It was by fa🥃r the longest that Rea - a six-time world champion withꦰ a record 118 wins to his name heading into the event - has ever waited to taste victory during a WorldSBK season.

The breakth🔯rough came when Rea and Kawasaki grabbed the opportunity posed by pr꧂e-race rain.

Although wet tyre riders filled the top four pl⛎aces in the early stages Rea, in fifth, was in a class of his own compared to the others on intermediates.

When the drying track then forced the wet tyre r🧜iders to pit, Rea was left 12 seconds clear of the field.

Although Top🎐rak Razgatlioglu, also on intermediates but just 13th in the early stages, put on a determined late꧂ charge, Rea was still four seconds clear of the Yamaha star at the chequered flag.

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"I knew sat on the grid that it was a good opportunity for us to try to push for a race win,” Rea, absent from 🎃the top step of the podium for 252 days, told WorldSBK.com.

“I made a good start and was there wi🀅th the guys on wet tyres and from then on I🌳 knew intermediates were the right choice.

“The gap 🅷in the middle of the race was quite b💖ig to Toprak in the others, but after the bike started moving a lot because the set-up was quite soft to take benefit in the beginning.

“So it was about managing the bike anꦿ🌌d tyres using my pit board.

"It’s a nice present to my team and crew for all the hard work...This win will give us a ni𝓀ce feeling tonigh♋t but we’re still not in a position to fight for wins in normal conditions.

"We need to be realistic. But we’ll take this win, be proud of it and keep working to try to b💖e at t꧅he front week in, week out.”

Rea, who qualified si𝔉xth🔯 in Superpole, has now taken third in the world championship from Andrea Locatelli.