World champion Jonathan Rea eased to a second Jerez World Superbike win in a red-flagged race two to wrap up the manufacturers’ championship for Kawasaki.
Michael van der Mark jumped Yamaha team-mate Alex Lowes at the start, while Rea made his way from ninth on the grid to fourth by the second corner.
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Chaz Davies was also making progress from eighth when he collided with Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty at Turn 2. The Ducati rider was able to rejoin, but left gravel strewn across circuit.
The red flag was flown as a result, offering Davies and Laverty a chance to get their stricken machines fixed and restart from their original grid slots – though Laverty had to start from pitlane due to a late technical issue.
At the restart, van der Mark shot into the lead again, while Rea was once more running fourth ahead of Davies and Tom Sykes.
Rea carved his way through on Sylvain Guintoli and the Yamaha duo on the first lap, though van der Mark retaliated into the first corner. The world champion made a move stick at Pons and immediately pulled away.
Van der Mark soon found himself under intense pressure from the Ducati duo of Davies and Marco Melandri.
Davies eased through on van der Mark, but the Italian – who made slight contact with the Dutchman at Pons on lap six – continuously outbraked himself and allowed the Yamaha rider hold onto third.
Melandri eventually muscled through at the Nieto corner, while van der Mark slipped behind team-mate Lowes briefly after running wide to avoid the incoming Ducati rider.
Once clear, Melandri was able to close down Davies and overhaul the Welshman with a late lunge into the first corner to claim second.
Some 2.7 seconds up the road Rea crossed the line to complete the double at Jerez and secure the 2017 manufacturers’ title for Kawasaki to complete the Japanese marque’s treble crown.
Davies completed the podium to move into second in the championship ahead of fifth-placed Tom Sykes, the pair now equal on points heading to the final round in Qatar next month.
Lowes split Sykes and Davies in fourth spot, while van der Mark completed the top six ahead of Xavi Fores, who held Guintoli and Leandro Mercado at bay for seventh.
Althea BMW’s Jordi Torres edged Roman Ramos to 10th, with Leon Camier once again finishing 12th on his MV Agusta. Raffaele De Rosi, Alessandro Andreozzi and Takumi Takahashi took the remaining points.
Takahashi‘s Honda team-mate Davide Giugliano pulled into pitlane early in the race with an issue, and was awarded a ride-through penalty for speeding in the pits when he returned to track.
The Italian finished a lap down in 17th behind Ricardo Russo, while Lorenzo Savadori recovered from a crash on lap one to finish 18th. Team-mate Laverty capped off a dismal day for Milwaukee Aprilia with a DNF.
