WorldSBK Press Office

After facing one of his toughest challenges yet, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has secured another stunning feat, taking his fourth consecutive MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title by a sensational 130 points.

At 31 years of age, the racer from Ballymena in Northern Ireland is continuing to make history with the unstoppable combination of his racing talent and the ZX-10RR. Since joining Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK in 2016, Rea has been a winning machine, taking four back to back world titles and 52 victories in four seasons. Making history in 2018 by breaking the overall victory record of 60 wins in WorldSBK with a race one victory at Brno, he has now become only the second rider to take four titles in the world’s fastest production based motorbike championship, and the first to do so consecutively.

2018 has proven to be his biggest challenge yet, as himself and his Provec Racing squad have been working around the new regulations which were introduced this season – aiming to create more parity throughout the class. Adding extra challenges, Rea took it all in his stride and despite a tough opening round at Phillip Island Grand Prix which saw him hindered by the flu and a preseason finger injury. Leaving Australia with a top five and second position finish, he was ready to bounce back in Thailand.

Chang International Circuit was the setting for the second round of the season, and Rea was back to his best in race one – taking the victory by 1.5s after a strong fight from Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) and Chaz Davies’ (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) Panigale R machines. However race two threw up some challenges, as his Ninja machine had some brake issues in the Thai heat meaning he could only secure a top four finish. Leading the championship charge as the series headed to Europe, there was never a doubt Rea was the man to beat.

Beginning what was set to be an intense part of the season, the British rider once again took the victory in race one as the series took on MotorLand Aragon in a stunning performance. But the reversed grid rules offered a challenge to Rea in race two, and he was unable to match Davies’ pace as he took second position in Spain. With the championship heading straight to TT Circuit Assen for a back to back race weekend, Rea was ready to take on his new crown as the King of Assen. With a stunning record around the Dutch circuit, a win in race one meant he was the most successful rider at Assen. But he was unable to stop team-mate Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in race two, after the British rider put on a stunning performance.

Taking on Ducati territory at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrai di Imola for round five, Rea found his time to shine in 2018. Taking a double victory around the notoriously tight and twisty track, he also secured his 59th WorldSBK win and got one step closer to the overall win record. Stunning with his pace around the technical Italian circuit, he was able to leave Imola with a 47 point championship lead and on the verge of making more history.

Welcoming a return to his home turf of Donington Park, Rea had a more difficult weekend in Leicestershire – suffering from arm pump. Unable to hold off the stunning pace from debut winner Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Rea left the United Kingdom with a second and third position finish but an extension of his championship lead. Determined to be back on top in round seven, Automotodrom Brno was a weekend of ups and downs in Rea’s title chase. Experiencing ecstasy in race one, with his 60th victory to secure him the overall win record in WorldSBK, he saw heartbreak in race two with his first DNF of the season following a coming together with his team-mate.

But off the back of his DNF, he went onto win four races in a row. Stunning under the Californian sunshine of Laguna Seca, Rea was untouchable around the fast and flowing circuit and he looked to be riding his ZX-10RR on rails. Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was the setting for round nine, and the round before the summer break. Important to enter the break off the back of a strong weekend, Rea was once again unstoppable with his team and he took a stunning double victory, although had to work for it in race two.

After nine weeks away from racing action, the Nolan Portuguese Round welcomed a sensational return to action for Rea, and he was able to secure his third consecutive double victory in Portugal. On top of this, it was his fifth and sixth consecutive victory in 2018 and he now had one hand on the world title after a sweltering weekend at the undulating track.

Returning to the scene of the track which saw Rea take his 2017 crown, Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours took on another huge importance for the Northern Irishman. But he was on such a roll heading to France, it was hard to see anyone stopping him, and no one did. Rea was crowned world champion in France for the second season in succession, writing even more history as he takes a sensational fourth back to back title.

Is there any stopping Rea? As he continues to make history and headlines, you can congratulate him with: #RE4CH4MP

Secrets To His Success

As the checkered flags were waved in France, it was the start of a bigger story for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as the Northern Irishman became the first rider in history to secure four back to back WorldSBK championships. But how did he get here? Each title was different, needing different tactics for each win. We spoke to the champion about the key to each title.

2015 – The Birth of Team 65

“I think the key was the integration into Kawasaki and the birth of Team 65, the staff had really believed in me and they built a really nice atmosphere inside the box so moving there felt really, really nice. That was the key, so I walked straight into a family environment; the previous riders and everybody at the factory had done an incredible job with the bike; it was the last year of the old model, so it was a fully-developed bike and I just had to win and piece everything together. Before I joined that year, we had no idea we’d have that kind of success, but we won 14 races and it was incredible. It was a bit of a surreal year, but the key was that atmosphere the box and making that first year with the team feel good.”

