---
title: "Rea pips Sykes by 0.025s for Assen double"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/04/30/rea-pips-sykes-0-025s-assen-double/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "SBK"
published: "2017-04-30T11:52:04Z"
modified: "2017-04-30T11:52:26Z"
---

# Rea pips Sykes by 0.025s for Assen double

Championship leader Jonathan Rea celebrated his 200th race in style with his 13th career double, after the Kawasaki rider pipped team-mate Tom Sykes in an enthralling scrap.

Rea’s journey to a third consecutive world title took a huge boost after the first race when closest rival Chaz Davies dropped out on the final lap, giving him a 75-point advantage over the Ducati rider in fourth and a 59-point lead over second place.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/04/674829510.jpg)

Coming from ninth in race two, Rea carved his way through to fifth in the opening corners, and soon found his way past on Sykes for third. By the third lap, the Kawasaki rider had taken the lead away from Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty, whilst Davies was struggling to get through on pole man Xavi Fores on the Barni Ducati.

Once in the lead, Rea was able to clear off into the distance by over a second after a string of mid 1m35s laps, and by the ninth lap the book looked sealed on his seventh win of the season.

However, the Northern Irishman made a mistake exiting Turn 11 several laps later, allowing second-placed Sykes to within 0.3s. The Yorkshireman, still battling illness, put in a determined ride and kept his team-mate at arm’s length.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/04/674829494.jpg)

The pair ran line astern for the remaining half of the race, but Sykes could not find a way through. On the final lap, Rea took a defensive line into last chicane, compromising his run onto the straight. Sykes tried to duck underneath him, but was denied his first win of the year by just 0.025s.

Davies eventually passed Fores and kept a hard-charging Michael van der Mark behind him for a distant third, whilst compatriot Alex Lowes made his way from 15th on the grid to complete the top five ahead of MV Agusta’s Leon Camier.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/04/674817058.jpg)

Jordi Torres put the disappointment of Saturday’s race behind him to secure a decent seventh on his Althea BMW, with Laverty, Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl completing the top 10. Roman Ramos, Tati Mercado, Fores, Randy Krummenacher and Alex De Angelis rounded out the points paying positions.

Lorenzo Savadori ran at the front of the pack in the early stages after launching from second, but his charge was halted when he crashed at the fast Turn 7. He joined Riccardo Russo and Marco Melandri on the sidelines, both of whom also throwing their motorcycles at the scenery.

![](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/04/2017-04-30-1-1.png)