The UK WorldSBK was the one spherical in 2024 that noticed Jonathan Rea on the rostrum for Yamaha, however the Northern Irish rider says a repeat of that might be a “lofty goal” in 2025.
Rea stays with no podium this season, the six-time World Superbike Champion’s second with Yamaha, however a top-three end stays “a goal” at Donington this weekend – a circuit that has seen Rea take 5 victories prior to now.
“It’s a goal,” Jonathan Rea advised Crash.web when requested if a podium was a sensible goal on the 2025 UK WorldSBK.
“Whether or not it’s lifelike or not is one other query.
“”We’ve been beginning my season late as a result of damage.
“It looks like, particularly in the previous couple of years, qualifying has been powerful. If you happen to begin anyplace outdoors these first few rows that basically compromises your race.
“So, quite a lot of emphasis is on qualifying this weekend, after which, if I can qualify effectively, why not?
“I used to be in a position to do it final 12 months, out of nowhere.
“My begins have been good, at Donington it’s essential, and it’s all about simply having an excellent Friday, construct the momentum, construct the sensation, and why not?
“It’s a lofty goal, however we’ll see.”
The significance Rea locations on qualifying comes partly from his poor one-lap velocity this 12 months that has seen him rating a greatest Superpole results of 14th on the Czech Spherical in Most.
“I lack quite a lot of confidence with connection to the rear tyre, basically phrases,” he defined.
“When you possibly can construct by way of a two-day check and do laps and laps and laps and construct confidence you will get there ultimately.
“Usually, my Race 2 of a weekend has been the strongest one.
“However by way of Most I crashed on lap two, on the rear tyre, of FP1 and destroyed the bike – I used to be adopted by 5 or 6 different riders on an identical tyre doing the identical.
“In Misano, I sat out all of FP1 with a technical [issue]; I used to be in a position to do a chrono lap on the finish simply to verify the bike was tremendous.
“So that you begin from the backfoot already. It makes FP2 fairly aggravating, you then’re throwing a qualifier in on Saturday morning to qualify for a race on Saturday afternoon.
“So, if you don’t have that momentum or circulation to a weekend it makes it a lot more durable.
“That’s simply my story. I’m coming from additionally sitting out the primary few rounds.
“The final two rounds have been more durable, however there’s causes for that.
“Let’s have a standard weekend in Donington and Balaton and see how this mid-part of the season goes.”
