Rea pinning hopes on 'good all-round package'
Jonathan Rea believes his PATA Honda's 'good all-round package' will stand him in good stead for a rostrum challenge in this weekend's World Superbike Championship round at Motorland Aragon.
The Ulsterman is looking to bounce back from a solid, but unspectacular season opener at Phillip Island that yielded a sixth and fifth place finish, Rea joining his team for a private test at Jerez last week in an effort to extract more speed from the machine.
A fan of the Alcaniz circuit, though Rea acknowledges his Honda CBR1000RR may be lacking compared with its rivals down the long back straight, he is confident the remainder of the circuit will favour his bike.
"I really like the Aragon circuit - it's a well-designed track that I enjoy riding," he said. "We've tested there quite a lot in recent years, too, so I know my way round there pretty well. We had a good test at the end of last season and were able to improve our race pace from earlier in the year, when I finished fourth in race one.
"Since Phillip Island, we've had some software updates and some new chassis components that we were waiting on so we're in a much better position to go racing. Aragon's long straight might not suit the bike quite as well as it suits others, but the circuit needs a good all-round package which we definitely have with the new CBR.
"I'm looking forward to working with my team through the weekend to get the best set-up and hopefully, with a clean Friday and Saturday, we can be challenging at the front come race day."
