Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes sign the finale of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship with podiums, which ended with two races at the Phillip Island race-track on Sunday, November 20, in which Rea achieved two podiums and his teammate, Lowes, ensured a top three finish in Race Two.
The riders entered the last round of the 2022 WorldSBK season calendar still remembering the extreme heat they had to endure last weekend in Indonesia. Precisely, the secret on Friday was to find a good set-up that would suit the much cooler, but constantly dry conditions that they found at Phillip Island. Going into the action at the circuit, Jonathan Rea proved to be the quickest rider, in both FP1 and FP2, with Alex Lowes fourth in the morning and third in the afternoon.
As of Saturday, the intermittent rains arrived at the circuit, with which the riders had to learn to deal. After a thrilling qualifying session, in which Rea finished second and Lowes third, both riders started from the front row on a track that was completely wet. Everyone but one rider opted for wet tire options. However, when the track dried up and the sun came out, they started going through pitlane to fit slick tires.
Rea wanted to make the most of the last opportunity of the year and, after a bit of a scare on a wet section of asphalt, he rode with a cool head and at a fast pace for most of the race. Toprak Razgatlioglu was pressing from second position, but Jonathan managed the times and rhythms very well, finally crossing the finish line six seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Alex, for his part, also proved capable of maintaining a strong pace in dry conditions at the end of the race. Finally, the British rider achieved his third podium of the season.
The changeable weather on Sunday again presented a challenge in the ten-lap Tissot Superpole race that started wet but quickly dried up. Rea started strong, and looked ready to fight for a win, running ahead of Razgatlioglu. However, when the track dried up, the slick tire option chosen by Álvaro Bautista carried him to victory. Rea was just 0.043 seconds behind the Turk when he crossed the flag, securing third position.
In Race Two, Jonathan led for five laps, until Bautista passed him. Rea stayed waiting to attack during the last laps and, thus, be able to obtain the last victory of the season. Ultimately, Jonathan had to settle for second in what was ultimately a 17-lap race.
Lowes confidently ran with the lead pack in both races, eventually finishing fourth in Superpole. In Race Two, he was able to overtake Razgatlioglu, taking third place when the red flag was shown after an accident between two drivers abruptly ended the race and consequently the season.
In the final standings of the championship, Jonathan Rea finished in third position overall with 502 points, just 27 behind second place Razgatlioglu. Alex, for his part, finishes sixth, with 272 points, just two points shy of a top-five finish. Congratulations to both!
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