On the Andalusian track at Jerez de la Frontera, Northern Irish rider Jonathan Rea was crowned FIM Superbike World Champion with two rounds still left to race in the season while his team, Kawasaki racing, won the first Manufacturer Title in the history of the Akashi-based manufacturer in the factory derivative championship.
In Race 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki racing Team) got off the line well with the team champion Jonathan Rea right behind him, followed by Ducati rider Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing). In the third lap, Canepa crashed and was forced to give up several positions, whereas during the seventh lap Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team), who starting from the sixth spot on the grid, managed to move up into third place, passing Rea for second. Behind them in fourth and fifth place were Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team) and Michael Vd Mark (PATA Honda World Superbike Team).