Jonathan Rea crashes out in final World Superbike race of weekend at Assen as Alvaro Bautista completes treble

It was a disappointing end to the third round of the series for Kawasaki rider Rea, who finished second in Saturday’s first race and again sealed the runner-up spot in the Superpole race for a much-needed haul of points.

The Northern Ireland rider was able to pressure Bautista in both races time before the reigning champion eventually opened a gap towards the end on the Aruba.it Ducati.

Rea was again fighting for the win in the final race when he crashed out at Turn 9, leaving Bautista clear as the Spaniard went on to claim his 40th career victory.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, third in the first two races on the Pata Yamaha, came home in second place, 3.9s behind Bautista, with Razgatlioglu’s team-mate Andrea Locatelli completing the top three.

After three rounds, six-time champion Rea – fifth in the standings – is now 101 points behind Bautista, who has a 56-point lead over Razgatlioglu in second, with Locatelli 14 points further back in third.

Bautista has won all eight races he has finished this season, with his only blemish a crash in the Superpole race in Indonesia.

The 38-year-old and the Ducati V4R have proved a match made in heaven and even at this very early stage in the championship, Bautista appears to be in total control, with Rea or Razgatlioglu seemingly unable to land a blow.

Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter finished fourth on the GRT Yamaha ahead of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) and Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha).

Bassani was hit with a one-place penalty for exceeding the track limits on the final lap.

Dutchman Michael van der Mark suffered a massive high-side at his home round on the factory BMW, while Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), Kawasaki’s Alex Lowes, rookie Bradley Ray (Motoxracing Yamaha) and Honda riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge were also among the fallers.