Aside from team-mate Alex Lowes, Jonathan Rea has identified Ducati as the main obstacle between him and a seventh WorldSBK title in 2021 but wouldn’t be drawn on which of the Bologna riders it will be.
The reigning champion is expecting a season similar to 2020 - which saw seven different winners - with Ducati as the main rival but he didn’t rule out Yamaha, Honda or BMW.
“I think the main threat will come from Ducati, inside the Ducati box. Whether that’s the satellite bike of Chaz or the factory bikes of Rinaldi or Redding, you never know. This is Superbike racing, anything can happen,” said Rea.
“2021 is like 2020, expect the unexpected. The racing will be similar, to be honest, there were seven different winners, I expect the championship to go to the last round with a lot of competition and unpredictability.
We have had some really good testing recently, where I have felt good with the bike and it is going to be so nice to get on track with everybody else to understand where we are. Aragon is a track we have very happy memories of after last year.
“We were able to be strong in the Motorland weekend and the following Teruel round. The target is to start this year strong and try to build some momentum into the season.
It is going to be a tough couple of weeks in succession with two back-to-back rounds - but kick-starting the racing into action at Aragon is great because we just finished testing there. I have a good feeling with the bike. The new Ninja ZX-10RR is definitely a step forward from last year. I am super-excited about it and I feel ready.”
Rea will try and secure his 100th WorldSBK race win on Saturday at Aragon’s season opener after he was denied by Chaz Davies at the last round and is thinking more about that milestone than another championship.
“I’ve never had a championship in mind, but the 100th race win, because it’s the next win, it’s really in my brain. But it’s not a question of when, we still need to fight for it. It’s not a formality.
“My big target at the beginning of the season is to tick off that box. I remember when I surpassed Fogarty in Brno in 2018, it was a landmark in my career, and I think 100 wins will be the same kind of feeling.
“The last two seasons have been really tough in terms of competition and I expect 2021 to be the same, especially from the first race. A lot of teams and competitors have had a lot of time this off-season, so I expect everyone to be prepared to fight.
“The target is to be on the podium and fight for victory, and if we can do that in Round 1, then it’s job done.”