2016 – Year of consistency

“In 2016 it was about consistency, because there were times that year when we faced a lot of difficulties; at the beginning of the year I had a lot of issues with the gearbox and we did a lot of testing, with lots of new parts arriving. Also the engine spec changed, it was a completely new bike so it was important to make our weekends as good as they could be. We had two setbacks – one in Laguna with a technical issue and then I crashed in Race 1 at the Lausitzring and it put us on the back foot, but we stayed consistent to the end of the year and that was what allowed us to win. There were times on track when we weren’t the fastest; Chaz Davies won more races than me that year but he just wasn’t as consistent and that’s what got the championship done.”

2017 – Having a brutal pace

“The key to 2017 was my pace – at times it was brutal. I could just turn it on when I wanted, and we had 16 race wins, so it was like a snowball that kept getting bigger and bigger! The only races I felt we got beat flat-out were in the Lausitzring and in Imola by Chaz, but the rest of the weekends we were really strong. To start the year with a double at Phillip Island and to finish how we did by breaking the points record was incredible. We learned everything about the new bike in the off-season after 2016 and put into practice for 2017, so the teamwork allowed us to turn the pace on, which was just incredible.”

2018 – Managing the points

“In Phillip Island we were right in the battle for the win until I had an issue with my tyre so I went backwards very quickly. This year has been about managing points and we further refined the package with the new bike and stepped up; qualifying we’ve been able to put ourselves on the front row a lot, so my pace there has been better. But, we’ve faced some difficulties with our bike and the regulation changes hampered any advantage we had last year, but collectively we dug deep when things were against us and it feels like we’re getting every ounce of performance out of our bike week-in and week-out.

Which is down to teamwork; from all the staff behind the scenes, mechanics, technicians, engineers in Japan, riders – it’s been a huge teamwork year. Consistency as well, because other guys have been as fast or faster than us on their day, but not as much, which is nice because honestly 2016 was the most difficult year and the one that ‘might not have been’, but we’ve managed to now have four in a row.”

Rea's Road To The History Books

As the sun sets on the final European round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, one man’s party is just starting as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has made history once more: becoming the first rider to take four consecutive World Superbike Championships.

But how did he get here? How has a young rider with great ambition from Ballymena in Northern Ireland cemented his name in the WorldSBK history books? We take a look over his career highlights, all of which paved the way for him to become the most successful rider in WorldSBK history.

Heading into the early parts of his career, Rea was born with big ambition in the world of motocross, but he soon realized he had a strong talent on the roads:

2nd February 1987 – Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland (One of Four)
1997 – British 60cc motocross champion
2003 – Moved over to road racing – British 125GP Championship

But it wasn’t until 2004 that he made the switch to the asphalt:

2004 – Joined British Supersport Championship
2007 – British Superbike Championship Runner-Up
2008 – Debuted in World Supersport Championship and wild card in WorldSBK

His road to the top in WorldSBK began in 2009, as he made the full time switch to the world stage into the Ten Kate Honda garage:

2009 – Moved to WorldSBK with Honda, first victory in Misano’s Race Two
2012 – Took his 10th WorldSBK victory at Donington Park – Race Two

After success with Honda and taking 15 victories overall, he then made the switch to become the man in green and an unstoppable force. Signing for Kawasaki in 2015, he took his first win in the opening race and the success continued to escalate. Crowned champion in his first year with the ZX-10R, the success he has seen with the Kawasaki Racing Team has been nothing short of sensational.

With a strong crew around him – particularly his crew chief Pere Riba – Rea has built up a strong unit of crew who understand how he and the bike works. On top of this, his family are able to keep him grounded throughout the highs and the lows. But as he continues to break records every season he swings his leg over the ZX-10RR, it remains to be seen if anyone can stop Rea.

2015 – Joined Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK, Crowned World Champion – 14 victories and 24 podiums.
2015 – Secured his 20th WorldSBK Victory in WorldSBK, in Assen Race One. His 5th for Kawasaki.
2015 – 25th WorldSBK victory secured in Portimao Race Two.
2016 – Took 30th WorldSBK victory in the opening race of the season at Phillip Island. 9 wins and 23 podiums.
2016 – Crowned world champion. First back to back world champion since Carl Fogarty.
2017 – Won his 40th race victory at Phillip Island’s race two.
2017 – First rider in history to take three WorldSBK titles in a row and secured his 50th race win. 16 wins and 24 podiums secured.
2018 – Equalled Carl Fogarty’s overall win record at Imola, his 59th overall.
2018 – Secured most victories ever in WorldSBK at Automotodrom Brno.
2018 – Won his 66th race win at Portimao – making it three back to backs in a row at one circuit.
2018 – Secured his fourth world title at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, the first rider in history to take four consecutive titles.