Rea: “We were drilled!”
Reigning champ confident of revenge on Bautista after Phillip Island trouncing
On a weekend when Alvaro Bautista and the new V4 Ducati were unbeatable, quadruple World Champion Jonathan Rea did all he could by picking up three second places. This ensures a minimal points gap of 13 between the pair heading to the second round in Thailand next month.
Since moving to Kawasaki, Rea has proven master of collecting valuable championship points and has perfected the art of damage limitation and a true understanding of the motto ‘you can’t win them all’. That didn’t stop the Northern Irishman from trying though. Beating the Ducati’s power and tyre wear advantage over 22 laps may have been out of the question, but during Sunday’s new Superpole race, when a ten-lap sprint means tyre wear is out of the equation, Rea pushed Bautista all the way. A tad more power would have made all the difference instead of losing nearly 4mph on the straights. “We got drilled!” Rea explained bluntly. “I had no answer to Alvaro and Ducati. They’ve been super-strong, but I felt we picked up the pieces. I’m very happy to be the best of the rest. It’s very easy to see where the Ducati is better. I made an amazing start but by Turn 1 he was 30 metres in front. It’s a big difference in power but we can’t do a lot. We need to try our best to maximise the chassis at all other circuits. I feel I’m riding well. Phillip Island played into Alvaro’s hands but I’m sure other circuits will suit us better. “This isn’t the best track for me or the bike, so three second places is good. Last year the double winner here (Marco Melandri – Ducati) never won another race and didn’t finish top three in the championship. This is a very unique circuit with the way you use the tyre; if I pushed to the maximum for 22 laps it wouldn’t last to the end. I felt huge limitations when riding, apart from in the shorter sprint race. I hope to give this guy more of a challenge than I was able to here.” The ease of Bautista’s wins may keep Kawasaki awake at night, although Rea described Leon Haslam’s arrival as a ‘breath of fresh air’. The reigning BSB champ threw away second when he crashed in race one, but bounced back with two third places on Sunday with some entertaining battles with his team-mate. “Most of that came from Leon himself,” crew chief Marcel Duinker told MCN. “We have made some very, very small changes to the bike. I’m very positive after this weekend because he showed good pace and was able to preserve the tyre. I really like working with him and look forward to the next one.”
‘This isn’t the best track for me, so three second places is good’