With the news that Jonathan Rea will leave Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK at the end of the season, it’s time to look at just a handful of his best moments in green. From wins, titles and incredible last-lap duels, the Rea-KRT partnership has been one of the most successful in MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship history with the combination racking up six Riders’ Championships and more than 100 wins. We take a look at a few of some of the incredible moments the partnership has enjoyed over the last nine seasons.
FIRST RACE, FIRST WIN: Rea’s successful start to life in green – Phillip Island Race 1, 2015
The 36-year-old joined Kawasaki in 2015 and went into the season billed as one of the favourites for the Championship. He soon showed why as he claimed pole position by just 0.026s ahead of Davies. Race 1 soon turned into a three-way scrap for victory between Rea, Davies and Leon Haslam with three different manufacturers – Kawasaki, Ducati and Aprilia – in the mix. The #65 eventually fended off Haslam by just 0.039s at the line to start his and KRT’s relationship in the perfect fashion and give a glimpse of what was to come.
THE FIRST CROWN: taking the title – Jerez Race 1, 2015
After starting the season as one of the favourites, Rea ended it on top. 23 podiums in 26 races followed including 16 wins as the Ulsterman was crowned World Champion for the first time and he racked up an incredible 548 points. He was 132 clear of rival Davies at the end of the season as he wrapped up the title with two full rounds to spare. Little did anyone know at the time what the first title would lead to.
MATCHING FOGARTY: greatness matches greatness – Imola Race 2, 2018
Matching the numbers of someone perceived or recognised as the greatest can always be emotional, and Rea got to experience this back in 2018. In Race 2 at Imola, he matched Fogarty’s tally of 59 wins to put them level in the all-time list of WorldSBK winners. It meant Rea was well on the way to recording his own status as the greatest and the numbers have continued to grow as he cements himself as the best according to numbers. Fogarty and Rea’s parity lasted just a couple of rounds as Rea surpassed ‘Foggy’ at Brno.
FOUR ON THE BOUNCE: Rea wraps up fourth crown – Magny-Cours Race 1, 2018
Very few riders can claim to be a World Champion, and even fewer can say they won multiple titles. Rea, however, gets to say both as he wrapped up Championship number four in style at Magny-Cours back in 2018. It meant he matched Fogarty for titles won but, unlike his compatriot, Rea had won all his consecutively. It was yet another record for the Northern Irishman as he continued to re-write the WorldSBK history books, although this one only lasted a year before Rea beat it again.
HISTORY MADE: first rider to win five titles – Magny-Cours Race 2, 2019
Staying in France and staying with titles, almost a year to the day from his fourth crown, Rea wrapped up his fifth Championship. He became the first rider in WorldSBK history to win five WorldSBK titles and he was still unbeaten since joining KRT in 2015. It was another momentous moment for both team and rider as the combination continued to rack up wins, titles and history together after he overhauled Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the second half of the season, despite the Spaniard’s dominant start to his rookie campaign.
THE LAST CROWN WITH KAWASAKI: six of the best – Estoril Race 1, 2020
2020 came along and a new Ducati rival was in town. Bautista left the team and Scott Redding joined, with the Brit fresh from his domestic success. He pushed Rea all the way in 2020, a season that was different for so many reasons, as the title fight went down to the season-ending Estoril Round. It was Rea who came out on top once again as he secured his sixth title with KRT. The Ulsterman also ended his campaign on 99 wins after edging closer to a century in WorldSBK.
100 NOT OUT: Rea’s 100th WorldSBK win – Aragon Race 1, 2021
His 100th win came one race after he won his sixth title, but he had to wait a long time for it as the season got underway at Aragon in May. Rea was on the hunt for the victory and the incredible and unmatched milestone came in Race 1 as he led a KRT 1-2 ahead of Alex Lowes. He became the only rider to reach a century of victories in WorldSBK and he has, as of the 2023 Czech Round, 60 wins more than Fogarty, who sits second on the all-time list.
A CENTURY FOR KAWASAKI: another milestone hit – Assen Superpole Race, 2022
A different type of century came a year later as Rea took his 100th win on Kawasaki machinery. As the paddock headed to Netherlands and Assen, his Race 1 victory after a hard-fought battle with Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) moved him onto 99 wins in green and his 100th would come just a few hours later, in the Tissot Superpole Race. Again, the ‘Titanic Trio’ were the stars of the show as Rea fended off the #54 and #19 machines to take his 100th Kawasaki win.
RIVALRY IGNITES: Rea vs Davies for the first big scrap – Aragon Race 1, 2015
Given his success and that he was the rider to beat for so long, it’s no surprise that Rea had several rivals. One of these was Davies and their rivalry really ignited back at Aragon in 2015 when the pair went head-to-head and they were inseparable throughout the 18-lap race as they battled with Tom Sykes for victory. Sykes had been the long-time race leader before Rea and Davies found their way through and then they scrapped it out until the end with just 0.051s the margin between the two; the fight for victory coming on a drag race to the line with Rea just holding on.
DECIDED AT THE LINE: Rea and Bautista fight until the end – Estoril Race 2, 2022
Last-lap thrillers were becoming another of Rea’s specialities, especially as the ‘Titanic Trio’ fought tooth and nail for victory in 2022. This was summed up nowhere better than Estoril in 2022 when every single race was decided on the final lap. Bautista came out on top against Razgatlioglu in Race 1, Rea in the Superpole Race ahead of the 2021 Champion and the #65 was on top again in Race 2 after a stunning and scarcely believable fight with Bautista through the final half of the last lap.
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Source: WorldSBK.com