Alvaro Bautista didn't let a curve ball from Mother Nature in the closing stages of the Catalunya WorldSBK Superpole Race check his momentum as he reeled off his tenth win in eleven races in Spain.

As is becoming customary for the runaway championship leader, Bautista got the hole-shot into Turn 1 from pole position and was never troubled thereafter, even if a smattering of rain in the closing stages served to mix things up.

Indeed, if rivals were hoping the change in the weather would give them a chance to get on terms with the Aruba.it Ducati rider, it proceeded to make things a rather more frantic among them instead with Jonathan Rea the big loser as he crashed out of a podium position on the final lap.

Prior to the late shake-up, the entertainment behind Bautista was being provided by a simmering battle for second between Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Rea.

Initially Rinaldi held the spot before being hunted down by Razgatlioglu, the Turk again having to pick his way up the order from ninth on the grid.

With Razgatlioglu getting the better of Rea on lap three for third, he got the better of Rinaldi a lap later. However, with Bautista now 1.5secs up the road, Razgatlioglu - on the softest front tyre - found himself coming under renewed pressure from Rinaldi, who struck back on lap eight just as the heavens began to open.

Though not heavy, it was rain for some riders to urge more caution, thus allowing the group of three to swell to include Alex Lowes on the penultimate lap, before the chasing pack joined on coming into the final lap to make it a group of eight jostling for position.

At this stage it was Rea who was back on the move, who made the most of Razgatlioglu and Rinaldi's little tussle to get third from the Italian before nudging his way through on his Yamaha foe for second coming into Turn 10.

However, with Razgatlioglu lining up a pass for second again coming down to Turn 1 for the final time, the front-end of Rea's Kawasaki folded under braking and he came down, skating far into the gravel trap and out of the race.

With his exit distracting those directly behind him, it was a dog fight over the remaining corners to pick up the pieces.

Up front, Bautista took things cautiously to protect his lead through the final lap to collect yet another win, with Razgatlioglu surviving in second place.

With Rinaldi and Lowes losing momentum, Andrea Locatelli emerged through the melee to collect third place, via a physical scrap with Iker Lecuona, the Honda rider coming alive in the closing stages but just missing out on a first podium of the season in fourth.

Lowes held on for fifth place, ahead of Dominique Aegerter, the Swiss rider unable to make his front row start count in sixth, while a lively Garrett Gerloff - clearly revelling in the mixed conditions - came on strong to collect seventh on the Bonovo BMW.

Rinaldi, having been second with two laps to go, slid down the order in the sketchy weather to cross the line a disgruntled eighth, with Xavi Vierge recovering to collect the final point after Remy Gardner also retired on the final lap.

Just outside the points, Rinaldi's race one sparring partner Axel Bassani could only manage tenth this time, ahead of Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding.

WorldSBK Catalunya - Superpole Race Results