SBK Jerez test, Rea: "If we raced tomorrow, I’d already be competitive”

Day by day we’re gradually getting used to seeing Jonathan Rea in Yamaha colours, but it will take a little more time before it seems normal. In the meantime, the Northern Irish rider is working tirelessly to prepare for the season-opener, and initial impressions are good, as demonstrated by his second place finish in the test.

“I tried many things and collected a lot of data on Wednesday”, comments Jonathan, “and on Thursday morning things immediately felt better and I had more traction at the rear. Lap by lap I felt more comfortable. I chose the best moment to carry out a race simulation and then wanted to try a time attack in the final stages. You can always do more in testing”.

Do you think you’re in a good place?

“I’m where I expected to be. You’re never super happy when you’re not out front, but we should be pleased, and if we had to race tomorrow, I’d be competitive, which is positive. Testing with others has its pros and cons, as everyone has their own work programme and sometimes other riders’ lap times can be distracting. I tried not to look at others’ times too much actually”.

Rea has no expectations

What are the biggest differences between the Yamaha and Kawasaki?

“I don’t like to make this kind of comparison but when I got on the Yamaha, I found the bike that I expected. I’ve been able to see what Razgatlioglu was doing on the bike up until last year, and I’ve understood how he was able to be so quick. The work group is very experienced and the data from the independent teams is very useful too.”

What are your expectations?

“I don’t know because Phillip Island is a unique track. I expect to be able to fight, but we have to wait for the first rounds before we can have expectations. All the teams are optimistic right now, that’s normal. We just have to relax and see where we are in Australia”.

Who surprised you more, Bulega or Razgatlioglu?

“They’re where I expected. I expected Bulega to be up front, though just how far ahead of the rest was a bit surprising. Bautista is a further back but if you look at his pace, he’s as quick as ever. Overall, I don’t think there were any big suprises”.