Rea Recovers
Rea finds his rhythm once more and establishes his dominance with a hat-trick
Report:
Joshua Varghese
for the podium, having lost pace in the later stages of the race.
Redding’s weekend only got worse the following day when Rea ran away with the Tissot Superpole race, cutting the former’s lead in the championship to just one point. Rea was once again challenged by Razgatlioglu during the early parts of the race, but the Kawasaki man dialled in fast lap after fast lap consistently to maintain and further improve his lead. Eventually, he won the race three seconds ahead of Razgatlioglu and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) who secured second and third places respectively.
The race weekend at Portimao was nothing short of dream material for Rea because a resounding victory in race two gave him a perfect score of three-for-three. Once again, Rea’s biggest challenge materialized in the form of Razgatlioglu and Baz in the beginning of the race. However, a quick move using the outside line enabled Rea to rocket past his challengers and soon he was well on his way to a comfortable lead. As Razgatlioglu lost pace and Baz eventually crashed, Redding shot through the ranks and claimed second place; some respite from an otherwise dreadful weekend for the man who lost his championship lead to Rea. Van der Mark rounded off the podium.
With 136 points, Rea is the fourth different leader in the 2020 season. Four points behind him, Redding remains relevant in second place while Razgatlioglu holds third place with 103 points.
How competitive do you think the 2019 Avintia Ducati motorcycle can be in the upcoming 2020 championship?
Johann Zarco (JZ):
i would say the ’19 bike will be very competitive this year. i don’t feel like we are missing anything with the bike compared to the top guys. i must get used to riding the Ducati to ride it correctly. i really think with this bike i can compete with the top five riders. it is easier said than done, though. The constant target is to be among the top 10 in qualifying and the main race.
Has there been any further talk for you to get a Ducati MotoGP factory seat in 2021?
JZ:
The relationship i have with Ducati is very good and i am lucky to be a part of the team. They really take care of me and just for this reason the target is to continue with Ducati. Depending on the situation, my performances, if i am performing well, and we don’t know what Dovizioso is doing, then i can try for the factory bike. First of all, i have to perform with the current bike and then it will be clearer if i can get a factory seat next year.
With two brilliant Moto2 championships and two good seasons in MotoGP with Yamaha, what has been your most memorable race?
JZ:
My most memorable races i’d say would be a great victory in germany in the rain in the 2016 season. Also, my second title in Malaysia was a nice memory. With the Moto gP, i’d like to say the French gP was pretty special.
BI: What bikes do you have in your garage at home? JZ:
i have a Ducati Panigale V4 S for training. Also, two supermotos and one motocross. You can train in the winter with them and thus it is important for riders to have bikes at home.