Two podiums for Rea in Most

After the first two free practice sessions at a hot and dry Autodrom Most race track in the Czech Republic, riders Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes finished fifth and eighth respectively in the combined times on Friday 29 July.

Jonathan Rea set his best time in the morning session and continued to ride on the same tire in the afternoon, while other changes to the bike's set-up were evaluated.

For his part, Lowes exceeded his best time in the second free practice session despite not being in full physical performance due to a feverish state, unrelated to the covid virus.

The two riders agreed on the notable improvement in the state of the asphalt, having carried out some reform in part of the circuit. These track maintenance actions led to a reduction in the times obtained per lap compared to last year.

The opening race on Saturday the 30th of the World Superbike Championship saw Jonathan Rea ride inside the podium positions for all but three laps, eventually finishing fourth. Alex Lowes achieved the ninth position.

In the opening stages of the 22-lap Superpole, Rea battled for the lead but the ultimate winner was Álvaro Bautista. Rea lost his last chance for a podium finish after an epic batle with Scott Redding on the final lap.

Alex Lowes was on course for a top seven finish until the final two laps, when his intestinal infection affected his overall fitness and he dropped two places. Still, he scored a lot of points in the championship after showing grit and determination.

In Sunday morning's ten-lap Superpole, Rea had an entertaining battle at the front with eventual winner Toprak Razgaltioglu. As the two traded for the lead on the final lap, a final overtaking attempt by Rea saw him pass Razgatlioglu on the inside, but he had to swerve and eventually went into the gravel area. He rejoined the race in second position, getting on the podium ahead of championship leader Álvaro Bautista.

Lowes made the decision to run, suffering a fall in the first race on July 31 that caused him to abandon.

In the second 22-lap race, Rea was once again at the center of the action. After overtaking several riders attempting to make it to podium positions in the opening laps, the race turned into an exciting three-way battle between the top three championship contenders.

Rea managed to lead the way across the finish line on two different occasions, but at the end of an intense race he finished in third position.