Jonathan Rea has a longstanding affinity with the Assen TT Circuit, having celebrated 15 WorldSBK victories across his career so far.

It’s a record-breaking tally for any rider in the Superbike class at a single venue, but the Kawasaki rider is hoping for more this weekend as the championship returns to the Dutch track. With one win and three podiums already to his name as 2022 kicks off, and his confidence high on his return to the Netherlands, the prospect is ominous.

“I expect to do my best again,” Rea confirmed ahead of the second round.

“Of course, I expect to be strong, but you never know how strong. The level is really good now.

"I hope my bike works well from the first day and we can, step-by-step, build the package. I think the temperature will be a little bit lower than it was in Motorland, so we have to understand the life of all the tyre options and see what happens but Assen is a track I really love. A lot of fans make the journey from the UK, so I’m excited.”