Misano WorldSBK: ‘Still a very long season’ – Rea

Jonathan Rea scored his third race win of 2019 in a wet and wild first race at Misano, bringing himself a little closer to long time points leader Alvaro Bautista in the championship standings.

But it was the need to get back into winning form that drove his motivation to conquer Superpole and then take a wet race victory in confident style. After a near disaster at Jerez at times last time out, not just Rea but KRT needed a win.

“It was very important, not just for the championship but for my mentality and everything really - team morale,” Rea told bikesportnews.com. “Nothing beats that winning feeling and to win was nice here in Misano where I had my first victory ten years ago.

This weekend it is super-nice. I do not think about the championship at this point. It is a long, long, long season and I think we are just at the halfway point. Be consistent, avoid mistakes and take our opportunity when it comes.”

Rea took an opportunity when Alex Lowes fell just in front of him when it looked like he may motor away, and from then it was a case of bringing all his experience to bear to close out the win.

“I started thinking about the 25 points on the last lap because until that point you are still so close to something happening,” said Rea. “You need more concentration in a wet race, 100 per vent, because the bike is moving much more underneath you and you have to be very precise especially with the white lines and the kerbs.

“In the dry if you miss the apex a little bit, OK you get penalised with the lap time, but if you make a small mistakes like that in the wet you are in the gravel traps.

“It is equally important to be concentrating in the dry and wet but the penalty is much harsher in the wet, if you have a brain fart.”

It was an impressive win from Rea, especially as he spent so much time front running in ever-changing track conditions, but he still ranks his victory on an even worse track surface at Lausitzring in 2016 as better than his Misano victory.

“Lausitz was a different level,” said Rea. “I dunno if we have different race control now, because is Lausitz it was completely wet – like wet for jet skis. This year it seems we are only racing in the wet/wet, which is good because we are looking after the safety and the visibility.

But that Lausitzring race? I would have been better with the SXR Kawasaki jet ski, to be fair. Now, Misano in the wet it is much gripper than in the past. I got told just this morning that the reason is that a few weeks ago they brought a cleaner here and completely cleaned the track.

“I guess they took all the rubber out of the holes in the surface. The tarmac is a bit more porous; the grip it is better in the wet but in the dry there is no rubber.”

Rea’s win was the 74th of his career, having long since surpassed the previous best of Carl Fogarty, with 59. One more podium and he will extend another of his records to 150.