Jonathan Rea claims wet race one victory at Misano

Updated 22/06/2019 at 16:44 GMT

Northern Ireland's Jonathan Rea cut Alvaro Bautista's lead in the World Superbikes championship after a win in the first race at Misano.

Jonathan Rea

Image credit: Getty Images

In a race beset by heavy rain and thunderstorms, Rea triumphed despite the action being held up twice due to the poor weather.

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There were two delays from red flags at the start of the race in Italy, and both Rea and Alex Lowes - driving for Pata Yamaha - pulled away from the rest of the pack in the early stages.

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Lowes pushed Rea for the lead, but his aggression was to be his downfall. Making his move on Rea on lap nine, he slipped at turn 12 to end his chances of a win.

Tom Sykes moved into second place, but Rea was able to pull out unchallenged to establish a lead of five seconds going into the last lap of the race.

The rain then intensified to add some potential late drama, but Rea sensibly managed the final stages to allow Sykes to finish just over three seconds behind him.

Championship leader Bautista finished in third, with the Racing Ducati man 32 points ahead in the overall championship.

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