Rea Heads To Jerez As The WorldSBK Championship Moves Towards A Conclussion
Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team head to Jerez this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship. A little over one year on from lifting the 2015 crown at the Andalucian circuit Rea comes into this weekend with the first real opportunity to clinch the 2016 title.
Mixed results at the last two rounds at Lausitzring and Magny Cours make Jonathan all too aware that he and his pit crew will need to be at their best as team-mate Tom Sykes is right behind in the points table with Chaz Davies (Ducati) still in with a mathematical possibility of the title.
Rea has led the Superbike World Championship since his memorable round one double win at Phillip Island in Australia and has never ceded that lead all season. The performance and consistency of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has allowed him to take 19 podium finishes, including nine race wins so far. Along with team-mate Sykes they have also given Kawasaki the possibility of clinching the Manufacturers title this weekend as well.
It has been a busy few days since the last race in France. Jonathan flew straight to Germany and the Intermot motorcycle show where he helped launch the 2017 Ninja ZX-10RR. This more race refined version of the current production machine will form the base for KRT’s 2017 Superbike programme.
Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team head to Jerez this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship. A little over one year on from lifting the 2015 crown at the Andalucian circuit Rea comes into this weekend with the first real opportunity to clinch the 2016 title.
Mixed results at the last two rounds at Lausitzring and Magny Cours make Jonathan all too aware that he and his pit crew will need to be at their best as team-mate Tom Sykes is right behind in the points table with Chaz Davies (Ducati) still in with a mathematical possibility of the title.
Rea has led the Superbike World Championship since his memorable round one double win at Phillip Island in Australia and has never ceded that lead all season. The performance and consistency of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has allowed him to take 19 podium finishes, including nine race wins so far. Along with team-mate Sykes they have also given Kawasaki the possibility of clinching the Manufacturers title this weekend as well.
It has been a busy few days since the last race in France. Jonathan flew straight to Germany and the Intermot motorcycle show where he helped launch the 2017 Ninja ZX-10RR. This more race refined version of the current production machine will form the base for KRT’s 2017 Superbike programme.
The Circuito de Jerez has been a relatively recent but highly popular addition to the WorldSBK calendar. Located close to the historic town of Jerez de la Frontera, the 4.423km circuit boasts a variety of corners and elevation changes, with natural amphitheatres for the spectators to get a clear view of the action.
Regardless of the outcome of the races and the championship Rea will be back on track on Monday, testing the 2017 race machine before heading to Qatar for the final round of the championship between the 28th and 30th October.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “From last year Jerez holds very special memories so I am excited to go back there. We had a very productive mid-season test at Jerez, where we not only get to refine our current model, we also got to work on some items for 2017. It seems like we are in a good way with the bike in races and this is the first opportunity I have to win the championship this weekend. If we do a good job we can achieve our target of being world champions. That is in the back of my mind but also we have to be clever, because Tom and Chaz are riding really strongly and I am sure some others will also be strong in Jerez. So we need to be prepared to set-up the bike well with the team and then what will be will be. I’ll just try to go out and have two solid races. I have a lot of support coming from back home as well for this weekend. The new bike we helped launch at the show was a welcome surprise and the RR has a lot more racing features that will be even better for the track.”