Alvaro Bautista edged Jonathan Rea to make it a Sunday full of silverware at WSBK Phillip Island on Sunday.
Bautista, who won the sprint race earlier after an inspired decision to race on slick tyres in damp conditions, won the WSBK's final race of the year under red flags.
There was drama from the opening lap, with Garrett Gerloff and Xavi Vierge going off in identical fashion at turn two.
At the head of the race, Jonathan Rea and a charging Scott Redding had managed to overtake Bautista, who dropped to fourth at one point.
The pace increased and Redding could not hang at the front anymore, allowing Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu through to pursue Rea. Bautista then set the fastest lap of the race on lap 7 while overtaking Rea.
The trio that has provided most of the entertainment for the season scampered off into the distance, with Bautista eking out a decent lead.
But mistakes from the 2022 champion on lap 10 and 11 allowed Rea to get within striking distance. Behind the Kawasaki rider, Razgatlioglu dropped his pace and a flying Alex Lowes swept passed him with eight laps left.
Rea remained glued to the back of a defending Bautista, setting the scene for a thrilling battle in the closing stages. But the show was canceled after a heavy crash involving Eugene Laverty and Xavi Fores at Turn 1, prompting red flags. As the incident took place on lap 18 of 22, two-thirds distance had been completed so a result was declared, handing Ducati rider Bautista his 16th win of 2022.
Race 2 results:
1 Alvaro Bautista ESP Aruba.it - Ducati 17 laps
2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.357s
3 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +1 Sector
4 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha with Brixx +1 Sector
5 Andrea Locatelli ITA Pata Yamaha with Brixx +2 Sectorss
6 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad Team +2 Sectors
7 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.it - Ducati +2 Sectors
8 Philipp Oettl GER Team Goeleven +2 Sectors
9 Tetsuta Nagashima JPN Team HRC +2 Sectorss
10 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +3 Sectors
11 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +3 Sectors
12 Michael Van Der Mark NED BMW Motorrad Team +3 Sectors
13 Lucas Mahias FRA Kawasaki Puccetti +4 Sectors
14 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Verdnatura +4 Sectors
15 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Racing Honda Team +4 Sectors
16 Kohta Nozane JPN GYTR GRT Yamaha Team +4 Sectors
17 Hafizh Syahrin MAS MIE Racing Honda Team +4 Sectors
18 Kyle Smith GBR Pedercini Racing +6 Sectors
Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW DNF
Xavi Fores ESP BARNI Spark Racing Team DNF
Xavi Vierge ESP Team HRC DNF
Garrett Gerloff USA GYTR GRT Yamaha Team DNF