Jonathan Rea

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jonathan Rea
OBE
Rea at Donington Park in 2016
NationalityNorthern Irish
Born (1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 37)
Larne, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Current teamPata Prometeon Yamaha
Bike number65
Websitejonathan-rea.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years
2012
ManufacturersHonda
2012 championship
position
21st (17 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
2 0 0 0 0 17
Superbike World Championship
Active years2008
Manufacturers
Championships
6 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
2023 championship position3rd (370 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
413 119 263 43 104 6172.5
Supersport World Championship
Active years2008
ManufacturersHonda
Championships0
2008 championship position2nd (164 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
12 3 6 0 0 164

Jonathan Rea

OBE (born 2 February 1987) is a Northern Irish professional motorcycle racer. He competes in the Superbike World Championship and is a six-time champion in the series.[1]

He is the first to have won the Superbike World Championship six times: in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He also owns the highest number of SBK race wins (107), fastest laps, podiums and total points (over 5,000 gained until the end of August 2021).

Previously he was runner-up in the

2012
, scoring points on both occasions, but has not been a regular rider in the championship.

He was nominated for the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, finishing in second place.

Career

Early career

For much of his career he has been backed by

Knockhill
.

In 2005 Red Bull set up a British Superbike ride for him on a factory-spec

Snetterton after a heavy testing crash, and at Oulton Park
after the death of a junior teammate in the previous event.

British Superbike Championship

He started the 2006 season strongly, lying sixth in the

Knockhill he took pole position, and followed a fourth in race one with his first career podium in race two, passing Leon Haslam for second with two laps to go. He ultimately took fourth in the championship, ahead of the factory Honda of Karl Harris
.

He took Harris' factory ride for 2007, alongside reigning champion

Knockhill followed,[5] taking him to within nine points of Kiyonari at the top of the standings – retaining this position after Oulton Park in which each HM Plant Honda rider won once and crashed once. He ultimately finished as the series runner-up, 26 points behind Kiyonari and 20 ahead of Leon Haslam
.

Also in 2007, he raced with Kiyonari and won a three-hour endurance race, and the pair was then entered for the

Suzuka 8-Hour race on a factory Honda machine. Plans for him to contest the British MotoGP round on a Team Roberts bike were scrapped in favour of extra Suzuka preparation.[6] He attended the 2007 World Superbike round at Brands Hatch, as he began to explore international options.[7]

Supersport World Championship

In September 2007 he signed a three-year progressive deal with Ten Kate Honda to ride in the

Vallelunga, pushing him back up to second in the standings behind Pitt. His chances of winning the title were ended by a wild move from Robbin Harms in the penultimate round at Magny-Cours. He did remount to finish tenth in the race.[12]

Superbike World Championship

Jonathan Rea at Test MotoGP Aragón 2012

For 2009, Rea rode for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team in World Superbikes.

Misano, after a frantic battle with the Ducati duo of Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio.[16] This followed a chaotic first race that day; his bike failed on the dummy grid, he received a ride-through penalty for being given a lift back to the pits by Kiyonari on the warm-up lap, and when he switched to a wet set-up bike he – like teammate Carlos Checa – had trouble getting the second bike fired up.[17]
Rea missed several rounds in 2011 after sustained arm and collarbone injuries in a high-speed accident during warm-up for the Misano event. Rea missed the final four races of 2013 due to a broken femur.

ZX-10R
on display in Tokyo
Rea at Assen in 2016

He added a further win in Germany to finish fifth overall and second best rookie behind top rookie, Ben Spies, who won the World Superbike championship that year. He remained with Ten Kate for 2010, and scored a double victory at the team's home round at

Miller Motorsport Park injured his neck and shoulder, though he still raced the next day, scoring a 14th and an eighth.[20] He scored only seven points at Misano, as he fell behind Carlos Checa in the battle for third place in the championship standings.[21]

For the 2011 season, Rea stayed with the Ten Kate Racing family as its Honda-supported World Superbike team received backing from global lubricants manufacturer, Castrol, reviving the famous Castrol Honda name that saw World Superbike championship victories with John Kocinski in 1997 and Colin Edwards in 2000 and 2002.

After spending his entire career riding Honda machinery, Rea joined

Kawasaki Racing Team as Tom Sykes' new teammate for the 2015 season. Rea dominated the season and won his maiden World Superbike title, with 14 wins.[22]

Rea remained with Kawasaki in World Superbike championship until 2024.
He retained the title in
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 championship, becoming the first man ever to win six successive superbike world championships. On 9 June 2018, Rea won the first race at Brno to take his 60th career win and surpass the record of Carl Fogarty.[23]

MotoGP World Championship

Rea made his

Misano in Italy, and 7th at Motorland Aragon
in Spain, before returning to World Superbike duties.

Personal life

Rea's family background lies in motorcycle road racing. His father, Johnny, competed at the Isle of Man TT and took his sole victory during the 1989 Junior TT race.[24] His grandfather, John, sponsored Joey Dunlop.

Rea married Tatiana Weston, an Australian known as 'Tarsh' (whom he met when she worked promoting UK-based superbike team Honda Racing) at a 2012 ceremony in the Lake District.[25][26][27]

Queen's University Belfast conferred an honorary doctorate on Rea during December 2019.[28]

In 2021, Rea obtained his UK motorcycle licence for solo road machines by undertaking a course in his native Northern Ireland having passed with no minors and having the driving instructor pass him a laurel and bottle of champagne for his achievements.[29][30]

Rea was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours,[33][34]
both for services to motorcycle racing.

Career statistics

All-time statistics

Series Years Races Poles Podiums Wins 2nd place 3rd place Fastest Laps Titles Points
British Superbike Championship 2005–2007 72 7 20 5 11 4 5 0 719
Supersport World Championship 2008 12 0 6 3 1 2 0 0 164
Superbike World Championship 2008– 387 40 249 118 84 47 102 6 5891.5
MotoGP World Championship 2012 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17
Total 473 47 275 126 96 53 107 6 6791.5

British Superbike Championship

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2005
Honda BHI
13
BHI
18
THR
16
THR
12
MAL
14
MAL
14
OUL
12
OUL
9
MOP
Ret
MOP
Ret
CRO
7
CRO
Ret
KNO

Ret
KNO

9
SNE
SNE
SIL
12
SIL
11
CAD
Ret
CAD
Ret
OUL OUL DON
Ret
DON
11
BHGP
10
BHGP
10
16th 64
2006
Honda BHI
5
BHI
Ret
DON
8
DON
5
THR
4
THR
5
OUL
8
OUL
4
MOP
C
MOP
C
MAL
Ret
MAL
8
SNE

4
SNE

20
KNO

4
KNO

2
OUL
5
OUL
4
CRO
2
CRO
13
CAD
Ret
CAD
3
SIL
4
SIL
5
BHGP
18
BHGP
3
4th 248
2007
Honda BHGP
3
BHGP
2
THR
Ret
THR
4
SIL
2
SIL
3
OUL
4
OUL
5
SNE

2
SNE

2
MOP
4
MOP
1
KNO

1
KNO

1
OUL
Ret
OUL
1
MAL
2
MAL
Ret
CRO
2
CRO
2
CAD
Ret
CAD
1
DON
5
DON
7
BHI
2
BHI
2
2nd 407

Supersport World Championship

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
2008
Honda QAT
Ret
AUS
5
ESP
6
NED
2
ITA
Ret
GER
6
SMR
3
CZE
1
GBR
1
EUR
3
ITA
1
FRA
10
POR 2nd 164

