The first Superbike World Championship weekend with Yamaha does not start as Jonathan Rea had imagined. After a disappointing free practice session at Phillip Island, the Northern Irish driver was visibly frustrated. After his first test with the Yamaha R1, Rea was optimistic, but the results of the test at Phillip Island and the free practice sessions this Friday were a disillusionment. He expressed his disappointment, saying he had a fundamental problem with the bike that he couldn't solve. Which is reminiscent of someone from the Iwata brand competing in MotoGP.
« I have a big fundamental problem with the bike that I can't seem to get rid of. We worked on the different parts as a team to eliminate this problem. As things currently stand, this is unacceptable. Something is wrong ". This was Jonathan Rea's rather lapidary reaction at the end of this Superbike Friday in Australia.
Jonathan Rhea was rather cryptic about the details of the problem, stating that he had been advised not to say too much: " I was told I wasn't allowed to say much “, declared the 37-year-old pilot. “ This frustrates me too, I wish I could tell you the whole story. It was a difficult day, one of the most difficult ».
His team boss, Paul Denning, mentioned unidentifiable vibrations on Rea's bike, to which the latter responded somewhat casually: " if Paul says that's the problem, then that's the problem ».
However, he expressed his confidence in his team to find a solution: “ I have confidence in my guys and they will understand what is happening. This is not how I dreamed of the first event with Yamaha in the World Superbike Championship ».
Jonathan Rea: “ we know there are big problems but i was told i wasn't allowed to say much »
Despite his experience with Kawasaki, Sale recognizes that moving to a new team, new bike and new crew chief presents additional challenges. He also emphasizes that he must adapt to the Yamaha R1 and vice versa. Sale however, remains optimistic about the team's ability to overcome these difficulties: “ the team is made up of fantastic people, the atmosphere is great. Today, no one got angry, even in the face of our problems. We know there are big problems. On top of that, I'm still not driving the R1 in the best possible way. I need to improve. At the same time, the bike has to accommodate me enough so that I can exploit my strengths ».
He adds on speedweek : " the first time I sat on this bike I was pretty fast from the second lap. Not incredibly fast, but fast. I always feel like I have to put my mark on the bike. I have no doubt that we will put everything together and get the bike where we want it to be ».
The contrast with his teammate, who was fast from the start, is particularly difficult to accept for Jonathan Rhea. He admitted that if the issues are not resolved before the races, it could be one of the toughest events of his career: “ what makes me positive is that my teammate is surprisingly fast. And not just on one lap, but consistently. It's taking me longer than expected to realize the potential. If we fail to identify problems before races, then these will be the hardest races of my life ».
WSBK Phillip Island J1: times
