Early years of Jonathan Rea, 30, he was British 60cc motocross runner up in 1997, before moving up the motocross classes. He was not originally keen to switch to circuit racing as he considered it to be boring, but he was persuaded to by friends Michael and Eugene Laverty, contesting the 2003 British 125cc Championship. His 2004 season was interrupted by a crash at Knockhill.
Jonathan Rea amazingly has won 9 superpoles, 28 Ninja Fastest Laps and 35 Ninja SBK in his SBK career. A historic third championship win in succession for Jonathan Rea came after his 12th win of the season, which was also the 50th of his WorldSBK career. Has led the 2017 title race from round one, race one, and make sure of his ultimate title success after winning Magny Cours wet race by over 16 seconds. Rea’s latest victory came despite the slippery conditions that changes from lap-to-lap as the skies brightened after heavy overnight rain. The race was a difficult affair for all, as the threatening rains arrived in a very light form and slowly got heavier as the laps counted down.
Rea’s strong performance on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR made for an ideal start to what could be a unique and historic race meeting in France. He became the first rider in the 30-year history of WorldSBK racing to win three titles in a row on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR which no other rider had won it before today. Rea made a sensational start from pole to lead by 2.4 seconds after lap one and extended his lead as he finished 16.3 seconds ahead of Marco Melandri.
He celebrated his latest championship success trackside with a three-pronged golden trident, symbolizing his three championships in succession and a special crash helmet design, before coming back to pit lane to celebrate his historic achievement with his team and KHI personnel.
Rea stated: “I have no words right now. I have sacrificed so much in my life, as have my parents and everyone involved in helping me get me to this level. To win it the championship the first time, the second time and then go three times in a row, I can’t compute my feelings right now. My thanks to all the team, every single member of the team and everyone from Kawasaki back in Japan. Most of all I want to thank my wife and kids who sacrifice so much. To win this race was special. Winning a race to win the championship is not something I have done before, so it was important for me to do that. I also scored my 50th WorldSBK race win as well.”
