An indomitable force, a monumental achievement, and an impressive legacy – these are all apt phrases to describe Jonathan Rea’s 2018 season, as he clinched another WorldSBK Championship victory this weekend.
Now the winningest rider ever in World Superbike history, Rea becomes the second rider ever to win four WorldSBK Championship titles in total, and the first to win four titles in a row.
Onboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, Rea has been the benchmark at virtually every superbike round this season, with the rest of the field having to play catch-up each time he comes onto the race track.
Even with the setbacks found from the new performance-balancing rules for 2018, Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team were quick to adapt to the changing landscape in WorldSBK, and offered few missteps for their rivals to capitalize upon.
There were moments and tracks where it seemed that Ducati had something to offer against Kawasaki, and Jonathan Rea got stiff competition from his teammate Tom Sykes, but the Northern Irishman was unflappable in the face of these challenges, winning 62% of the races this season, and on the podium 86% of the time.
Left reaping the rewards of his hard work at this weekend’s round in Magny-Cours, Rea has five more races this season to enjoy, riding once again as the King of Superbikes.
“It’s absolutely incredible, I don’t have many words, we just played our cards perfectly this weekend with one lap pace and trying to be fast over the race but feel so blessed and lucky right now,” said Jonathan Rea, the 2018 WorldSBK Champion.
“I was just a young kid with a dream from Northern Ireland and now I’m four times world champion and its beyond my wildest dreams. Thanks to everyone for believing in me over the years, I couldn’t have done it without you all. Thank you.”
Photos: WorldSBK
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