Defending champ Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) took both wins this weekend at Round 5 of the WSB championship at Imola. In the process, Rea tied Carl Fogarty’s WSB record with 59 career wins.
In Race 1, Rea took a relatively uneventful victory from pole position with Kawasaki teammate Tom Sykes finishing second and Ducati’s Marco Melandri third. Starting from 9th position in Race 2, Rea made his way to the front at roughly the half-way point and eventually cruised to a win with more than 4 seconds over second place Chaz Davies (Ducati). Sykes finished third in Race 2.
Rea now has a commanding 47 point lead in the championship over Davies. You will find full results to Race 1 here, and Race 2 here. For additional details and points, visit the official WSB site.
The comments bout Rea’s performance are interesting…
Is it the bike or it’s him?
What could happen if you switch Rea to Ducati?
What if MM93 got the DUC? (Or maybe Casey… he tame the untamable gp one)?
While everyone’s point that Kawasaki puts more resources into WSBK than other manufacturers is certainly true, Rea is also a unique talent. I don’t see anyone there beating him with the exception of Davies even with greater factory support. I’d love to see him in MotoGP, but Kawasaki isn’t willing and Rea is aging.
Rea is eminently beatable. Just look back to his WSB years on the Honda. He didn’t exactly set the series on fire.
He’s good, no doubt, but his recent dominance is all about the bike. Stick him back on the Honda, or the Yamaha, or a non-factory Kawi? He’d rarely sniff a podium, and even more rarely stand atop the top step. Stick him on any Ducati but Davies’, and it’d be the same story.
In a true sport the best should win, and in WSBK despite the rules that handicaped the best, it still wins, and deservedly !!
Instead of moaning, better accept that the Rea-kawasaki duo is one of the best, if not THE best, of the history of WSBK.
Rea is driving superbly and is a joy to watch, and the duels with Davis are
fantastic.
Do you want Rea to be defeated ?, then wait for another pilot-bike that do better.
It’s not all that difficult for Rea to win when he only has to beat his own teammate and, occasionally, Davies. Rea’s ride is one of only two factory efforts in the series, assuming one is willing to count the Davies/Melandri Ducati as a true factory effort.
Viktor92:
Not sure how old you are. But I’ve been watching this series since the Fogarty days when all the factories supported their riders.
Kawasaki IS NOT spending millions in MotoGP because they couldn’t win there. So they are spending millions in world sbk and beating up on teams only because the other factories are not truly there. They are focused on MotoGP. World sbk is a shadow of what it used to be, even just from the years where Toseland and the boys, Spies and Haha et all raced. The factories were all in it. Not anymore. They are focused on MotoGP.
Kawasaki should go try and win in MotoGP with Rea on a MotoGP bike. I’d love to see that.
So, Rea starts from pole in race one and cruises to an easy victory. He’s made to start race two all the way back in ninth place, which is the height of silliness, and still wins the race by four seconds.
This series is severely broken.
It’s sad that the series is like this I’ve been watching it for years. If they don’t change it myself I will not keep watching it all the manufacturers need to be in it an backed by them .Without out the factories backing it you have the privateer then make it all privateers I’m sick of seeing Kawasaki an Ducati win send the rest of the grid home an we can watch Rea an Davis they have made this series a mess that is the people in command!
Rea won? Really? Never saw that coming.
Come on everyone, two things: Rea really is that good.
But the other part of the story is Kawasaki isn’t spending a dime in MotoGP. They left MotoGP with their tail between their legs and never looked back.
That zx10 is not far off MotoGP times.
Kawasaki should field a MotoGP bike with Rea.
Then we will see who’s really fast. As it stands, the other manufacturers have to spread their resources between sbk and MotoGP. Think what any of the other manufacturers could do in world sbk if they only focused there and not spend millions in MotoGP.
Just saying… Kawasaki knows they have a good thing going by staying out of MotoGP and focusing on world sbk.
Rea won? Really? Never saw that coming.
Come on everyone, two things: Rea really is that good.
But the other part of the story is Kawasaki isn’t spending a dime in MotoGP. They left MotoGP with their tail between their legs and never looked back.
That zx10 is not far off MotoGP times.
Kawasaki should field a MotoGP bike with Rea.
Then we will see who’s really fast. As it stands, the other manufacturers have to spread their resources between sbk and MotoGP. Think what any of the other manufacturers could do in world sbk if they only focused there and not spend millions in MotoGP.
Just saying… Kawasaki knows they have a good thing going by staying out of MotoGP and focusing on world sbk.