Rea Heads To Mandalika
One weekend on from an eventful opening round in Australia Jonathan Rea will line up with Kawasaki Racing Team for the second round of the WorldSBK championship, to be held at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on the Indonesian Island of Lombok between 3-5 March.
Jonathan and the KRT team took part in a promotional event on the neighbouring island of Bali before making the short hop to Lombok to prepare for this weekend’s event in Lombok.
Currently Rea is third overall in the WorldSBK standings, having taken second place in Race One at Phillip Island, overcoming the fully wet track conditions to do so. He will be looking to Mandalika to get back into the podium positions after unexpected seventh and eighth place finishes in the two subsequent Australian races.
Rea has scored two race wins and three other podium places in his previous visits to Mandalika.
The weekend in Indonesia will begin with two Free Practice sessions on Friday 3 March, then FP3, Superpole Qualifying and Race One on Saturday 4 March. Sunday 5 March will feature the ten-lap Superpole Race and then a final full distance Race Two.
Weekend Schedule: (GMT +8)
Friday:
Free Practice 1 - 10:00-10:45
Free Practice 2 - 13:00-13:45
Saturday:
Free Practice 3 - 08:30-109:00
Superpole Qualifying - 10:40-10:55
WorldSBK Race 1 - 13:30 (21 laps)
Sunday:
Warm Up: - 08:30-0845
Tissot Superpole Race - 10:30 (10 laps)
WorldSBK Race 2 - 13:30 (21 laps)
Friday:
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It’s good to start the 2023 season at the two circuits where we finished the previous season. The Superbike calendar is really good this year. We will try to capitalise next weekend at Lombok with some good points scores and look forward to understanding the year in general. Last year in Lombok I felt good until the last part of the races where the risks I was taking were really overloading the front. I expect to be stronger in Lombok than I was last year. We will go and try our best. Lombok will be more of a gauge for us than Phillip Island, as it is more of a normal circuit design - although it will be very hot.”