Jonathan Rea: “I love riding the Yamaha, but I still need to put my stamp on it”

Jonathan Rea, currently testing in Misano with most of the WorldSBK grid ahead of round four, was in action last week at Cremona as he looked to overcome his early struggles aboard the R1.

Rea did make a big step forward at the last round in Assen, but more is still needed for the six-time world champion to become a consistent contender at the front.

Rea himself admitted as much, saying: “Yeah, I need laps. It’s so positive that the other Yamahas are fast…but it’s not my bike.

“I love the bike, and I love riding the bike, but I still need to put my stamp on it. 

“I want to use all the benefits of the Yamaha R1, but also use all of the benefits of my riding style, so we’re just trying to find that match right now.

“The team are working really well and are trying to push it along further.”

Aided by the performance of other Yamaha riders, Rea has plenty of data to use to his advantage heading into the middle part of the 2024 campaign.

Andrea Locatelli could, and maybe should, have won one of the races at the season-opener in Phillip Island, and the Italian has been fast in most sessions this season.

At GRT Yamaha, there has been a big second-year jump from former MotoGP rider Remy Gardner, with the 2021 Moto2 world champion ending the Cremona test fastest.

Detailing the technical aspects of riding the R1 after so many years aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Rea added: “It’s hard to explain. It’s as if you have to ride the bike hard, but then you almost have to massage the bike around the track.

“But you can see from Remy and Locatelli that the bike has so much potential.”