2019 Portimao World Superbike Superpole Race Result: To Do What Is Needed

The ten lap Superpole race should make the grid for race two represent the race pace instead of qualifying pace. It's race qualifying with points. Alex Lowes was the only rider not to fit a ten-lap sprint SCX tyre on the rear of his Yamaha.

Jonathan Rea hit the first turn first, avoiding the bustle behind him. Sandro Cortese lost out in the first couple of turns, as did Alvaro Bautista, although not as badly as he did yesterday, dropping back to only ninth place. Bautista and his teammate Chaz Davies swapped places back and forth, with Bautista winning out after a few passes. 

Jonathan Rea led Tom Sykes, Leon Haslam and Alex Lowes, and set the lap record on lap two, eking out almost a second of a lead in the process. Sandro Cortese held on to fifth place as three riders took sixth place off Marco Melandri.

A lap later, Jonathan Rea had a second and a half of a lead over Alex Lowes, Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam, Lowes having taken second place. Alvaro Bautista continued his charge through the pack, catching fifth-placed Sandro Cortese after passing Toprak Razgatlioglu, Michael van der Mark, Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri.

At the start of the fifth lap, Alvaro Bautista made his familiar pass down the start/finish straight, powering past Sandro Cortese like he did everyone before. Toprak Razgatlioglu followed through on Cortese.

At the halfway mark, Jonathan Rea had almost two seconds of a gap to second-placed Alex Lowes, but in third place, Alvaro Bautista took third place by passing both Leon Haslam and Tom Sykes down the straight and holding his place on the brakes. Leon Haslam swapped places with Tom Sykes but Toprak Razgatlioglu played them both and took fourth place from them. 

Alvaro Bautista closed on Alex Lowes and finally made his pass down the straight on lap nine of ten, but in relying on superior speed to pass him, he didn't use the inside line, letting Lowes take second place back into turn one on the brakes. Lowes held Bautista back, using the agility of the Yamaha to thwart Bautista's attempts to pass. Jonathan Rea had a two second lead.

Before the start of the last lap, Alvaro Bautista was close enough to power out of the last corner and dispatch Alex Lowes to take second place at the start of the last lap. Unfortunately for him, Jonathan Rea was just too far for him to catch him. 

Jonathan Rea won the ten lap Superpole race, ahead of Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes. Toprak Razgatlioglu successfully held off Leon Haslam with Michael van der Mark over a second further back.

Both Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista did exactly what they needed to do; Rea won and Bautista ensured that he would start from the front row of the grid and decrease his chances of getting swamped at the start. Alex Lowes also did what was needed of him, reclaiming third place in the championship from his teammate Michael van der Mark.

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