Former World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes put on a masterclass to win the opening race at Misano this morning, leading from the run into turn one until the chequered flag 21 laps later while team-mate and series leader Jonathan Rea had a scrap on his hands for second.
Sykes was untouchable from the moment the lights went out and pulled out an immediate gap over Davide Giugliano, Leon Haslam and Max Biaggi while Rea sat in fifth from his second-row grid slot.
Rea found his way past Biaggi in short order and then had to deal with Haslam for third while Chaz Davies, on the second works Ducati, blasted through the pack to get right on the heels of the Kawasaki man.
With 15 laps to go, Haslam looked like he was holding up Rea but the Castletown resident found a way past and then got his own hammer down to try and reel in Giugliano as the Italian began to have rear grip problems.
At the front, Sykes was slowly increasing his gap to 1.8s at the halfway point as Davies and Haslam scrapped it out for fourth place. The Welshman finally found a way past at turn eight on lap seven after swapping paint and set off after Rea.
Davies caught and passed Rea with six laps left as Rea had taken a gamble on a harder rear tyre than the rest of the pack. The Irishman sat behind Davies to see where he was strong and re-passed him two laps later.
Rea, who will change to the softer Pirelli for race two, took some time to reel in Giugliano and was a second a lap faster with four laps to go. He managed to find a way past on the penultimate lap and Davies tried to follow him through, but Giugliano was having none of it.
Sykes went into the last lap with a 3.6s lead which he held to the line. Davies put in a last-corner effort to pass Rea but ran wide and had to settle for the final podium spot.
Giugliano took fourth place with Haslam fending off a charging Biaggi to keep fifth place safe from the Roman Emperor. Ayrton Badovini came through for seventh with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro eighth.
Sylvain Guintoli was ninth, one ahead of Pata Honda team-mate Michael Van Der Mark in tenth and Tati Mercardo completing. Alex Lowes headed Leon Camier for 12th and 13th.
