Jonathan Rea focused on making progress as comeback from injury continues in Czech Republic
Rea made his long-awaited comeback at the beginning of May after spending more than two months out with a foot injury.
The record-breaking six-time champion suffered fractures in a crash in testing a few days before the season commenced in Australia.
Rea endured a tough return at Cremona in Italy at round four but now wants to put the injury behind him as he concentrates on making further progress this weekend, where the 38-year-old is seeking to score his first points of 2025.
'If I could come away from Most feeling good with the bike, riding the bike in the proper way, making the correct adjustments, that would be something to be satisfied with because there's still a lot of the season left,' said Rea.
'Now, I'm not racing for classification because I've been injured — it's all about trying to maximise the opportunities that come my way and to do that we have to prepare in the best way, so Most is a good place to try and regain that feeling, and consistency and performance.
'I still have a lot of pain day to day but the body is clever to understand the pain, so it becomes easier if you like.
'I think with the plates inside my foot, and you walk on that with every movement, two of the metatarsals are fused together, so it offsets a lot of the force and pain.
'I think until I get those plates out, I'm going to have that feeling, so we need to check in the summer break if there's enough gap (to have them removed) or whether that can be done at the end of the season,' he added.
'Honestly, functionally and strength-wise, my foot is at quite 100 per cent let's say; aside from the pain and discomfort, it's quite normal and it shouldn't be an excuse from now on.
'Now is more about me getting a feeling on the bike and trying to forget the foot injury.'
Turkey's Toprak Razgatlioglu has a strong record at Most and was fastest in both free practice sessions on Friday for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team.
The reigning champion is 34 points behind Ducati's Nicolo Bulega ahead of Saturday's first race (1.00pm) and is eager to close the deficit. Bulega was involved in a huge high-side in FP1 but was able to participate in the afternoon session, ending the day fourth.
Razgatlioglu was two-tenths quicker than Sam Lowes (Marc VDS Racing Ducati) with brother Alex (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in third.
In the British Superbike Championship, Ulsterman Glenn Irwin led the time sheets in free practice at Donington Park on the Hager PBM Ducati.
Irwin, who is tied on 32 points at the top with Bradley Ray and Leon Haslam after the opening round at Oulton Park, was 0.093s ahead of Yamaha rider Ray, with Rory Skinner third on the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati for TAS Racing.
Current champion Kyle Ryde (OMG Nitrous Competitions Yamaha) was fourth with Haslam in fifth.
Andrew Irwin was 10th fastest for Honda Racing UK with fellow Northern Ireland man and BSB rookie Scott Swann in 12th (Send My Bag IWR Honda).
The first BSB race of the weekend on Saturday is set for 4.15pm with tomorrow's races due at 1.15pm and 4.20pm.
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Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop: I'm not happy with just 32 wins at the Isle of Man TT
Dunlop will be in action on Friday in the second Superstock and Supertwin races before the prestigious Senior race brings the curtain down on Saturday. The Ulsterman extended his incredible tally of wins around the iconic Mountain Course with a double in the Supersport class on the Milwaukee Ducati and a Supertwin victory on his MD Racing Paton. Dunlop will take some beating in Friday's second Supertwin race (4:15pm) on the Italian machine in his quest for a third consecutive TT four-timer. He was a runaway winner of the first Supertwin race on Tuesday by more than 22 seconds from Manxman Michael Evans and should emerge victorious again barring any unforeseen issues. His task will be tougher in the Opul Superstock race on Friday (10:45am), when Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) is seeking a double. Harrison won the first race for his fourth TT win and his first since he triumphed in the 2019 Senior. The English rider set his fastest ever lap at 135.692mph and brings formidable form to the table, while Davey Todd is a former Superstock winner who is eager to make amends on the 8TEN Racing BMW after finishing second to Harrison. Dunlop – third in the first Superstock encounter after he was hampered by an electronics issue – will be looking to close the gap to Harrison and Todd on his MD Racing BMW. 'I want to still win races and I wanted to come here and get into the thirties, and we're into the thirties,' Dunlop said. 'I've got three more races to have a go at and I will definitely be having a go – it won't be for the lack of trying, so we'll see what happens.' Dunlop is on the brink of a 50th TT podium after breaking John McGuinness's record of 47 rostrums this week. The second Sidecar TT race (1pm) is part of a packed schedule, when Manx brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe will be the favourites after a dominant win and 121mph lap record in Monday's race.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael Dunlop: I've put Ducati ‘back on top' after securing 32nd Isle of Man TT win
