact flustered Davide Giugliano behind the duelling pair and he lost several places reacting to the bagarre in front, with Alex Lowes, Sylvain Guintoli and Nicky Hayden taking advantage.

On the second lap, Lowes passed Davies into turn twelve, the last corner, but in the third lap he was passed by Davies and, trying to recover, went wide and let Guintoli past, but at the front, the top three were breaking away with only Davies in fourth looking like he had the pace to catch them.

Chaz Davies caught the front three of Sykes, Rea and van der Mark and made it a four way battle. Davies hounder van der Mark, giving the Kawasakis at the front a chance to build a one second gap that increased a few tenths at a time for three laps. Van der Mark and Davies were over a second clear of Guintoli, Lowes and Hayden and had locked horns.

On the tenth lap, passing the halfway mark of the race, a second and a half off the leaders, Chaz Davies forced his way under Michael van der Mark at turn three and started closing the gap to the fight at the front while further back Alex Lowes retires. A lap later, Jonathan Rea passed Tom Sykes at turn three only to have Sykes take the lead back a turn later. Turn three, Lap twelve and Rea ties again, but both green bikes go wide and they hold station, all the while with Davies taking advantage of the scrap to close up on his Ducati. Davies is gifted with clean air behind him a lap later as van der Mark muffs a corner up and recovers having lost two seconds to Davies. Rea takes the lead again, this time holding it for almost a lap before Sykes pounces on a mistake by Rea to snatch the lead back. Davies follows him through and puts himself between the raging Kawasakis.

The green-red-green blur flashes past Imre Toth, more sensible than his teammate yesterday or fearing the same grid penalty dished out to Sebestyén, and the fight continues. Rea tries a few passes on Davies and finally gets one to stick and focusses his attention on Sykes in the lead. The Kawasaki rentacrowd, resplendent in their green and black shirts, cheer. Two more laps and the front three are still covered by a few tenths. As they entered the penultimate lap, they did so three abreast into the last corner and Rea took the lead, Sykes took the lead, Rea took the lead, Sykes took the lead and they started the last lap, Sykes, Rea and Davies.

Turn three of the last lap passed without incident but Rea then fights Sykes and wrestles the lead from him only to have Sykes snatch it back. As they exit turn ten, Sykes veers across the track defensively to his right, thwarting Rea's power move and offering Davies false hope in third. The three riders enter the last corner close but Tom Sykes has done enough and he takes his first win of the year, ahead of his Kawasaki teammate Jonathan Rea and Ducati's Chaz Davies. Michael can der Mark and Nicky Hayden get fourth and fifth for Honda, with Hayden quietly only ten seconds off the victory.

Sykes and Rea leave Thailand having matched each other in Superpole and with a win each. The promise of a close season lies ahead of us as they return to Europe victorious.

Results: