Northern Ireland's Jonathan Rea will celebrate a major milestone at Phillip Island in Australia as the Pata Honda star competes in his 100th World Superbike race.
Rea is on course to reach the
WSBK landmark in race two at the spectacular Aussie circuit next month.
Since making his debut in the championship in 2009, Rea has established himself as a leading light in the series, accumulating 10 race victories and 29 rostrum finishes.
The popular Ulsterman told the official World Superbike website he was aiming to improve his “strike rate” in 2013.
“I'm looking forward to Phillip Island, especially this year as race two will be my 100th World Superbike race.
“As far as wins go, I have a 10% strike rate in SBK which is OK, especially with the current level of the championship, but I would like to improve on it,” said Rea.
“I love winning races and I've enjoyed being in the World Superbike family for all my races so far.
“I'm with a great team and riding against great competitors, so I hope I can continue towards another 100 races after Phillip Island.”
Rea and his Honda teammate, Leon Haslam, struggled with a new HRC electronics system on their Fireblades at the recent
Jerez test and both are striving to iron out any teething issues during the final shakedown at Phillip Island prior to the opening round of the world championship there on February 24.