Jonathan Rea has seen it all during his career in World Superbikes. A six-time champion and the greatest rider in the history of the sport, the Ulsterman has been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
Rea is the master, but the latest Brit to join him on the grid is ready to begin his apprenticeship.
Bradley Ray arrives on the world stage this weekend with high hopes after storming to the title in last year’s British Superbike Championship. The exciting 25-year-old will be racing for the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team during the European rounds of the championship, beginning in Assen this weekend and shown live on Eurosport and discovery+.
There’s nobody better placed for him to look to for guidance than Rea, so Mirror Sport sat down with the pair of them to discuss what lies ahead. What advice would Rea give to the man sat beside him?
“Advice? Just Step by step,” Rea tells Ray. “In motorsport it’s all about confidence, you know?
“I suffered trying to make things happen when I was a bit younger, and sometimes you can take two steps forward and one back. Everything has to be step by step.
“Just enjoy it, as well. I probably didn’t enjoy my early seasons as much as I should’ve, because it’s pretty cool. Especially moving from a national series to a world championship, travelling around, you get to see some cool places as well.
"I always try and tag on the chance to see a city here or there, because as glamorous as it looks on TV on a Sunday, it’s airports, hotels and confinements to a motorhome. Getting outside the paddock, having a look around and enjoying the whole experience is good to do when you can.
“Step by step, things will come. Brad’s fast enough, he’s a talented kid and he’s going to find his feet. As long as every step is a forward step, that’s progress.
“Not too fast though!” he jokes. “Not just yet!”
“I’ll wait ’til you’re done!” Ray replies. He’s spent years watching Rea dominate the sport he loves, and enters this weekend simply hoping to keep up with his back wheel and tag along for the ride for as long as possible.
“It’s unbelievable what Jonathan’s done in world championships in his career,” he says. “To be world champion is hard enough, but to do it six-times in a row is so impressive.
“It’s going to be nice to maybe see him for a couple of corners this weekend - I’m not going to be hopeful for seeing him a lot of the time! But if I can tag on him for a little bit I’ll definitely be learning a lot, that’s for sure.”
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Ray’s weekend is a step into the unknown. He has some home comforts in that he has plenty of experience at Assen and has done as much testing as possible. But a new series and new, more complex bikes pose a big but exciting challenge as the Kent-born racer takes the next step in his blossoming career.
“I’m super excited,” Ray says. “It’s been a while since I had my last race, October last year, so it’ll be nice to get a race under my belt. It’s nice to come to Assen, a track I already know and I’m looking forward to it.
“We’ve had some good testing time, just need a bit more time to get up to speed, work into the weekend, learn how to strategise the World Superbike weekends and just enjoy it. Obviously last year was an unbelievable year for me in British Superbikes, I gained a lot of confidence and a lot of love back for racing.
“To get the job done, then come here for the European season in World Superbikes, I was over the moon. I felt like it was a perfect time for me to move up in my career and start attacking the world stage.
“I”m feeling really confident, I’m feeling quite relaxed and looking forward to just getting started now after a long off-season. I won’t sleep very well this weekend with all the excitement I’m sure, but I’ll just go out there with a smile, enjoy myself and hopefully the confidence will keep building.”
Rea, on the other hand, is already two rounds into his 15th World Superbike Championship season. He had a tough start in Australia and Indonesia but insists the same excitement remains after a much-needed reset entering the European rounds that will ultimately shape the standings.
“It’s mad,” Rea says. “Seasons come and go so fast so I still get super excited when I get my boarding pass to go to the airport.
“There’s been a big enough break now between the fly-away races and the first European race which means it almost feels like the start of the year again.
“It’s like a reset button, which is good for us because I’ve had a tough start to the year, so it’s nice to be here and back to an old stomping ground for me. I enjoy this place, Assen, and an incredible place to start.”
After slipping down to third in the standings last year, can the six-time world champion, now 36, climb back to the top of the tree?
“I wouldn’t say confident about that,” he admits. “The championship is super competitive right now.
“I’m just excited to go back in and try to keep improving, myself and my bike, that’s where the motivation is now. World championships, we lost last year by quite some margin, so it’s unrealistic to think like that.
“But winning races right now has got to be a target, starting this weekend it’s got to be our target to be fighting for the podium, try and win a race, then let’s see. It’s a long season, only two rounds gone, 30 races to go and excited to get stuck in.”
With Rea still seeing a future battling for race wins and Ray looking to eventually hit those heights, the prospect of the master and the apprentice going wheel to wheel for the chequered flag is an exciting vision for British fans.
Watch live and exclusive coverage of the third round of the World Superbike Championship on Eurosport and discovery+. Rachel Stringer will present coverage of the first race from 12.15 BST on Saturday
