Jonathan Rea continues to have a tough time in the early stages of his stay at Pata Prometeon Yamaha in the World Superbike Championship. The Barcelona round proved to be challenging for the six-time champion, who is struggling to adapt to the new bike – in a very balanced field where tenths make all the difference.
The British rider arrived at the Catalan circuit with higher hopes, thanks to the good indications from the test held there days before. However, the results were disappointing: he retired from the first race due to a clutch problem, finished 13th in the Superpole race after a track exit in the first corner, and ended on a better note with eighth place in the second race – the best result after the first two rounds. However, Rea admitted he was disappointed: ‘Overall, it was a very disappointing weekend‘.
Regretting missed opportunities, and emphasizing the need to be more aggressive in the early stages of races, #65 pointed out to the championship’s official website that something has to change: ‘The tide has to turn; we’ve had several problems and we’re dealing with them very well, trying to turn the page‘.
On the other hand, Rea noted that the competitiveness of the field means that small margins make a difference, at a time when he still doesn’t have the pace to fight where he wants to: ‘You don’t have to be far off the pace to be fighting outside the top ten, and I still don’t have that pace‘.
Enfin, le pilote natif d’Irlande du Nord a déclaré : ‘Nous ne luttons pas pour le podium, c’est toujours l’objectif. La catégorie est serrée; l’année dernière, tu pouvais ne pas être au top et lutter facilement pour le top dix. Maintenant, si quelque chose ne va pas ou si les étoiles ne sont pas alignées, tu rencontres des difficultés’.
