The Briton Jonathan Rea has put under his control and with the complicity of his Kawasaki a WSBK category which is said to be less posh than MotoGP. In absolute terms, this is probably not wrong, even if comparing what is different is always a challenge. But when you manage to achieve six titles in a row and claim 99 victories under your belt, you are out of the ordinary. The chief engineer of the Northern Irishman Pere Riba says what he thinks of his pilot and cannot hide a feeling of injustice…
Jonathan Rhea crushes with its domination WSBK and yet, it still seems to suffer from a lack of legitimacy among the world's elite of drivers. The fault of a freelancer in 2012 on the Honda Repsol temporarily left by Casey Stoner. An escapade among the elite of the Grands Prix which nevertheless went very honorably, with two results in the top 8 at the end of a total discovery. From the prototype machine, to the brakes and tires, everything was uncharted territory. And we will recall that the same Sale then jumped from the RC213V to his WSBK CBR from one weekend to the next…
More Sale did not convince HRC and he left for Kawasaki, who is certainly not complaining! “ People often talk about how he was in the two races he did in MotoGP. He didn't crash then, despite pressure from Honda. It was wet in testing, but still achieved excellent results », comments Riba pears.
« Of course he didn't win. People who expected this are stupid and don't understand sports ", said the team leader of the World Superbike champion in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com. " He achieved excellent results. In MotoGP it is difficult to get the most out of the package ».
« It takes more time. The tires are more special and it's a prototype where you have to put everything together, which is really difficult. That takes time ", remember Fish. As Like Sale never had a good offer from the MotoGP paddock, he decided to continue his career in the Superbike World Championship.
Riba: “Rea has a very sensitive sensor”
The question of what Sale would have achieved in MotoGP will never find an answer. But Fish has his idea on the question: “ if Jonathan had moved to MotoGP two or three years ago, had a good contract with a good team, he would have been up front too. I know it. When it comes to the little details, Jonathan is impressive » comments the Spaniard. “ It's clear in the first round of a session , Note Fish and explains: “ he has a very sensitive sensor which with his skills makes him run crazy lap times in the first lap ».
« In difficult conditions he is three or four seconds faster than all the other drivers. It's really hard to get it right. But in such situations, the pilot's skills show themselves », explains the team leader Kawasaki.
« Johnny now communicates with his motorcycle as with a friend. It's a very close relationship. He understands everything very quickly. This is the first point. The second point is his natural abilities. His abilities are absolutely impressive. Jonathan is in my eyes one of the five best riders in the world, even if you count MotoGP » assures Pere Riba who will do it again with Sale in 2021 to win a seventh consecutive title...
