Jonathan Rea: Winning is our focus and our goal, it's an addiction

The 2022 WorldSBK championship will see Jonathan Rea take part in his 14th season in the premier class as he goes in search of title #7.

The Kawasaki rider is far and away the series’ most successful rider after having clinched six world titles since joining the Japanese manufacturer in 2015, a number that is two ahead of another Superbike legend in Carl Fogarty. 

But where Rea has really separated himself is race wins as he accumulated nearly double the tally of Fogarty - Rea has 112 wins at present compared to the man known as ‘Foggy’ who has 59.  

When speaking about what success means and looks like, Rea said: "Winning is like an addiction, whether you feel physically good or bad. 

"Winning is our focus and our goal. Being successful is about winning, but for me it's more than just that. It's about staying healthy, having fun in the races and enjoying it with my team and family, taking on every challenge and every hurdle."

What many don’t witness is the level of effort and sacrifice that goes into winning, particularly when it relates to the consistency with which Rea has achieved it. 

The Northern Irishman, who alluded to outsiders only seeing the ‘beautiful moments’ of a rider’s success, will need another huge effort in 2022 if he’s to continue with the same type of results.

Rea will return to the #65 after being beaten to last year’s crown by Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will be even more determined to retain his title as a move to MotoGP could be beckoning for 2023.  

"Everyone sees our dominance in the races, but nobody sees what's going on behind the scenes," Rea continued. 

"No one sees me busting my ass every single day. At home, in training, working on every detail. Outsiders only see the beautiful moments, but no one sees how hard we work for it."