In early WorldSBK season controversy Kawasaki did not get the expected 500rpm peak revs increase they had been planning for and testing with all winter.

So now the season has settled down, is it only now it is really missed or has the factory team found ways to compensate? Six-time champion Jonathan Rea explained the situation to bikesportnews.com.

“We’ve felt the loss of that since the first race of the season,” Rea told bikesportnews.com. “It’s not worse because it’s the same. Sometimes I feel for Kawasaki, and then other times I feel like we should be doing more. They push really hard to bring a new bike.

“It’s not easy to bring a new bike in this era with the economy and they did a bike that can rev harder, and then the FIM see this as a not significant enough change, so they penalise us again.

“We have the lowest revving bike by far in the championship. We can compete in the factory team because we have a great team and I have a great teammate in Alex. But can you imagine being a Kawasaki customer when it’s even hard to compete near the front and then you get this penalty? It’s the same for all of us, but I don’t want to complain because it is how it is.

“Sometimes it feels like we have a better weapon. The weapon could be better, but unfortunately the regulation doesn’t allow that. But, it’s how it is. I don’t think that’s why we’re not winning races, but it certainly makes it even tougher.”

Rea is now looking for some kind of improvement on his machine or setup in order to do something abou Toprak Razgatlioglu now and possibly Scott Redding later.

“From a chassis point of view, we need to manage the bumps better,” he said. “On bumpy circuits the bike is reacting too much to the bumps and not absorbing the bumps. I think from a chassis point of view, generally our bike has been very, very strong in the chassis area with the good brakes, but the compromise is agility and turning. Maybe from an actual structure point of view, we could do something different.

Obviously, not this year because we have to use a stock chassis. From an engine point of view, it’s quite clear from TV we need to improve, and also from racing with our rivals. Electronically, still learning. Electronics is an evolution. The guys are smart inside the team and we just give them data. It’s as good as my feedback. We have some really good strengths, as well.

“The bike is very stable on the brakes. We have a lot of mechanical traction. When not in traffic, we can be fast. So, it’s a trade-off. Everybody is the same. You can talk to the guy that wins the race every weekend and he’ll have complaints, but it is how it is.”

Rea has again been linked with a move to MotoGP in the future but it looks more and more likely he will be in green until retirement,.

“About my future, I have no idea. All I do is know is that I have an incredible opportunity with KRT for 2022 again but ahead of that, I don’t know. I still feel like I am in the best moment; about new challenges such as MotoGP™, I don’t know. I’m a little bit frustrated with this to be honest because if you look at my CV, a six-time World Champion, I’ve been knocking on the door of MotoGP™ teams but the door never opens. I’m not sure why but I am so happy here and I am happy with what I achieved.”

How long will Rea continue to be one of WorldSBK’s star attractions? Well, he answered: “I’m so fortunate to have a race winning package here in WorldSBK with KRT, an incredible team. I can’t choose. Maybe if they still love me in two years’ time, we’ll be together, but you never know what racing can bring. I am so, so motivated to keep winning in World Superbike. To keep having fun with my team.

“I have so many good memories form this sport and I’ve had an incredible life, an incredible story and I’m proud to be at such a number. I’m having fun, that’s the biggest positive but I think in the next years my future will be decided by the feeling and I’m sure one day, I’ll wake up, see my flight ticket and think ‘Oh, I have to go away again’. That’s the time to stop but I don’t see that. Maybe it’s two or three years away.”