Superbike World Championship

By season

Season Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2008 Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2 0 0 0 0 14 26th
2009 Honda CBR1000RR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda 28 2 8 0 2 315 5th
2010 Honda CBR1000RR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda 23 4 10 1 5 292 4th
2011 Honda CBR1000RR Castrol Honda 18 2 5 2 0 170 9th
2012 Honda CBR1000RR Honda World Superbike Team 27 2 6 0 0 278.5 5th
2013 Honda CBR1000RR Pata Honda World Superbike 18 1 4 0 1 176 9th
2014 Honda CBR1000RR Pata Honda World Superbike 24 4 9 1 2 334 3rd
2015 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Kawasaki Racing Team 26 14 23 2 11 548 1st
2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Kawasaki Racing Team 26 9 23 2 6 498 1st
2017 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team 26 16 24 6 14 556 1st
2018 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 25 17 22 2 14 545 1st
2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 37 17 34 7 12 663 1st
2020 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 24 11 17 4 11 360 1st
2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 37 13 30 8 14 551 2nd
2022 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 36 6 30 5 8 502 3rd
2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 36 1 18 3 4 370 3rd
Total 413 119 263 43 104 6172.5

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2008
Honda QAT QAT AUS AUS SPA SPA NED NED ITA ITA USA USA GER GER SMR SMR CZE CZE GBR GBR EUR EUR ITA ITA FRA FRA POR
4
POR
15
26th 14
2009
AUS
5
AUS
9
QAT
12
QAT
8
SPA
Ret
SPA
13
NED
7
NED
5
ITA
5
ITA
4
RSA
4
RSA
3
USA
5
USA
3
SMR
7
SMR
1
GBR
7
GBR
15
CZE
3
CZE
4
GER
4
GER
1
ITA
7
ITA
6
FRA
Ret
FRA
3
POR
2
POR
3
5th 315
2010
AUS
4
AUS
6
POR
3
POR
Ret
SPA
6
SPA
5
NED
1
NED
1
ITA
Ret
ITA
Ret
RSA
5
RSA
2
USA
14
USA
8
SMR
13
SMR
12
CZE
1
CZE
2
GBR
2
GBR
2
GER
1
GER
2
ITA
DNS
ITA
DNS
FRA
12
FRA
DNS
4th 292
2011
AUS
12
AUS
4
EUR
5
EUR
6
NED
1
NED
3
ITA
6
ITA
Ret
USA
Ret
USA
11
SMR
DNS
SMR
DNS
SPA SPA CZE CZE GBR GBR GER
10
GER
4
ITA
1
ITA
Ret
FRA
Ret
FRA
Ret
POR
3
POR
3
9th 170
2012
AUS
7
AUS
4
ITA
9
ITA
5
NED
Ret
NED
1
ITA
C
ITA
6
EUR
4
EUR
1
USA
4
USA
2
SMR
5
SMR
2
SPA

