Jonathan Rea’s (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) wait for a podium in Yamaha colours in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came to an end on Sunday at Donington Park as the #65 claimed third in the Tissot Superpole Race. His podium gave the six-time Champion a front row start for Race 2 for the Prosecco DOC UK Round, although he dropped down to eighth at the end as he concluded his home round inside the top ten.
THE WAIT ENDS: 14 races later…
Rea started the Superpole Race from eighth on the grid, but a superb start launched him into fourth by the exit of Turn 1, just behind Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). He made light work of the Brit, passing him through Turn 4 at the Old Hairpin before building a gap. Although he was unable to catch Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ahead, the #65 was able to come home in third place and end his rostrum drought – it was his first in 14 races – while also claiming his first Yamaha podium.
Reacting immediately after the race in Parc Ferme, Rea said: “It’s amazing. I know the podium was a little bit ahead of where we targeted, especially in such a short race. I nailed my start! My start was amazing. Yesterday, ‘Loka’ went inside but I was blocked from going there. I thought I’d send it around the outside and see what happens. I came out fourth. I thought, ‘ahh, just do Sam into the Old Hairpin’ and suddenly it was like I’d never ridden a bike, I was all nervous in third thinking how I’d manage that! I got my head down and was pretty strong. I want to thank my team for their constant hard work. We’re still not really scratching the surface of what our full potential is but we’re not giving up. The confidence in that race was pretty good. Didn’t have that little bit to go with Bulega and Toprak in the end, so congrats to them. I get to start on the front row now, I can see the lights!”
DENNING’S THOUGHTS: “To go from eighth on the grid to third on the first lap and have such a great pace, that’s a really big step”
Team Principal Paul Denning was on hand to give his thoughts after the race too as the riders made their way back into the paddock, saying: “It’s no secret how tough the start to the year’s been for Jonathan and his side of the garage. We changed a few things this weekend just in the way of working and reset our targets, to be honest, a lot lower. The first target was to be top Yamaha, try to compete for the podium and try and get there step by step rather than trying to make big jumps and making big mistakes, whether that’s in the team or JR on track. To go from eighth on the grid to third on the first lap and have such a great pace, that’s a really big step.”
TIME TO REFLECT: speaking at the end of the day
After Race 2 finished, Rea expanded a bit more on his thoughts after taking his first podium in blue: “It’s super! If I looked at the weekend as a whole, we faced some challenges but also, we caught a bit of a wave. I got a great start. I was thinking about the inside, but I just released the brake around the outside and got some great track position. I was able to make some nice laps in the beginning, stay with Nicolo and Toprak for a couple of laps which dragged me clear. I tried to settle my rhythm, rode to my pit board which was a nice feeling. It’s a bonus for everybody, a little lift.”
RACE 2: from the first row to P8
The podium in the Superpole Race gave the Ulsterman a great chance for another top-five finish but he was unable to convert that, falling down to eighth at the end of the 23-lap race. Nevertheless, it marked the #65’s best weekend following his switch from Kawasaki to Yamaha, and he reflected on the weekend’s final race, where he finished P8 as the second Yamaha rider and just a few tenths behind teammate Andrea Locatelli in seventh.
Discussing Race 2, Rea said: “We couldn’t capitalise on the track position, starting on the front row. I struggled from the get-go with rear traction. The bike was almost the same, same tyre choice, same everything. Right from the get-go, I had no entry or exit traction. I was struggling compared to Race 1 and the Superpole Race, so that’s something to look into. I haven’t had a chance to look into any of the data or the tyre pressures or anything like that, but something wasn’t right. I was slip-sliding around with my teammate and ‘Loka’ did a great job. He was at the front of the group and it’s always hard to lead at Donington, so I just gritted my teeth as long as I could, tried not to make any mistakes. Petrucci and Bautista camp past. Disappointed to finish the weekend like that but overall, we can take some positives into Most. We don’t have to wait too long to race again, so it’s nice to carry that good feeling with the bike and the team.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com