ROAD NEWS
everyone who’ s stood by me throughout my career. Racing has given me so much, and while it’ s time to close this chapter in WorldSBK, my passion for the sport will never fade.” It wasn’ t just his current Yamaha associates genuinely thanking Rea for his contribution to the teams either. In a fairly unheard of response to the news, his previous brand, Kawasaki, was full of praise for the hardworking team member, amazing talent and genuinely nice guy that Jonathan Rea is. The vast majority of his successes were on Kawasaki machinery and, despite him moving on to a new brand and the challenge that he wanted to have, his legacy is strong in the green corner as well as the Blue one. Lifelong friendships with both brands are still as strong as the day they were forged and, although‘ retiring’ from full-time competition, expect to see the most successful WSBK rider OF ALL TIME continue to dabble, as well as having more family time. And so, a legend retires. Thanks for the racing, Jonathan Rea.
24 KIWI RIDER