Near Belfast, Ulster, Jonathan Rea and his family are currently in isolation and eagerly awaiting the return of racing. The Briton is aiming for a sixth consecutive World Superbike Championship title, as well as a second triumph at the Suzuka 8 Hours after last year.
Jonathan has won more races than anyone else in WSBK, set the most fastest laps, and holds the record for most titles. He only lacks one thing: the Superpole record.
“I have been riding better and better in Superpole in recent years. But we use special tires for qualifying, which is just a very fast lap” explained the five-time World Champion to Giacomo Ruben Martini of the Sports Gazette.
“For Superpole, you need a different configuration and I prefer the configuration to be more ready for a 22-lap race. If your bike is well tuned, you can do a good Superpole. But, in my opinion, you have to have a setup that also takes into account fuel consumption and tire wear… You have to find a balance.
“If we decided to focus our set-up only on Superpole, I'm sure I could do it, because its pace is a real adrenaline pump. But in recent years it was dominated first by Troy Corser and now it's Tom Sykes who holds the record. I tell you the truth, I don't care. Because you get points in the race and not in the Superpole. »
If you went back in time, who would you want to race against?
" Difficult question. The last race of Troy bayliss took place in Portimão in 2008 and I was doing Supersport, but the team gave me the chance to ride an SBK in the last race. So I was able to race with Troy. I would like to race Colin Edwards, and also Carl Fogarty because he dominated for many years. He had the same success as me, but in the 90s. That would be cool. »
“But I raced with great bikers, like Biaggi, Spies, Haga, Corser, Bayliss and then in Supersport with Andrew Pitt, Broc Parkes. During all these years of my youth, I was teammates with Carlos Checa, a very interesting guy who taught me a lot of things. Yes, I raced against strong people. »
“And then one thing I'm happy about is that I had the opportunity to race in MotoGP replacing Casey Stoner, and there I ran with Valentino Rossi, one of the greatest of all time, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo… I was very lucky. »
Speaking of MotoGP, in the races you've done in WSBK you've always been in the Top 10. Do you think Honda didn't believe in you enough or are you happy with the way things turned out? unfolded?
“I am very happy with the way things went, because I am a five-time World Champion. In my opinion, in MotoGP, to become champion, you have to evolve with a certain attitude, for example from Moto3 to Moto2. At the time I was a little annoyed because I couldn't take the opportunity and I never got the chance to do it again. »
“I have to live with that, but I'm also happy because when the door closed on MotoGP and Honda, I looked for new challenges and I found Kawasaki who were going fast in Superbike at the time: since I got used to this bike I have won titles with it starting in 2015. In my opinion everything happens for a reason and I am lucky to have found not only a great bike but also a fantastic group of people. »
“Here, I have everything: a great bike, the support of the factory. I am strong, the people around me are incredible, humanly speaking, but also intelligent. Finding a group like that in racing isn't easy, so I feel lucky. »
Do you think you could have won the title with other bikes?
“When I first rode a Honda in 2009-2010, it was a bike that had already won races and could have won the championship if I had been ready. I clearly wasn't ready, but as I got older the bike became less competitive. »
“In those years, there were the Yamaha, Aprilia, BMW, Kawasaki, Ducati factories of course… They were really solid motorcycles. Today, there is only the Ducati factory, which has a very fast motorcycle. Yamaha and Honda also have good bikes. I think if Aprilia were still racing in Superbike it could be very difficult for us. All the bikes I listed have potential, but like I said before, it's not enough to have a good bike, you need a complete package. »
Aren't we going to see you dominate like in recent years?
“I hope so, because the race at Phillip Island was a lot of fun. I made a stupid mistake trying to make a comeback in race 1, but Sunday went very well, I was one of the most competitive. Toprak was very strong, van der Mark and Yamaha took a step forward, Scott Redding did well on his Ducati after the year in BSB. My partner Alex arrived with a good team and a good bike. »
“We still don't understand the true potential of the Honda because it's a new bike. There are still many races left, the title could go to Álvaro, Toprak, Scott Redding, van der Mark… Who knows? The truth is that only one can win the championship and I will try to put all my experience and that of my team into it. I will try to be ready for when WSBK starts again. »
“I read that they announced a new calendar from July, Dorna is working with the circuits to make changes and adapt to the situation, so we will see. I want to race, I want a real championship with ten, eleven, twelve races if we can do it. We will see, the important thing now is to fight the virus and protect the most vulnerable people and stay safe. »
In recent days you should have started testing for the Suzuka 8 Hours. But you didn't go because there were problems in Japan. Will this race take place?
“We are getting ready to leave, it should be mid-July, a week earlier than last year. Like in SBK, we have to be careful about the virus and the schedule, but we are preparing as if we have to go. We have another test planned at Suzuka, I don't know when, but it is still planned. »
“The situation is evolving day by day. Last week in Japan, everyone was at work, this week it's already like in Europe, with people staying at home. »
You always talk about Kawasaki as a big family. Do you plan to stay at Kawasaki until the end of your career or do you think you are looking for new challenges?
" Good question. I feel like a Kawasaki man now. My manager at Phillip Island has been talking to other teams, but only to assess the possibilities. I'm happy at Kawasaki, I feel like family and I feel lucky to ride with them because I won the first championship with them. »
“It's a perfect match and while it's always interesting to hear about other opportunities, I'm in love with this bike and this team and I want to continue and that goes for them too. »
“Now I don't want to get in trouble with my wife, but let's say it's like having a perfect wife, then when you're at the beach and there are lots of other beautiful women, it's always nice to peek, but in the end you love your wife and you will never leave her. That's a bit of history. »
Photos © Kawasaki, Rea Facebook
