On paper, a sixth-place end in Estoril WorldSBK Race 1 made it certainly one in all Jonathan Rea’s greatest rides on the Yamaha R1, however afterward he revealed he’d been coping with a confidence-sapping brake drawback.
Rea began the race effectively and was chasing Alvaro Bautista for third, however dropped again within the center as he encountered a brake concern that he’d had already in FP3, however thought had been mounted.
“To start with of the race I felt actually good,” Jonathan Rea stated, talking to WorldSBK.com after Race 1 in Estoril.
“Alvaro [Bautista] was making some errors, I used to be capable of be actually clear in a lot of the corners and simply lose out from the exit of the final nook to show one.
“However sectors two and three I had it collectively after which each time I may nearly take the slipstream.
“However in the course of the race I had an enormous second in flip one the place the lever got here again to the bar and that allowed Alex [Lowes] and Andrea [Locatelli] to reach. Then they handed me the very subsequent lap on the straight.
“So, simply bumped into some brake points in the course of the race. We had this concern this morning, we thought with altering discs we may iron the issue out however it form of confirmed its head once more so we actually must verify what’s up with that.”
The brake concern was not the one factor amongst Rea’s focused areas of enchancment for Sunday, though he was clearly most involved by it.
“I believe we’re an excessive amount of within the rear,” Rea stated, referring to his basic bike steadiness.
“Once I begin to launch the brake the entrance’s popping up and sitting within the rear, after which I’m turning lots on the rear so I actually am utilizing a number of rear tyre.
“So, I believe we are able to enhance that space, after which try to perceive what’s occurring with these brakes.
“Truthfully, while you’re arriving at [turn one at] 320kph (198mph), roughly, while you don’t know if the lever’s going to be within the place you anticipate it to be in it’s scary.
“I had a visit to the gravel this morning with that.
“So, if I can repair that confidence concern within the latter phases of the race, I do know the brake’s going to be high-quality, we ought to be lots stronger.”
Brake points and steadiness apart, Rea was proud of the efficiency of his bike.
“The bike was not so unhealthy,” he stated.
“I believe particularly within the final lengthy nook the bike simply wasn’t turning superb after the grip had dropped; and mechanical traction continues to be one thing we have to give attention to.
“In every single place else the bike was good, I used to be having fun with it. Being in that battle for the top-five was very nice.”
“Grateful to Bulega”
Rea was put in place to battle for the top-five because of a powerful qualifying in sixth.
The Pata Yamaha rider benefitted from a tow from Nicolo Bulega to set his time. The Ducati rider himself was capable of lap within the 1:34s, the one rider aside from Toprak Razgatlioglu to take action in Superpole, however Rea defined that he was principally searching for assist in the straight from the Italian.
“I’m actually grateful to Nicolo [Bulega], however we are able to’t beat in regards to the bush: we’re high of the pace traps if we flip the web page the other way up,” the six-time World Superbike Champion stated.
“So, […] any little benefit I can get with the slipstream actually helps, and once we’re speaking about tenths-of-a-second in Superpole – or hundredths-of-a-second – all the things issues.
“So, actually grateful that I didn’t annoy him, I used to be far sufficient away to not drag him again on the straight, and he did a fairly clear lap.
“It made my day, in case you like, beginning there. Getting a very good begin, the Yamaha R1 rips off the road, so I used to be already in good monitor place.
“Within the restart, really, Loka [Andrea Locatelli] got here previous me in flip one, however I made a very good first lap after which, with Alvaro, I may grip in there each final nook simply to be there and attempt to get sucked alongside, after which simply do my bit.
“The latter stage of the race we had been a bit of bit in hassle with just a few issues however we are able to hopefully iron that out tomorrow.”
