19 hours ago
‘I'm no longer a priority' – Jonathan Rea facing uncertain future at the end of the season
Ballyclare racer Jonathan Rea (right)
Rea's struggles on the R1 machine continued yesterday at round six at Misano in Italy, where the 38-year-old finished 12th in the opening race of the weekend.
The Ballyclare man missed the first three rounds this year after injuring his left foot in a crash during the final winter test at Phillip Island in Australia in February and made his return at Cremona in Italy at the beginning of May, finishing outside the points in 19th, 16th and 18th.
He scored his best result of the season next time out at Brno in the Czech Republic with 10th in the first race and 10th in the Superpole race, before slipping a few places to 13th in the final race.
Rea has been linked with a move away from Yamaha next season, with reports suggesting he would prefer a Ducati ride, but the record 119-time race winner is no longer at the front of the queue for the best bikes in the championship.
'Before Toprak [Razgatlioglu] joined BMW, I was always one of the first to be approached,' said Rea.
'This is no longer the case. I am no longer a priority.
'I want to be competitive. I don't know yet what options I'll have. My idea is that I make a decision after Donington (in July).
'If nothing exciting comes up, I'm prepared to stay home. But I want to know beforehand how competitive I can be with this bike and my crew. For me, this is unfinished business.
'The road can go either way. First I have to find out if I'm interested in continuing as I do now.
'And Yamaha has to find out if they want to keep me on board.'
Rea made the switch to Yamaha for 2024 after nine seasons at Kawasaki, during which time he became the most successful World Superbike rider in history, winning the title six times consecutively from 2015 to 2020.
However, he endured the worst season of his WSBK career last year, ending the campaign in 13th with a best finish of third at Donington Park.
He was determined to make amends in 2025 but his injury setback at the start of the season happened at the worst possible time.
Rea, who qualified 16th at Misano yesterday, will be looking to climb further up the leaderboard in today's races.
His Pata Maxus Yamaha team-mate, Andrea Locatelli – who has penned a new two-year deal with the team – was fifth in race one and is clearly more comfortable on the R1.
Reigning champion and factory BMW star Razgatlioglu will move to the MotoGP World Championship next year with the Pramac Yamaha team, while former champion Alvaro Bautista is a free agent after confirming he won't be retained by Ducati.
Razgatlioglu won yesterday's opening race by one second from championship leader Nicolo Bulega, who has signed a one-year extension with the Ducati squad.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Ducati) was 16 seconds down on Razgatlioglu in third, narrowly holding off Briton Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) for the final rostrum spot.
The Superpole race is at 10am today with Race Two at 1pm.
