Works Yamaha's Marco Melandri has won the final World Superbike race of the year at Portimao this afternoon with his rookie team-mate Eugene Laverty crossing the line in second and tying for third place in the title chase with former champion Max Biaggi but he goes back to fourth on the race wins rule.
Laverty led the race from lap two right through until his Melandri passed him with four laps to go. The young Irishman, who signed a two-year deal for Aprilia this morning, knew he had to finish ahead of Biaggi to claim third but the Castrol Honda of Jonathan Rea was trying his level best to spoil the party.
Rea had kept a watching brief after Melandri moved into the lead and put a move on Laverty with three laps to go but ran wide, allowing the Yamaha man back underneath. Two laps later, he made a move stick and, with Biaggi in seventh, Laverty would have remained in third.
However, the Irishman was having none of it and re-passed the man from Ballyclare across the start-finish line and ride a defensive final lap as girlfriend Pippa held her head in her hands. He took the second podium step by three-tenths of a second and Rea was the last man on the rostrum.
New champion Carlos Checa could do nothing about the pace of the front three but sat only a second off the pace to claim fourth despite a late charge by Liberty Ducati's Sylvain Guintoli.
Leon Camier also survived an attack by Alitalia Aprilia team-mate Biaggi to remain in sixth, eventually stretching his advantage to two seconds by the time they took the chequered flag. Joan Lascorz was first Kawasaki home eighth with Ayrton Badovini and Maxine Berger completing the top ten. Leon Haslam had a disastrous race, ending in 15th while Tom Sykes retired.