16
SPA

5
CZE

Ret
CZE

12
GBR
4
GBR
9
RUS
Ret
RUS
7
GER
Ret
GER
4
POR
6
POR
2
FRA
13
FRA
2
5th 278.5
2013
AUS
8
AUS
8
SPA

4
SPA

15
NED
2
NED
4
ITA

8
ITA

Ret
GBR
4
GBR
11
POR
Ret
POR
3
ITA

Ret
ITA

2
RUS
4
RUS
C
GBR
1
GBR
4
GER
Ret
GER
DNS
TUR TUR
USA
USA
FRA FRA SPA SPA 9th 176
2014
AUS
6
AUS
5
SPA

3
SPA

5
NED
3
NED
1
ITA

1
ITA

1
GBR
6
GBR
6
MAL
6
MAL
6
SMR
7
SMR
5
POR
5
POR
1
USA

6
USA

3
SPA
4
SPA
5
FRA
3
FRA
Ret
QAT

4
QAT

2
3rd 334
2015
Kawasaki
AUS
1
AUS
2
THA

1
THA

1
SPA

1
SPA

2
NED
1
NED
1
ITA

1
ITA

1
GBR
2
GBR
2
POR

1
POR

1
SMR
2
SMR
1
USA

3
USA

3
MAL
1
MAL
2
SPA
4
SPA
4
FRA
1
FRA
1
QAT

2
QAT

Ret
1st 548
2016
AUS
1
AUS
1
THA

1
THA

2
SPA

2
SPA

3
NED
1
NED
1
ITA

2
ITA

2
MAL
2
MAL
3
GBR
3
GBR
2
ITA
1
ITA
1
USA

1
USA

Ret
GER

Ret
GER

1
FRA
4
FRA
2
SPA
3
SPA
2
QAT

2
QAT

3
1st 498
2017 AUS
1
AUS
1
THA

1
THA

1
ARA

1
ARA

2
NED
1
NED
1
ITA

2
ITA

2
GBR
Ret
GBR
1
ITA
3
ITA
2
USA

2
USA

1
GER

2
GER

2
POR
1
POR
1
FRA
1
FRA
Ret
SPA
1
SPA
1
QAT

1
QAT

1
1st 556
2018 AUS
5
AUS
2
THA

1
THA

4
ARA

1
ARA

2
NED
1
NED
2
ITA

1
ITA

1
GBR
2
GBR
3
CZE

1
CZE

Ret
USA

1
USA

1
ITA
1
ITA
1
POR
1
POR
1
FRA
1
FRA
1
ARG

1
ARG

1
QAT

1
QAT

C
1st 545
Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2
2019 Kawasaki AUS
2
AUS
2
AUS
2
THA

2
THA

2
THA

2
SPA

2
SPA

2
SPA

2
NED
2
NED
C
NED
3
ITA

1
ITA

1
ITA

C
SPA
4
SPA
4
SPA
2
ITA
1
ITA
5
ITA
1
GBR
1
GBR
1
GBR
1
USA

1
USA

1
USA

2
POR
1
POR
1
POR
2
FRA
2
FRA
2
FRA
1
ARG
2
ARG
1
ARG
1
QAT

1
QAT

1
QAT

1
1st 663
2020 Kawasaki AUS
Ret
AUS
1
AUS
2
SPA
2
SPA
1
SPA
6
POR
1
POR
1
POR
1
SPA

3
SPA

1
SPA

1
SPA

2
SPA

2
SPA

1
SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
4
FRA
1
FRA
1
FRA
4
POR

4
POR

5
POR

14
1st 360
2021 Kawasaki
SPA

1
SPA

1
SPA

2
POR

3
POR

1
POR

1
ITA
3
ITA
3
ITA
3
GBR
2
GBR
1
GBR
20
NED
1
NED
1
NED
1
CZE
Ret
CZE
3
CZE
3
SPA
2
SPA
2
SPA
3
FRA
2
FRA
1
FRA
2
SPA
4
SPA
1
SPA
6
SPA
2
SPA
C
SPA
5
POR
Ret
POR
Ret
POR
1
ARG
2
ARG
3
ARG
2
INA
1
INA
C
INA
1
2nd 551
2022 Kawasaki SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
2
NED
1
NED
1
NED
Ret
POR
3
POR
1
POR
1
ITA
2
ITA
3
ITA
4
GBR
2
GBR
2
GBR
3
CZE
4
CZE
2
CZE
3
FRA
24
FRA
3
FRA
5
SPA
2
SPA
2
SPA
4
POR
3
POR
3
POR
3
ARG
2
ARG
3
ARG
3
INA
3
INA
2
INA
3
AUS
1
AUS
3
AUS
2
3rd 502
2023 Kawasaki AUS
2
AUS
7
AUS
8
INA
9
INA
4
INA
Ret
NED
2
NED
2
NED
Ret
SPA
3
SPA
Ret
SPA
5
ITA
5
ITA
5
ITA
4
GBR
3
GBR
3
GBR
5
ITA
3
ITA
4
ITA
3
CZE
1
CZE
2
CZE
3
FRA
3
FRA
3
FRA
3
SPA
3
SPA
2
SPA
4
POR
3
POR
Ret
POR
10
SPA
4
SPA
3
SPA
17
3rd 370

