JABAR EKSPRES — Kawasaki Racing rider, Jonathan Rea, said he remained confident facing the fourth round of World Superbike (WSBK) which will be held at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Spain, early May, despite experiencing a difficult start to the season.
Rea, at the third round of WSBK at the Assen Circuit, Netherlands, last weekend, failed to reach the podium due to a crash in Race 2, after trying hard to overtake his two biggest competitors, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon).
“It’s a shame that the weekend ended like that because we had a lot of positive things to do. I lost track position with Toprak at the start, and from there everything became difficult because Alvaro was in front. Nevertheless, I felt more comfortable on the bike than the previous (WSBK round),” said Rea, quoted from the official WSBK statement, Wednesday (26/4).
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In the heat of the battle, the British rider had to be eliminated at Turn 9 as he tried to win his first victory this year.
“Going into Turn 9, I hit the front, don’t know how it happened, obviously, we have to check some data. (I feel) Frustrated, but we have more positives to take from this weekend than negatives,” Rea said.
Furthermore, Rea, who managed to stand on the podium in Race 1 WSBK Assen, said the team remained competitive even though they had not won the title at the start of this WSBK season.
He said he was ready to face the next round in Spain with a more positive feeling. According to him, it will affect his performance and bring confidence to the team.
“It’s been a difficult start to the year, but I feel we are competitive; we can hope to fight for the podium every weekend. This weekend, I felt more comfortable. It’s a long season, we need to take small positives and sometimes, a podium can feel like a victory right now for the team,” Rea said.
