Rea takes victory at Portimao

His win and fifth place in race one closes the gap to within one point of Loris Baz in third.

The 27-year-old East Antrim rider was never headed in the race, which was reduced from a scheduled 20 to 18 laps after rain fell on the 4.592km circuit.

The win marked Rea’s eighth podium at Portimao in the seven years that SBK has been visiting the circuit, but it was his first victory here.

Said Rea: “When I heard the rain on my motorhome roof as I watched a bit of the Tour de France ahead of race two, I started getting a little bit giddy and singing as I was getting changed! I knew that it was a chance for me.”

He added: “The track had started to dry out a bit and we were really suffering with corner exit but, although the conditions were a great leveler for all riders, it’s nice to take a win. I’d prefer to take it in the dry and we can’t get too excited because it’s a wet win; but we’ll take them any way we can and it’s 25 points not just for me but for the whole team.”