Without having been a long, quiet river, the career of Jonathan Rhea in the Superbike world championship seemed crystal clear from the moment when, in 2015, the Northern Irishman left Honda for Kawasaki, after 7 years spent on the Tokyo machines. Result, 6 world titles strung like pearls…
But nothing is eternal and, faced with the rise in power of Toprak Razgatlioğlu and the arrival ofAlvaro Bautista, as well as a balancing regulation by definition with variable geometry, the Briton had to settle for 2nd place in 2021 and 3rd last year. Today, at 32, he is still part of the trio of aces or Titans but, after the winter tests, it also seems that number 65 will still have to spit in his hands to contain the desires of the new players. suitors, let them be called Michael Rinaldi ou Andrea Locatelli.
However, Jonathan Rhea is still there, and after having had to bow to Álvaro Baptist for 9 thousandths during the test in Portimão, the six-time world champion diligently resumed his studies during the first official 2023 test at Phillip Island, alternating comparative tests with his Ninja ZX-10RR newly motorized and the race simulations to study the wear of the rear tire, a subject which always remains a puzzle during 22 laps on the very abrasive Australian track.
At the end of this test finished in 5th place, Jonathan Rhea was, however, confident about the race weekend, setting the podium as his objective: “ Today we tried a 2022 spec bike versus the 2023 spec bike in the afternoon session. There are positives and negatives in both cases, but I preferred to stick with the 2023 bike. Unfortunately, while doing a race simulation, around the 14th lap, I got caught out in the fourth corner . The wind was blowing in gusts, it was coming from the sea, there was a lot of dirt on the track, and, clearly, I was attacking at the limit. I had very positive feelings during this long run and I was able to stay within 1'31 per lap. This pace is the one I need to have to fight for the podium. After that we tried the SC0 rear tire because Pirelli asked me to do a longer run to evaluate how it would perform in the Superpole race. Our tire performance has been good and from an electronics point of view I'm really happy with the progress we've made as a team. I am more satisfied with the bike than yesterday. There is clearly potential with the new bike and we must continue to work to extract it. We have taken a step forward compared to last year, I feel that, although I still have problems on the bumpy sections of the track, for example in turns 7, 8 and 9. I feel like a passenger on a motorcycle there. We'll have to deal with it on Friday. For the race weekend, I think we can fight for the podium. »
On the official website World SBK, the Kawasaki spearhead clarified his potential before starting hostilities this weekend: “The conditions we encountered in November, where we were very strong, are very different from those we encounter now. During the winter we weren't able to test on a track over 40°C and that's what we're facing here with even higher than normal internal tire temperatures so we just have to see . I feel like I can fight for the podium and if we can have a good weekend we should at least be able to fight for that, but we still have a lot of work to do, and I'm excited to see where we are. really are. »
And in passing, he skillfully addresses Álvaro Baptist a compliment that also takes on the appearance of a warning…
« Álvaro is a professional guy and has managed 2022 very well. I know from experience that No. 1 is heavy: I had a great season in 2015 and then 2016 was a disaster. Álvaro is a lot older than me and he has a great package, so it should be fine. You're expected to be there: You're "the guy" and not the underdog, and there's a feeling that you have to continue to be there. You are at the top and the only way is down. This pressure is hard. It almost becomes a matter of fear of losing again. Sometimes this can work in your favor or against you, but I'm sure he has it all figured out. »
