Jonathan Rea: “It’s going to be a tall order to win any race this year”

The six-time world champion has endured his toughest start to a WorldSBK season since joining the Japanese manufacturer in 2015.

Rea has never started a season without taking victory in any of the first 18 races since becoming a Kawasaki rider, while his tally of six podiums is also his lowest during the same stretch of races compared to any season since 2015.

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However, the current struggles have been more about Kawasaki’s lack of performance against the likes of Ducati and Yamaha in longer races especially, rather than Rea who has managed to achieve some results that arguably the bike was not capable of had he not been aboard the machine. 

Alvaro Bautista has never been more dominant while Toprak Razgatlioglu is the only other rider to have won a race in 2023. So given the form of those two riders, and Kawasaki being the clear third best manufacturer, something Rea has never dealt with on a consistent basis, winning any race this year appears to be a tough task.

"It’s clear that when you see the races, it’s going to be a tall order to win any race this year," said Rea. "But why not in Imola. 

"Our bike changes direction quite well and this weekend the chicane was quite good for me. Imola has four. 

"I’m dreaming of a win there but I still feel like we’re quite far off from that. We still need to take baby steps and focus on the bike, not on race results."

In terms of the other factory Kawasaki, Alex Lowes has also impressed at times as he’s managed to close the gap to Rea compared to previous years.

Lowes was re-signed by Kawasaki ahead of last weekend’s British round, and despite riders such as Scott Redding and Axel Bassani being linked with that seat prior to the announcement, Rea feels as though keeping Lowes was the best choice. 

"I heard a lot of riders throwing their names around with my team, but I think that was to inflate their value with their own teams. 

"As far as I’m aware there was no other option. He was the guy. He’s very professional and gives 110% when on the bike. 

"He’s fast enough to give good feedback and is fast enough to keep me honest. 

"What options do you have! [Bassani] is not a young rider. I don’t think there are any young riders that would [do better]. It was the only move that made sense, for me."