Jonathan Rea is without a doubt the most successful rider in the history of the Superbike World Championship.The numerous championship-winning rider's deal with Team Green is about to expire, raising the issue of what comes next for him. But at age 35, the Northern Irishman has decided to remain with the Kawasaki Racing Team since it is where he feels most competitive.
As a result, Jonathan Rea's contract with the Kawasaki Racing Team has been extended for a further two seasons. He will drive the official Ninja ZX-10RR at least through the 2024 season. He will compete alongside Alex Lowes again in 2023, whose contract with KRT runs through the 2023 season.
The Britishman made his debut in international racing in 2008, initially in World Supersport and then in WorldSBK courtesy to two wild cards with his team Ten Kate Honda the same year. The next year, he switched to racing in the WSBK full-time. He was one of the few riders to excel on an outdated Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, even managing to secure a podium in the championship at the end of the 2014 campaign.
The tides began to turn in Rea's favor when he joined the Kawasaki Racing Team, and this change would become the pinnacle of his professional career. Rea won the championship in his debut year on the Ninja with 14 victories. Then, by winning no fewer than six titles in a row, he completely sweeps the competition. But starting in 2019, he has had to contend with quicker rivals, first Alvaro Bautista and later Scott Redding, who temporarily took the Spaniard's seat at Ducati. However, Toprak Razgatlioglu is the one who causes the Kawasaki rider the most trouble and ends up unseating him in the 2021 season.
The race for the 2022 World Championship is currently among three drivers thanks to Bautista's return to Ducati. Jonathan Rea has six World Championship titles to go along with 37 pole positions in WorldSBK, 228 podium finishes, and 117 victories. He is currently in second place with 13 podium finishes, including 5 victories. Additionally, it enabled Kawasaki to surpass the symbolic threshold of 500 podium finishes.
