On one lap Jonathan Rea is unbeatable at the World Superbike Championship in Aragon, but in the three races he has to admit defeat to the Ducatis
Record World Champion Jonathan Rea had a solid weekend at the World Superbike Championship in Aragon (Spain). The Kawasaki rider surprised everyone in Superpole with a fabulous lap that secured him pole and a new lap record. In the races, however, Rea had to admit defeat, although he fought very hard.
In the sprint race, Rea was on course for victory, but on the long back straight, defending champion Alvaro Bautista effortlessly passed on his Ducati on the final lap to take the win.
“It’s frustrating because I was putting together very good sectors in the rest of the track. Then at the exit of turn 15 you don’t ask if, but when it happens. It surprised me that he didn’t attack sooner,” commented Rea.
Disappointing race pace in second main race
After finishing third in the first main race and second in the sprint, Rea found it much harder to match the pace of the leaders in the final race. Without the retirement of Yamaha factory rider Andrea Locatelli, Rea would have only finished in P5.
“I’m frustrated but also confused why we couldn’t confirm our race pace in the second race,” Rea admits, blaming the conditions: “It was a bit warmer. Maybe we shouldn’t have changed to the other tyre in the grid. “
“I felt like a passenger in the race and had no grip front and rear. I was really struggling. It was more about defending my position,” Rea reported, recognising, “The two Ducatis and the two Yamahas at the front were just stronger. “
Kawasaki continues to struggle in high temperatures
“It was frustrating because it underlines the problems we have when the tarmac gets warmer than 40°C,” Rea frets about the familiar Kawasaki problem, for which there appears to be no solution yet.
However, Rea was not dissatisfied with the Aragon weekend. “The bottom line is that we can be happy with the weekend. We took pole, set a new lap record and finished on the podium twice. It was a solid weekend,” he sums up.
The 2023 WSBK season continues next weekend in Portugal. “I am looking forward to Portimao. The circuit suits me, but also the bike. Plus I always see a lot of fans from Northern Ireland there,” Rea looks forward to the penultimate race weekend of the season.
