Victory in Portimao a must for Jonathan Rea after ‘win drought’

Without a WorldSBK victory since round three of the season in Estoril, Jonathan Rea’s hopes of becoming a seven-time Superbike champion appear to be getting smaller with each race that goes by.

Robert Jones

06 Oct 2022

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki WorldSBK Catalunya

Rea has taken five wins so far this season, however, WorldSBK series leader Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu have dominated recent rounds, leaving Rea on the outside looking in.

Rea is 67 points down on Bautista in the WorldSBK standings, a margin that is the largest since the beginning of the season between the two 2019 rivals.

After the Rea and Bautista's coming-together in Magny-Cours, Rea responded well by securing two second places in Catalunya, the problem, Bautista completed his first hat-trick of the 2022 season.

With Bautista and his Ducati Panigale V4 R looking like a more complete package than Rea and his ZX-10RR Kawasaki at this stage, relying on ‘favourite circuits’ for success might not be enough.

Still, that’s what Rea is hoping to take advantage of this weekend as WorldSBK returns to Portimao.

"Portimao is a great circuit, and one which has a lot of special memories for me," said Rea. "I had my first ever WorldSBK race there in 2008. The circuit itself is very challenging.

"It has a lot of different characteristics, from slow corners to fast ones, blind entries and apexes, so there is a lot of rider input required. We have enjoyed some success there.

"After Barcelona, where we were able to extract the full potential from our Ninja ZX-10RR, I expect to go to Portugal and keep working with my team to create a good race package.

"The race in Portugal is also cool because I have a lot of travelling support from Northern Ireland there. It is a great circuit for viewing as well. The target is to have a really good weekend. I really want to get back to winning ways after this mid part of the season, where I have had a bit of a win drought.

"Our team has had two good days of testing recently; one in Barcelona following the race and one in Motorland. We have a lot more information now and I am excited to put that to good use in Portugal."

Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea, Catalunya WorldSBK superpole race, 25 September — Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea, Catalunya WorldSBK superpole race, 25…

Rea’s record in Portimao is a stunning one after winning a total of 13 races - all his victories have come in the last 17 races at the Algarve International Circuit.

Alex Lowes hoping to continue improved WorldSBK form

One of his best rounds of the season in terms of pure performance, Catalunya at times brought out the best in Lowes, which was highlighted by his podium in the Superpole race.

Looking to continue that in Portugal, Lowes added: "Portimao is one of my favourite tracks - and events in general. It’s going to end the European season for us and normally it’s a good track for me and the Ninja ZX-10RR.

"I’m aiming to continue my strong form and be fighting for the podium places again.

"We’ve made some improvements with our base set up lately, especially with the rear of the bike, which has given me even greater confidence. I can’t wait to try out the set-up changes next weekend at Portimao."