Rea wins record third straight Superbikes title

Jonathan Rea has made history by becoming the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbikes titles.

He did it with five races to spare, as he won Race 1 at Magny-Cours.

The Ballyclare man's 12th victory of the season means he cannot be caught, holding a 129-point leader over nearest rival Tom Sykes.

Rea had told UTV's Ruth Gorman he wanted to tie-up the championship with a win and he did so in fine style, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Ducati's Marco Melandri.

He will now hope to add further gloss to his championship success, by coming out on top in tomorrow's race.

In rainy conditions, Rea dominated from early on, as he had all weekend.

Earlier in the day, during the qualifying session, Rea had come off the track, but recovered to take pole position.

He had been similarly imperious during both of Friday's practice sessions.