Jonathan Rea clinches runner-up spot in Superpole race on back of first World Superbike victory of season

The Northern Ireland rider secured his 119th career triumph after an intermediate tyre gamble paid off on a drying track in race one, with Rea closing out the win by four seconds from Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu.

It was a welcome return to the top step for the six-time champion, who was back to winning ways on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR for the first time since the final round at Phillip Island in Australia last November.

The 36-year-old went into round eight in the Czech Republic aiming to maintain his run of podium finishes after Rea twice finished in the top three at Donington Park and Imola.

His win on Saturday moved him into third in the standings ahead of Pata Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli and Rea put more daylight between himself and the Italian in Sunday’s Superpole race.

Turkey’s Razgatlioglu – who will make the switch to the factory BMW team in 2024 – won the 10-lap Sprint encounter at Most by 1.2s from Rea, with championship leader Alvaro Bautista sealing the final rostrum place on the Aruba.it Ducati after catching and passing Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) on the final lap.

Bautista’s team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi was fifth ahead of Aussie Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha), with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Ducati) the top eight.

Ulsterman Rea has been linked with a move to the Pata Yamaha team next season as a replacement for the outgoing Razgatlioglu, but in a pre-race press conference at Most, he said the speculation was “rumours and stories”.

Rea’s current two-year contract with Kawasaki runs until the end of the 2024 season.

Race two on Sunday take place at 13:00 BST before the championship enters the summer break, resuming again at Magny-Cours in France from September 8-10.