
Just to stamp a little more authority on a 2017 WorldSBK FIM World Championship winning campaign, Kawasaki Factory Racing’s Jonathan Rea not only grasped his first victory at the Jerez circuit in the south of Spain but rode to his fifth double of the season. The famous Andalucía course staged the twelfth and penultimate round of the year and saw a relaxed triple world champ in mean form as Rea bagged two more chequered flags to take his ’17 haul to 14 from 24 and 22 podium appearances.
Typically sunny and bright conditions splashed WorldSBK for their last ‘daylight’ outing of the term and before the customary closer under the lights of Losail, Qatar in two weeks time. Rea came to the short and slick venue without a shiny track record. The 30 year old had excelled with testing speed at Jerez but was still short of spoils when it comes to podium-topping champagne.