On the Record Jonathan Rea
ON THE RECORD JONATHAN REA
IGNITION
INTERVIEW
Pata Honda World Superbike rider is on track for his best season
Matthew Miles
-> RIGHT NOW, THE SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS VERY BALANCED.
Honda, Aprilia, Kawasaki, and Suzuki have won this year, and Ducati got very close.
-> INTRODUCTION OF EVO HAS REALLY BOLSTERED THE GRID, BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF TWO SPECIFICATIONS WITHIN A CLASS.
We need a common set of rules for everybody.
-> I HAD THE BEST START OF THE YEAR I’VE EVER HAD, AND I’M RIDING BETTER THAN I’VE EVER RIDDEN.
-> ELECTRONICS ARE THE PITS. They’re making lap times better. They’re making safety better, but they’re so hard to get right. Sometimes having no electronics is better than having bad electronics. That said, when they’re working really good, it’s amazing the confidence you have.
-> PERFORMANCE OF THE PIRELLI TIRES HAS GONE UP A LOT SINCE WE WENT TO 17-INCH TIRES. Consistency is also much better.
The 27-year-old from Northern Irelandrblled into California last July with four wins in 2014 and rolled out third in points.
“THE CORKSCREW IS ICONIC— AN AMAZING CORNER.”
-> TO GET TO MY LEVEL IN THIS SPORT, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY SINGLE-MINDED-AND SELFISH, AS WELL. When I put on my helmet, I don’t think about my wife or if my son has had his food or his diaper changed.
I think about how I can get this bloody bike to go faster.
-> I LIKE TO HAVE MY FAMILY AT THE CIRCUIT.
I’ve got an incredible wife; she’s really understanding and helps a lot. In the evening, I’ve got my favorite people in the world around me. It’s a good buzz.
-> I’VE RIDDEN THE BEST BIKE IN THE WORLD, THE HONDA RC213V, AND I FINISHED INSIDE THE TOP 10 BOTH TIMES. My problem is that I’m getting a little old. There are so many fast kids coming from Moto2. Maybe I’ve missed the boat.
-> MY DREAM IS TO GO TO M0T0GP WITH A PROTOTYPE MACHINE AND GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT OF MYSELF.
JR ON LAGUNA SECA
Corkscrew
-> There was so much hype that i was a little bit intimidated. You change direction over the biggest peak, soil actually flows well through The scary part is when you do your last backshift and tip it in, you have no idea where the left curb is, so it takes some laps to build up.
Turn One
-> They say the Corkscrew is difficult, but turn one over that rise is~!T~11~ scariest orners in IUT~'T~T~! It's sixth gear, almost on the rev limiter. It's a really good part of the track, probably my favorite turn.
Fan Favorite
-> I really enjoyed the experience here. such a unique circuit, with loads and loads of chal lenges-and the crowd is insane.
