WSBK: Rea Pens New Multi-Year Kawasaki Deal

It has been announced that Kawasaki and Jonathan Rea will be continuing their relationship for the foreseeable future as KRT and the reigning World Champion announced a new multi-year deal.

Since joining Kawasaki for the 2015 season, Rea has won five world titles out of a possible five, and 74 races from 141, giving a 52.5% win record for the Northern Irishman aboard the ZX-10RR.

This success is unrivalled in WorldSBK history, so despite the rumours of interest from other manufacturers, as well as from MotoGP, it is no surprise to see Rea continue with KRT. 

The deal also confirms Kawasaki’s line-up for 2021, with Alex Lowes having already been announced to be continuing with the brand after he left the first, and so far only, round of the 2020 series with the points lead. 

The certainty over his future will also be of benefit to Rea when the 2020 season and his fifth WSBK title defence resumes, as he will be on equal footing in this regard to the two riders who are perhaps considered his biggest rivals: Scott Redding and Toprak Razgatlioglu, who are both in the first year of their respective two-year deals with their respective manufacturers, Ducati and Yamaha. 

For the other riders who would hope to be in that title fight as, with the exception of aforementioned points leader Lowes, the uncertainty over their respective futures remains. This includes the likes of Honda’s Alvaro Bautista, the BMW pairing of Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty, and Razgatlioglu’s Pata Yamaha teammate, Michael van der Mark. 

In acting quickly and decisively, Rea and Kawasaki have once again prepared themselves in a good way to fight for the title, while many of their rivals remain under pressure to secure favourable terms and a favourable location for their futures.