Honda's Jonathan Rea has admitted he felt like a bit of an amateur after highsiding out of the lead in race one at Magny-Cours' World Superbike finale yesterday but dusted himself down to take a podium in the second outing.
The Irishman put on a riding display in the tricky first-outing conditions, pulling a huge gap over Tom Sykes and setting fastest lap after fastest lap but he was caught out and ended up in the gravel.
"I needed some wings in race one when I got caught out by the conditions but it was frustrating because my team gave me a great bike for the wet. Everything was feeling good but I felt a bit like an amateur when I was in the gravel," said Rea.
"At the beginning of race two I was a bit wary of the conditions and although I was able to get to the front, Tom (Sykes) didn’t make any mistakes. I’m really happy to be part of this championship and congratulations to Max on a great job. At the end of a long season I want to thank the team for their continued hard work.
"On certain days we’ve struggled but, on others we’ve capitalised on the strengths of the bike through the great work ethic we have as a team. We’ll go away this winter and I’ll make sure I’m in the best condition possible for the 2013 season; I’m sure the team will do the same with the CBR."
