In Part 2 of our feature-length chat with six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea, the 2022 runner-up talks tough on motivation, his rivals, the Championship’s level and every riders’ dreaded ‘R’ word…

With the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship honing into view and the preseason testing schedule well underway, it was time to catch-up with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who relinquished his crown in 2021. In the second of two parts, the 35-year-old reveals his undeterred motivation to get back the #1 plate and how Chaz Davies’ retirement triggered a strange sensation. Part 2 is below but you can enjoy Part 1, here.

MOTIVATION: it’s the strongest it has ever been

Starting with motivation, Rea was just as fired up as before:

“When people ask, ‘what’s the difference in motivation from keeping winning or trying to beat someone again,’ it’s the same. When you’re winning, it’s almost like the fear of not winning is keeping you motivated. When you finally accept that and you’re second and you’re at peace with it, then you can work forward in a good way. There’s no fear involved, and it becomes being all about trying to win.

“This off-season has been really nice; sometimes when you’re winning a Championship, it’s incredible: for TV, for media etc. However, what you don’t see in the background is the marketing commitments, flying everywhere to see a sponsor, manufacturer, or country. The last time I was on a plane before this test was in December to come here, so I’ve had such a good off-season. Sometimes, the weight of that #1 is heavy. I’ve enjoyed the positive sides of not being World Champion, but it doesn’t outweigh wanting the #1; I want that and I’m going to work hard to get it this season.

2022 RIVALS: Toprak the favourite, Bautista back to Ducati and fresh blood from MotoGP™

Assessing his main competition for the year ahead, rivals from now and before were mentioned:

“Is Toprak the guy to beat? Well, let’s see! You’d be silly to bet against him and I really feel that he starts as favourite, and I think that it really helps the preparations and the hype surrounding him and his future. I’m curious to see how he is going to perform in 2022. In WorldSBK, you never know. After Toprak, so many guys filled the podium in 2021, a lot of unexpected guys and a lot of race winners, it was incredible!

“I expect the same kind of season; rookies with more experience, factories learning more, rider changes such as Bautista to Ducati, Redding to BMW and also MotoGP™ riders coming into Honda! It’s all change! With that, you need to understand everyone’s place and I’m sure that after three or four rounds, we’ll understand the evolution of the Championship but for me, I’m just focussed on myself. If I can do that, then I’ll be fighting for podiums and hopefully a little bit more.

RETIREMENT: “I know my time’s going to come”

Looking back on becoming World Champion, Rea explained where the motivation comes from even after six titles:

“At this stage of my career, I feel like motivation is at an all-time high. I don’t need to ride on the limit… all I wanted to be as a child was a World Champion and I did that in 2015. Right now, I’m motivated just by winning, pushing my bike to its limits, beating my rivals, but I also get a lot of enjoyment from travelling to new places and working hard with my team in the background. I don’t know when it’ll stop… what was a strange feeling for me this year was when Chaz retired. He’s been my career rivals and I almost wanted to go to Chaz and say, ‘hey man, is this something that creeps up season-by-season or race-by-race or does it just arrive one day and that’s it’ because I know my time’s going to come but I want to finish my way.

“That’s what I want… that’s how I see things. As a motorcycle racer, that never happens, but I must say that the feeling isn’t around right now. It’s about winning, trying to do my best at Kawasaki and enjoying it too; it’s a lot of hard efforts in the off-season and for me at home. Also, for the team and the schedule, it’s a busy Championship. If you’re not enjoying it, then it’d be the perfect time to step away but when there’s the possibility to win and you’re having fun, I’ll be lining up on the grid for sure.