It was the Northern Ireland rider's 32nd victory around the Mountain Course and his third this week, with Dunlop also winning the first Supertwin race on Tuesday evening on his Paton. The 36-year-old has been unbeatable in the Supersport class since 2022, winning eight races in a row. He took something of a gamble this year after making the switch to an Italian Ducati Panigale V2 machine following six consecutive wins on his trusty MD Racing Yamaha. However, the move paid off and Dunlop won both races in style to make it 15 Supersport victories in total at the TT. He took control of the four-lap race from the off and led at every sector on each lap, extending his advantage throughout to win by 26.181s from Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK), with Davey Todd taking third on the Milenco by Padgett's Honda, almost 16 seconds back. 'It wasn't so bad,' said Dunlop, whose Ducati wins were the manufacturer's first at the TT since Rob Holden's Singles victory in 1995. 'It was going to be difficult, I knew Dean was going to come out the blocks, but I sort of got my act together at the start of the race. 'I was right at the front at the start so I gave myself a little bit less work to do. 'We had a bit of a nervy pit stop, she wouldn't fire again. But the bike was mint – thanks to all the team, they worked late last night to get it going and fair play to them. It was great. 'I'd just like to thank the team and the sponsors – it's not possible without them,' added Dunlop, who recorded the fastest lap of the race on the Milwaukee Ducati on the second lap at 129.297mph. 'Obviously for Ducati as well, it's nice to be back on top and doing the double again.' Dunlop said he had a small issue with the front of the machine but it wasn't enough to jeopardise his march to a record-extending 32nd TT win. 'We had a wee bit of a front end issue,' he said. 'But I knew what we were going to try, which was going to sort of work, and it was windy out there so I didn't know if it was a wind thing. 'But we just kept going, and happy to do the double for the Ducati team, for my own team, and for everybody else.' Runner-up Harrison didn't make his customary fast start but felt Dunlop was always going to be difficult to beat on the Ducati. 'I didn't get the best of starts to be fair, not my normal fast start,' he said. 'I was a bit steady from the start, and so I read my pit boards and I knew that Michael was going to be the man to beat today. 'I just wasn't sure who the battle was going to be with for second. So I got stuck in a bit, just watching my pit boards through the whole race, really.' Paul Jordan from Magherafelt enjoyed a strong run to fourth on the Jackson Racing Honda, with James Hind (North Lincs Components Suzuki) and Jordan's team-mate Josh Brookes finalising the first six. Jordan, who set his best Supersport lap at 126.358mph, said: 'I'm over the moon with the fourth-place finish today as well as the 126mph laps as it was tough conditions out there. 'The wind was pretty strong, which meant it was easy to catch you out, but I simply rode as hard as I could right from the drop of the flag. 'I just kept pushing as hard as I could, so to finish fourth is great, and with Josh in sixth it's been a good day for the team.' James Hillier was holding third on the second lap when he was forced out with an issue with his Bournemouth Kawasaki. Thursday's Sidecar race was postponed because of wet weather and is now due to be run on Friday, when the second Superstock and Supertwin races are also scheduled. There is no racing on Thursday at the TT, which is a rest day for competitors and teams.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Dunlop continues Supersport dominance with 32nd TT win
Michael Dunlop continued his dominance of the Supersport category at the Isle of Man TT by taking victory in Wednesday's delayed race two in the class for this third win of the success in the four-lapper took the Northern Ireland rider's overall tally of career wins at the event to an all-time record-extending had an advantage of 26.1 seconds over runner-up Dean Harrison by the end of the race, with Davey Todd a further 15.8 seconds adrift in 36-year-old has now won 15 Supersport TT races, including the last eight in a row, courtesy of four consecutive doubles between 2022 and county Antrim rider had given Italian marque Ducati their first TT win for 30 years was first in Monday's opening Supersport outing, a triumph which was also notable for being the seventh different manufacturer on which Dunlop had achieved success over the 37-73-mile Mountain Course."The wee bike [Ducati Panigale V2] is mint and it never missed a beat," a delighted Dunlop told Radio TT after the race."We buy our own bikes and choose our own manufacturers and winning races is what I'm here to do so I'm happy. To be in the 30s bracket is great."It's nice for Ducati too, nice for them for them to be back at the top again, so I'm happy to do the double for them." Dunlop in charge from the off Wednesday's race started two and a quarter hours later than originally scheduled because of weather problems, a road traffic accident and a non-racing related medical emergency but when the action did begin, it was Dunlop who immediately headed the timings in the windy a primarily yellow livery in recognition of one of Ducati's preferred colours, in addition to their more customary red, Dunlop found it hard to shake off the challenge of Harrison and Todd on their respective Hondas on lap one, the margin of his lead the end of the opening circuit, he had 1.9 seconds to spare over Harrison, with James Hillier moving into third, before the Hampshire rider retired on the second gradually extended his advantage thereafter, enjoying a lead of 15.9 seconds after his second circuit and increasing that to 21.5 seconds by the end of lap three and then by a further 4.5 fastest lap of the race, 129.297mph on lap two, was marginally slower than the 130.313 he managed in race one, due largely to the breezy also won Supertwins race one on Tuesday, the TT wins record holder will have opportunities to secure a fifth four-timer of his TT career when he takes in the second Superstock and Supertwins races on Friday and the blue riband event of the meeting, the Senior TT, on Harrison, who took his fourth podium of the week, and Todd, Paul Jordan finished fourth, James Hind fifth and Josh Brookes the other solo races held so far this week, Davey Todd took his third TT success by winning the Superbike event and Dean Harrison secured his fourth victory and his first for six years by coming out on top in Superstock race one, giving Honda a first triumph in that class since 2013 and ending the domination of BMW, who had won the previous eight editions from 2016 onwards. Supersport race two result 1 Michael Dunlop2 Dean Harrison3 Davey Todd4 Paul Jordan5 James Hind6 Josh Brookes7 Mike Browne8 Dominic Herbertson
