Rea: “We want to capitalise on these next two rounds”

Jonathan Rea is hoping to produce similar results to what he achieved at Donington Park, during this weekend’s Italian WorldSBK round at Imola.

Robert Jones

11 Jul 2023

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki WorldSBK Donington Park 2023

The six-time WorldSBK champion put together one of his strongest rounds of the season, after securing two podiums and a fifth place in Race 2.

Although the final race of the weekend left Rea slightly disappointed given the performance he showed during the Superpole Race in particular, the Kawasaki rider again closed the gap to Andrea Locatelli for P3 in the championship.

And heading into Imola, one of his best circuits on the calendar, Rea is hoping to make up more ground.

"When I saw Imola was back on the calendar I was already looking forward to this one," said Rea. "It is a great track with a real atmosphere. You feel very close to the fans, especially with the paddock being so closely-knit and intimate.

"The circuit is steeped in history. It has a nice layout, undulations and some of the most iconic sections of track in the world.

"I am looking forward to getting there and we have good memories from 2019. With a lot of data I hope we can start Friday with a strong set-up and continue being competitive, like we were at Donington last time out.

"It is important to try to stay on the podium and try to score some good points for our championship battles, because we will move on to Most soon after.

"These next two rounds, in Italy and the Czech Republic, mark a part of the championship where we want to capitalise and be strong. I cannot wait to get stuck in."

Also strong at Donington Park was Alex Lowes, who like Rea, is aiming to challenge for the podium at Imola.

Lowes added: "Imola is an historic track which has seen some amazing WorldSBK battles, most notably the Edwards/Bayliss scrap to decide the championship during the 2002 season.

"The layout itself is quite challenging with fast and slow changes of direction and also some elevations and drops.

"We haven’t ridden there since 2019 but it is a track I really enjoy. It is an ‘old school’ style of circuit, which is quite challenging physically, especially in the hot temperatures that have been forecast for race weekend.

"My target, as always, is to get off to a good start on Friday so we can challenge for the podiums on Saturday and Sunday - and of course have some fun."