Jonathan Rea doesn't seem to have good memories of his Honda period. Not so long ago, however, it was the brand that all racing drivers dreamed of. It has since become the manufacturer you are happy to leave and generally less fit than when you joined. Alex Marquez and Pol Espargaró, for example, do not hide their relief at having escaped the RC213V. But we have to believe that in WSBK, this can also be the case, if we listen closely to Jonathan Rea's last intervention...
Jonathan Rea is a legend in the category reserved for production motorcycles, simply because he won six consecutive world titles there. A track record built on Kawasaki but the Northern Irishman first made his reputation with Honda. In 2023, he will begin his ninth season under the colors of Akashi's firm, and he hopes that it will be that of a seventh crown. His contract with Ninja will end at the end of 2024, and already 36 years, the specter of retirement begins to revolve around him…
The rival of Toprak Razgatlioglu and D'Alvaro Bautista is well aware that this will soon be a crossroads, and he sees the deadline as follows: “ I don't need to run for the rest of my life » he assures speedweek. " Financially, I am well assured, I have a good life outside of racing. I love my time on the bike, I love the competition. It will also depend on Kawasaki's ideas. After this I can think about retiring ».
Jonathan Rea: “ If I had to sit on the couch with my wife all day we would end up getting divorced«
He adds : “I'm going to ask Kawasaki if there is a job for me in the company after the race. As a test pilot, as an ambassador, in team management, whatever. If I had to sit on the couch with my wife all day, we would end up divorced. I must have something for me too. I will probably need a year after retirement to think about my future. Maybe we'll go to Australia ».
Then comes this question: could he envisage this other life outside of Kawasaki, with another coat of arms? The response of Jonathan Rhea fuses: “ Not for the moment. Most of my fond career memories come from my Kawasaki days ". And he ends with this sentence: “ the time spent at Honda tired me ».
