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***Malcolm*** · 07-02-2015, 04:28 PM

Jonathan Rea believes his move to Kawasaki’s factory-supported World Superbike squad has given him the added motivation to prove he can win the series after six years competing in the class.

The 28-year-old chose to swap Honda machinery for Kawasaki’s formidable ZX-10R, a machine that has finished either first or second in the rider’s championship for three years running, at the tail end of 2014.

The subsequent adaption process has been a quick one as Rea placed inside the top three at both pre-season tests at Jerez in southern Spain.

Speaking to the News Letter at his KRT squad’s official team launch in Barcelona, Rea revealed that he is currently more motivated than ever ahead of the season opener at Phillip Island on February 22.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the most confident but I’d definitely say it’s the most motivated [I’ve been],” he said. “It’s a completely different challenge; in previous years I knew what I was getting into. I never struggled to motivate myself but I struggled to find something new to really believe that we were going to challenge for the championship when the bike stayed the same.”

One of the deciding factors in the move was the factory’s direct involvement in the series, something Rea’s Ten Kate Honda outfit lacked in the past.

Throughout the off-season the Isle of Man resident has already witnessed the benefits of such support.

“Now I know I’m joining one of the most successful teams. Whilst the regulations are changing quite a lot I still believe the support from the factory is what you need to be competitive. [With Kawasaki] you have a test meeting and the bikes turn up with countless boxes from Japan with new parts to test. That’s motivating for me as I’ve never had that before.”

The man who placed third overall in the 2014 standings went on to reveal his impressive speed during pre-season testing has partly come from an excellent atmosphere within the garage, which is led by former Spanish racer and crew chief Pere Riba.

“Pere is really good because he understands the feeling of riding a bike,” said Rea. “He’s also very, very good at controlling the mental attitude of the team. Everyone’s really motivated on my side of the garage. It’s really exciting to be part of.

“I just feel that my mechanics are so passionate about motorbikes. They come home from a race meeting and they watch races from different categories, classes and championships. They talk about bikes 24/7 so it’s cool to have that passion. We have fun together.

“I knew quite early last year that this would be the direction that we take and from that point we all set up a WhatsApp group - something simple like that but we’re in regular contact.

“When I turned up at the first test in Jerez it didn’t feel like a first day at school because it felt like I had bonded with everyone already.”

As has been the case for the past six years the fabulous Phillip Island circuit in southern Australia – a track at which Rea has yet to score a WSBK podium – hosts the first round of the series and with his wife Tatia hailing from the town next to the track, Rea fully intends to start the year off by placing inside the top three at his ‘second’ home race.

“We’re going to try and score highly. I’d love to make the podium in both races. That’ll be my target,” he said.

“I’ve never been on the podium in Phillip Island and it’s kind of like my second home. We just want to come out of there with our heads above water and start the season for real.”

Neil Morrison

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