Jonathan Rea has worked his way into the overall lead with his first race win of the 2018 World Superbike Championship in Thailand on Saturday, followed by a fourth on Sunday.

After setting the fastest lap in Superpole, with a new track best, the factory Kawasaki rider secured victory by a margin of 1.5 seconds after 20 intense laps.

He battled it out with team-mate Tom Sykes for the first couple of laps but then Rea established a lead that was not to be threatened.

Independent rider, Xavi Fores, finished runner-up.

Rea’s 40th race win in WorldSBK for Kawasaki, it was his first since new regulations came in to limit Kawasaki to a lower maximum rev ceiling than any of their four-cylinder rivals.

’There was a little bit of joy and relief in winning,’ he admitted. ’In Phillip Island, at the first round, mentally I was a little bit battered after I experienced sickness, injury and a really tough race one. So it was relief and joy to win here.

’I led by myself, setting my own rhythm. That was really difficult, especially in the heat, with no reference out in front. I put my head down for a few laps and managed things from there.’

Rea secured a strong finish after a challenging second race in hot conditions at the Chang International Circuit, following up his day win with a battling fourth place despite experiencing issues under braking.

’After a very difficult opening round, a first and a fourth here puts me in the championship lead, so it was not a disaster. This is the worst track for brakes.’

Round three is at Aragon, Spain, April 14-15.