Cycle News

Cycle News 2017 Issue 03 January 24

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/776700

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INTERVIEW P88 2016 WORLDSBK CHAMPION JONATHAN REA W hen you're hot, you're hot. That's the mantra the Kawa- saki Racing Team's Jonathan Rea has made his own in the past two years of WorldSBK competition. Twice he's clinched production racing's big- gest prize for Team Green after years of struggle with Honda's aging and technically inferior CBR1000RR. And he started the quest for a third straight crown in perilous style with the fastest time of all at the season-ending Jerez test against a host of MotoGP riders and teams. A father of two, Rea's a man at peace with his lot in life—maturity, a great bike and team and a fine technical aptitude have seen the Northern Irishman clinch 23 podiums, including nine wins during 2016, consistently outpacing his former champion teammate Tom Sykes and becoming Kawasaki's only two-time WorldSBK Champion on two different iterations of the ZX-10R. BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE Two-Times A CHAMPION Jonathan Rea's 2016 was another example of a rider at the peak of his powers doing what he does best. But this was a more measured title win than the rampage of 2015. We caught up with him at the pre-season test in Aragon, Spain.

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