World Superbikes: Toprak Razgatlioglu wins race one from Jonathan Rea at Donington

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Toprak Razgatlioglu secured his second win of 2021 on Saturday

Toprak Razgatlioglu won race one at the World Superbike round at Donington to reduce runner-up Jonathan Rea's championship lead to 15 points.

The Yamaha rider produced a superlative ride to come from 13th on the grid to take his second victory of the season by 2.4 seconds after 23 laps.

Polesitter Rea led early on but his Turkish rival stormed through the field and overtook the six-time champion.

Rea's Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes won a thrilling battle for third place.

Englishman Lowes claimed the final podium place, 10 seconds behind Rea, by seeing off the challenge of compatriot Tom Sykes, with Michael van der Mark and Leon Haslam completing the top six.

Northern Irishman Rea had raced to a fourth consecutive pole position of the 2021 series in a wet Superpole session but by the time the race started the track was damp but drying.

The defending champion, a treble winner at the Leicestershire circuit in 2019, led off the line but behind him Razgatlioglu was blasting his way up to fifth by Turn One.

The eventual winner, who started from the fifth row of the grid, was up to second spot by the end of the first lap and then hit the front by overtaking Rea on lap two.

Rea produced a couple of incredible saves to stay on his bike as he tried to make up ground and regain the lead in tricky conditions but his rival was able to control affairs from the front and maintain a steady advantage.

Aruba Ducati rider Scott Redding crashed out, with American Garrett Gerloff also sliding off while lying third, before remounting to come home in seventh position.

The Superpole sprint race will take place on Sunday morning (11:00 BST), followed by the second feature race at 14:00.