Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) efforts at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola were rewarded with two podiums during the Prometeon Italian Round. It’s the first time in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign that the Ulsterman has taken two feature-length rostrum finishes as he consistently battled for the top three places, including two memorable Sunday duels with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK).
The six-time World Champion was fourth in the Superpole Race as he finished just two tenths behind the Italian. Locatelli led the first half of the race ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu, with the Turk claiming his first of two Imola victories on Sunday. Although ‘Loka’ dropped back from the lead duo, he was able to hold on for his first podium in front of the Italian fans in WorldSBK.
In Race 2, the pair engaged in battle again as they fight for third in the Riders’ Championship. This time, Rea was able to come out on top against the #55 as he finished four seconds clear of the Yamaha rider. It meant Rea was on the rostrum for the second time at Imola this year but the first time he’s had two feature-length race podiums in 2023. Speaking after Race 2, Rea was delighted with how the weekend went – even without a victory to his name – as he battled for the podium despite the scorching conditions.
Rea said: “It was a solid weekend, probably the best weekend of our season so far. I’m really happy. Trying to keep this momentum now by fighting at the front. We knew Imola would be a stronger circuit for us, but nobody told us that on Friday! On Friday, it was a difficult day and even Saturday morning, I didn’t seem to have that out and out pace or rhythm. During the races, I felt better with more laps on the tyre and, unfortunately, at the end of the races here in this extreme heat, I was struggling a little but with the SC1 front tyre, it was moving. When you’re on the limit and the front tyre’s moving, it’s more about consolidating your position, trying not to make any mistakes. I didn’t make any mistakes, worked quite well with the team and we stuck to our guns with our rear tyre choice for Race 2. We came away with a bag-load of points.”
The #65 was also full of praise for the passionate Italian fans who he has a good relationship with, despite not riding for Ducati. More than 53,000 fans visited to watch WorldSBK’s return to Imola after a four-year hiatus, and they were rewarded with some incredible fights on track and dramatic moments across the round.
Speaking about ending his weekend on a high, and the Italian fans, Rea added: “When you finish the weekend on a good note, it’s always nice because that’s the last thought that you take into the next round. It was nice to stand on the podium at Imola with a lot of my fans here. I’ve never ridden for an Italian manufacturer, and I don’t speak Italian, but we have a great relationship with the fans here. Maybe it’s from my early days of riding. I want to thank them because they gave me a lot of power to not give up, keep working hard and we deserved our podium today.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com