Rea crashes on lap one as Van der Mark takes win

Jonathan Rea crashed out on the first lap of Saturday's opening World Superbike race of the weekend at Magny-Cours, as Michael van der Mark went on to claim victory on a saturated track on his BMW.

Rea and Italian Nicolo Bulega both fell off at the same corner in separate incidents in damp conditions on lap one, before heavy rain made conditions even more treacherous for the remainder of the race at the French circuit.

The lead changed hands several times as the riders came into the pits to have full wet tyres fitted, with polesitter Alex Lowes hitting the front before he also slipped off in the greasy conditions with 11 laps to go.

That allowed Dutchman Van der Mark to assume a lead that he would hold until the end of the race, to win from defending champion Alvaro Bautista and Danilo Petrucci.

Series leader Toprak Razgatlioglu had won the previous 13 races in the championship, a record sequence, but is unable to compete this weekend after being involved in a heavy spill during practice on Friday.

He was treated at the medical centre, where he was diagnosed with a back contusion and was subsequently declared unfit to race after undergoing hospital checks.

Van der Mark's margin of victory at the front was 8.3 seconds, with Ducati-mounted Bautista having a further 16 seconds to spare over Petrucci at the chequered flag.

England's Scott Redding finished fourth, ahead of Andrea Iannone and Xavi Vierge as several other riders fell off on the soaked track.

Razgatlioglu leads the standings on 365 points, followed by Bulega on 273, Bautista on 243 and Lowes with 213.

Rea remains 10th overall with 86 points and just one podium finish to show for his efforts so far this season, that coming in the Superpole race in the UK round at Donington in July.

The latest Superpole race will be staged on Sunday at 10:00 BST, followed by the second feature race at 14:30.

Four further rounds will be held over six weeks to bring the 2024 championship to a conclusion.