Honda's Jonathan Rea has said today's Motorland Aragon World Superbike double header has left a bad taste in his mouth after he got tangled in a collision with Jakub Smrz in race one and had to settle for what he terms as an average weekend.

The Irishman had to gamble on tyres for race one as he hadn't done a simulation due to technical troubles but it lasted a couple of hundred yards when he went down in a crash with Czech rider Smrz so race two was a similar deal but his risk paid off as the tyre came back to him as the laps counted down and he bagged a fifth place.

"It’s been a tough day really, and I didn’t need what happened in race one when two riders came together at the start into turn one and I went down. I got back up and the bike was fit to go again so I thought it would be good to get some experience for race two for bike set-up. We made some changes between the races and that enabled me to challenge a bit better at the front," said the Isle of Man resident.

"At the beginning of the race the pace was OK for me but a few guys started to stretch and I couldn’t go with them. I belonged in the second group today, but I was fit to get back in to them and make some passes. The guys had set my bike up a little bit better for grip so, when the tyres went off, I seemed to have more grip than the others. I made my way back past and tried to get a bit of a gap for the last lap and finished fifth.

"For me it’s like an average result, especially here where we were prepared to take that. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth after I was a victim in race one. But anyway, everyone gets their fair share, and I’m looking forward now to the rest of the races. It’s nice to get out of here with at least some pace and after 50% of the race I was able to match the leading group but, while we can take positives, it’s been an average weekend."