Scott Redding became WorldSBK's first race winner at the Navarra circuit ཧin Spain courtesy of a confident victory over Jonathan Rea in Saturday's opening encounter.

🙈Qualifying second on the grid, the En𓃲glishman snatched the advantage from the Kawasaki pole sitter into Turn 1, only for Rea to swiftly retaliate.

But the reigning six-time world champion couldn't break clear and Redding - newly confirmed as leaving Ducati for BMW at the end of this season - looked in♕creasingly threatening as he stalked the ZX-10 ahead.

Redding's winning overtake came in the form of a sl🦩ipstream along the home straight on lap 6 of 23, some moments for Rea helping the #45 pull a safe 2.5s advantage by the chequered flag.

"I've felt good all weekend. Got an amazing s🐬tart, which made things easier, then it wa🐼s just ticking laps off," Redding said.

"I didn’t have to over-ride, which is also a big thiꦑng in theseꦿ [hot] conditions.

"The bike was working well. Maybe there'sജ a 𒀰few small things we can improve but I don't want to lose anything either.

"The World Championship? I 🏅just w🌸ant to keep thinking race-by-race… Let's continue like this."

Redding's fourth victory of the season moves him to within 45 points of Rea and 38 from Yamaha's Toprak Razgatlioglu, who completed𝓀 the podium from eighth o🐬n the grid.

Further back, Ducati team-mate Michael Rinaldi finished in tenth place𒀰.

"It was a very 🅷tough race in w😼hich I didn't have the right feeling to be able to push," said the Italian.

"♛Unfortunately, since this morning we have encountered some diꦯfficulties that we have not been able to solve.

"The only thing we can🥀 do is continue to keep working being confident that we’ll find the right way to be competitive again".