Jonathan Rea has won the World Superbike Championship after a fourth-placed finish in the opening race at Jerez.

The 28-year-old needed to finish in the top nine to win the Championship after winning 12 races throughout the 2015 season.

The fourth-place finish has given Rea a 137-point lead, with just 125 points available in the remaining five races.

Rea also finished fourth in Sunday's second race and is the fifth Brit to hold the world title after Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Tom Sykes.

The final two rounds of the season take place in France and Qatar on October 4 and 18 respectively.