Jonathan Rea’s unique third WorldSBK championship win in succession appeared to affect him less than some other people inside his team set-up. Immediately after completing the feat at least. Obviously happy but far from chest-beating and arm-pumping his way through the weekend after winning every championship he has entered so far on a Kawasaki, he explained why he was calm and business like in his championship winning press conference.
“I dunno why but I am just driven to keep winning,” said Rea. “Emotionally it is like I achieved my goal and was ecstatic after winning the first championship, now it is the little challenges that come along the way that are really motivating. It is difficult to win in the middle of a race weekend with a race and two rounds remaining as well. You cannot throw your arms in the air, clock off the year as champion. We still have a massive job to do. Always, at the FIM awards, the gala dinner that they have, that is a nice time to reflect, in a room full of champions. I cannot sum up emotions – no feelings right now, but I am just proud of everyone that has put us here today. The feelings I have are not coming right now. I feel quite numb.”
He did, unlike every other race of the season, approach this weekend with a little more circumspection than normal.
“I stayed off my motocross bike and even out cycling on the road I was a little bit cautious of other traffic and everything. I dunno how I would cope if the championship went down to the last race of the season as it would be quite nervous for both riders for obvious reasons – competing for the win. So it is always a target for me not to get to that point.”
Jonathan Rea, WSBK Race1, French WSBK 2017
After three winning seasons he now has some perspective on which was his best. This one?
“Difficult,” admitted Rea, “because each of them is difficult and special in its own way. In 2015 it was quite seamless year as I joined a team that had an incredibly high level. The bike was super-well developed from people like Joan Lascorz, Tom Sykes, Loris Baz. I jumped on a bike that was ready to win and we won.
“Last year was maybe more special – I haven’t reached the end of this season yet – because Matsuda-san (from KHI) designed a completely new from the ground up ZX-10R. It might look similar but it was completely different, so I am proud of my team and everyone at KHI for the constant development through 2016. We had a lot of challenges last year so it was important tot remain focused. It was not as successful; I felt last year was much more difficult.
“This year we showed the strength of the team the engineers and Pere. The winter tests were very important. We put all the difficult moments together and understood why things were difficult and we came out fighting from race one in PI this year, winning the races. This season has been a result of hard work all last season and understanding the new bike. It is proof last year watching my races to see that the level of this bike is crazy high. Look at Toprak Razgatlioglu doing incredibly as well. So we have to say thanks to Matsuda-san and all his team back in Japan as they do all the hard work for us. We get an incredible bike to let me go out and live my dream and get these results.”
Before he went out of the second race in Magny Cours, thanks to another rider’s crash, Rea outlined his ambitions for the rest of the year, and the future.
Another year with an altered technical landscape.
“I am trying to finish the season on a high. 2018 for every single manufacturer, rider and the championship on the whole, looks uncertain because the technical regulations have not been released yet. Or defined. So we have to understand with that how our bike is going to be competitive and winter testing is going to be really important. So maybe we can turn our attentions to 2018 early and make sure we have got a good bike. It will be a big, big challenge to try to win in 2018 under different regulations but I am 100% confident in myself, Kawasaki and all the people around me that we will make a great job. If we cannot achieve the level we are at right now we will be being 100% every time we got on the bike.”
That 100% approach has meant that few people can remember any mistake Rea himself has made on bike in his championship winning years, prompting one Italian journalist to ask Rea to remember one mistake he had, to show that he was human…
“While it looks under control and smooth I am pushing the limits every weekend and it is a personal challenge to do the best I can,” said Rea after laughing at the concept of being perfect. “The history I have had in this championship has prepared me so well to arrive in this moment at Kawasaki with an incredible bike and everything I have learned since I was young has prepared me. When you have a bike where you do not have to ride like you are going to crash in every single corner, you can start to improve in other aspects of your riding and whatnot. The support crew I have around me as a person, my wife, Kev my assistant, Fabien Foret my rider coach at the track, to the support systems the team has put in place with me, with medical support, all supporting my dreams is incredible. I am part of a real factory team. I am not a robot, I do make a lot of mistakes. I am my own worst critic and I am always trying to improve which is motivating. To try to keep improving myself as well.”
A scary thought for all his rivals in WorldSBK – that Rea can improve from this season’s near perfection. Not that the season is over yet, with Rea now having a potential four more races to win. If he does it would take his 2017 total to 16, still one shy of all-time single season race winner Doug Polen who won 17 in 1991.
By Gordon Ritchie
Jonathan Rea celebrates winning the World Championship for the third time, WSBK Race1, French WSBK 2017