‘Our bike isn’t best’
Rea rejects claims that the Kawasaki is simply the best
Jonathan Rea has claimed the Kawasaki is not the best bike on the World Superbike grid, despite being on the verge of a record-equalling fourth world title after another imperious double in Portugal. Starting from second on the grid, Saturday’s first race was a calm and controlled display from Rea to further extend his championship lead. A second win on Sunday came after an intense battle with Chaz Davies, Michael van der Mark and Marco Melandri. “For a while, I didn’t know if I had anything for them,” Rea told MCN after the race. “I could not get past Chaz [Davies]. Even with the perfect last sector onto the straight, he was a demon on the brakes into the first turn. “I really had to pick my mark. At half distance I found a good place at Turn 11, where I’d been fast all weekend. There was no rest in that race, as then van der Mark came really strong!”
After a very strong test three weeks earlier and another exemplary race weekend, Rea is just one podium away from the overall record of 130 from Troy Corser. A run of 12 wins and 17 podiums from 20 races means the Northern Irishman now heads the standings from Davies by 116 points, so a title win at next weekend’s French Round could be a distinct possibility for the second year in succession. However, Rea says his advantage is not as much down to an all-superior bike as some might suggest: “I don’t feel our bike is the best out there, but we manage to work precisely to get the best out of it and make no mistakes. If you look at the races you will see we don’t have the advantage we had before. We are fighting with a blunt knife at the minute, and I still don’t think it’s fair with the lower rev limits we have this year. “That being said, we are on the way to the title. We just need to be clever and to make no mistakes.” Portimao proved to be another tough weekend for the second Kawasaki of Tom Sykes who, despite a strong early pace, was unable to challenge the podium contenders for a better result. Walking away with two fifth places, Sykes remains without a ride for the 2018 season, although he’s hoping to have news within the next month. Red Bull Honda and Shaun Muir Racing, who is yet to confirm a manufacturer for 2019, with BMW, Ducati and Aprilia all on the table – are the most likely options for the Yorkshireman, although it’s thought a return to BSB could be a possibility should these options fail to materialise.