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.
