A day of records for Rea, who regains the lead of the championship

The Kawasaki rider had a full Saturday, marked by a new record during the Superpole, before becoming the first rider to win 13 times on a given circuit.

After two rounds during which he had somewhat given way to the competition, Jonathan Rhea finally managed to put things back in order during the first race this weekend at the Assen circuit. In Misano, the Kawasaki rider had to submit to the law of Michael Ruben Rinaldi, intractable on Ducati land and author of two victories, while in Donington it was the turn of Toprak Razgatlioglu to manhandle the six-time World Champion.

With much more significant repercussions in this second case in the championship, the Turkish driver taking the lead in the general standings. Certainly, the second third of the season has only just begun and the Yamaha rider's lead was only two small points at the start of the weekend, but the symbolism was strong enough to force Rea to react as quickly as possible. time limit.

New record during the Superpole

It was done today, with the obtaining of a new Superpole in the morning (a constant this year, the number 1 remaining undefeated in the exercise since the start of the season), with a new record as a bonus and a time of 1'33.842.

However, it could have been different if Rea had not shown the temerity to go for this best time, his first attempt, already impressive, having been invalidated because it was carried out in the presence of the yellow flags. “ During the Superpole, I had the feeling that my best lap was going to be canceled because I had actually seen a flag yellow,” explained the person concerned afterwards. " When I returned to the garage, I could see that my times were still there, but to be prepared for any eventuality I preferred to put on a new qualifying tire and set out again to chase the times. »

Well done, the Kawasaki rider placed himself ideally for Race 1. The latter was also fiercely disputed, at least in its first part, Rea having to contain the attacks of Razgatlioglu and Scott Redding.

Only for a moment as the interest at the end of the race finally refocused on a duel between these two drivers, leaving Rea complete freedom to make the gap. “ I think we managed to win thanks to our perseverance: I just never gave up pressure,” Rea continues. " I I could see on the boards that my gap was fluctuating with Toprak [Razgatlioglu] and Scott [Redding]. I knew that if I let these guys get too close, then it would be difficult to escape. Subsequently I was able to benefit from a clear track, and I tried to make the best of the situation, not to make any mistakes and to open up a small gap. But I had to stay focused and not relax, because they were in their own battle and they were attacking hard. If I hadn't done that they would have come back Me. »

This was not the case, and Rea was thus able to secure his sixth victory of the season, at the same time regaining the lead of the championship by seven points ahead of Razgatlioglu. This new success also constitutes an important milestone in the relationship between the Briton and Kawasaki, since it is his 90th victory for the Japanese manufacturer.

13, a lucky number?

Not to mention this new record: Thanks to his victory today, Rea becomes the first driver to win 13 times, sorry, on a given circuit, thus beating Carl Fogarty and his 12 victories within the Cathedral of Assen. A statistic that does not leave the winner of the day indifferent: “I I'm very proud, but I also feel old [laughs]! I'm truly privileged in my situation: I have a good bike at my disposal, a great team, and I'm riding at my best level. So I'm very proud, and I'm looking forward to trying to increase that total a little bit more tomorrow. »

Rea will in fact have two new cartridges to increase his total victories in the Netherlands tomorrow, during the Superpole Race then Race 2. There is no doubt that his opponents, Razgatlioglu in the lead, will have the idea of to prevent the Kawasaki rider from doing it again.