* Season still in progress.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2012
MotoGP Honda Repsol Honda Team 2 0 0 0 0 17 21st
Total 2 0 0 0 0 17

By class

Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
MotoGP 2012
2012 San Marino
2 0 0 0 0 17 0
Total 2012 2 0 0 0 0 17 0

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Pts
2012
MotoGP Honda QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED GER ITA USA IND CZE
RSM

8
ARA
7
JPN MAL AUS VAL 21st 17

Suzuka 8 Hours results

Year Team Co-Riders Bike Pos
2012 Japan F.C.C. TSR Japan Kousuke Akiyoshi
Japan Tadayuki Okada
Honda CBR1000RRW 1st
2018 Japan Team Green Kawasaki Japan Kazuma Watanabe
United Kingdom Leon Haslam
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
3rd
2019 Japan Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H United Kingdom Leon Haslam
Turkey Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
1st
2022 Japan Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H United Kingdom Leon Haslam
United Kingdom Alex Lowes
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
2nd

References

  1. ^ Lowes named as Haslam replacement at Kawasaki crash.net, 11 October 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019
  2. ^ Ryder, Joy (20 January 2009). "Jonathan Rea wins Irish Motorcyclist of the Year award". World Superbike News. Buzzin' Fly Limited. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  3. ^ BBC, Northern Ireland (30 January 2016). "Jonathan Rea named Irish Motorcyclist of the Year". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  4. ^ Moakes, Dan (17 June 2007). "Jonathan Rea's first SBK win at Mondello Park". F1 Network.net. Durham Associates Group. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  5. ^ Moakes, Dan (12 July 2007). "Jonathan Rea takes Superbike double at Knockhill". F1 Network.net. Durham Associates Group. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  6. ^ "Rea out – Kurtis replaces Kenny". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Q&A: Jonathan Rea – EXCLUSIVE". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Rea to ride in World Supersport". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  9. Motorcycle News. Bauer Media Group
    . Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  10. ^ "Rea pipped for victory in Assen". BBC Sport. BBC. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  11. ^ "Huge Jones accident stops race". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  12. Motorcycle News. Bauer Media Group
    . Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  13. . Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  14. ^ "Debut podium delight for Jonathan Rea". London Bikers. Media Panther Ltd. 17 May 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  15. ^ "Rea and Laverty take podium spots". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Rea clinches first Superbike win". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  17. ^ "Rea basks in maiden WSBK glory". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Rea secures breathtaking Assen double". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  19. ^ "Rea 'excited, not down in the dumps'". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  20. ^ "Rea close to full fitness for Misano". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  21. ^ "Rea eager to avoid Misano repeat at Brno". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  22. ^ "World Superbikes: Jonathan Rea secures championship". BBC Sport. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  23. ^ "World Superbikes: Jonathan Rea breaks Carl Fogarty record with 60th victory". BBC Sport. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Race Results – Isle of Man TT Official Website". Isle of Man TT Official Website. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  25. ^ Rea's wife on how she keeps bike champ's feet on the ground Belfast Telegraph, 16 December 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2019
  26. ^ Jonathan Rea, an Irishman in Australia, racing on ‘home ground’ for love Gazetta.it, 15 February 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2019
  27. Belfast Newsletter
    , 21 November 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2019
  28. ^ "Jonathan Rea: Motorcycling champion receives honorary doctorate from QUB". BBC Sport (Northern Ireland). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  29. News Letter
    , 17 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021
  30. ^ Passed Master – Jonathan Rea gains his motorcycle licence Kawasaki UK, 15 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021
  31. ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B21.
  32. ^ "Queen's Honours: Awards for Rory Best, Jonathan Rea and Steven Davis". BBC Sport (Northern Ireland). 16 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  33. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N14.
  34. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.

External links