Image: Supplied.

Reigning world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) have split victories in Sunday’s racing at Laguna Seca for round nine of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).

Four-time champion Rea charged to an impressive win in the Superpole race of Davies, clearing the British ace by 2.533s while Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) locked out the top three.

The top five was completed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team), as former points Alvaro Bautista retired with a shoulder injury.

In race two, Davies claimed an impressive season-first triumph, and his first-ever aboard the Panigale V4 R. He defeated Rea by 3.333s, as Razgatlioglu completed the rostrum. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) and Sykes were fourth and fifth respectively, while Bautista was once again forced to retire with injury.

Rea now leads Bautista by 81 points in the championship rankings as the WorldSBK heads to Portimao in Portugal on 6-8 September.

Detailed results