Jonathan Rea responds to Yamaha rumours: “Everything is ongoing”
Despite being signed until the end of next season with Kawasaki, that hasn’t stopped rumours from doing the rounds as Rea has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Toprak Razgatlioglu.
The Turkish rider will leave for BMW next season which means his Yamaha seat has become the most in-demand on the grid.
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And although Yamaha initially stated they wished to promote a rider from within their ranks, the possibility to sign a star rider could tempt them away from such thoughts.
Set to try and win his first race at Most this weekend, Rea said this to WorldSBK.com about his future: "This time of year there’s always rumours and stories about the rider market, and I guess Toprak’s one is the next big one to be filled.
"But from my side there’s nothing really to say about my future. We go into the summer break.
"Of course, I have to go home and be with my wife, my kids, and understand my future also. I’m sure everything is ongoing but it’s all rumours right now."
Rea wasn’t the only one to address the rumours as Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli was keen to not give anything away.
"We are considering and monitoring all available riders. It will take a bit of time before we make a decision. We will only comment on this when our rider line-up will be defined."
One rider who is expected to be on the move next season is Scott Redding.
An announcement on his future never came at Imola, which he admitted would be the case, before Redding then clarified that he will remain in WorldSBK, no matter what.
"There was a little bit of miscommunication, actually," said Redding. "Not too much to say after that. I thought there would’ve been something.
"In the end, there was no news, so I had a little bit of peace and quiet for the rest of the weekend!
"An opportunity at Kawasaki isn’t something I’ve looked into because it came out of nowhere. Is it rumours again? Is there something behind it? It’s not really my business.
"My job is to focus on what I’m doing here at the moment. We know this year has been a little bit more difficult for us, even at our strong circuits.
"I feel like here is somewhere we can have a good weekend. With the tyres, it’s new for everybody, so it could help us a little bit more."
