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Rea Wins Another As Lowes Podiums Twice

Jonathan Rea (KRT) scored another race win and then a second place at Motorland Aragon on Sunday 23 May to lead the championship after the first weekend of WorldSBK racing in 2021. Alex Lowes (KRT) is ranked second overall after two more strong podium rides, in second and third place.

After two dry days at Motorland rains appeared on Sunday morning, making the warm-up session fully wet. The ten lap Tissot Superpole ‘sprint’ race and then the final 18 lap Race Two were held in slightly different, if changeable conditions, where tyre choice proved to be even more important to the final results than normal

In the ten lap Superpole race at 11.00am Rea used his pole position starting place to full effect, only being demoted for a short time before taking back a lead that would grow to 3.5 seconds over Lowes at the flag.

Lowes was again on good form in the sprint, with both KRT riders opting for what proved to be the correct choice of intermediate fronts and rears in the sprint race.

Race Two proved to be more or less dry on the racing line after the sighting lap, which saw Scott Redding and his slick tyres take his first win of the year.

Rea was a clear second despite being pushed off track when another rider ran in too hot during the approach to a corner. Fortunate not to fall, Rea got going again from fifth place to work his way into a final second place and finish off a superb weekend – highlighted by reaching an unprecedented career total of 100 race wins on Saturday. He now has 101 race wins in total after his subsequent Superpole race win on Sunday.

Lowes was in combative and controlled form in the long Race Two, using his intermediate tyres to their best effect to finish on the podium in third place after his two runner-up showings earlier in the weekend.

After a very strong start to the season with the new Ninja ZX-10RR the KRT riders are 1-2 in the championship standings. Rea leads with an almost perfect 57 points, Lowes has 45 and Redding 40. Kawasaki leads the manufacturers championship by 13 points after round one.

The season opener at Aragon will be followed by the Estoril Round in Portugal, between 28-30 May.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “I am really content with the weekend because to win the first race of the season was 100 times better than last year, and also to claim my 100th victory was a real target of mine. Today, I never experienced conditions like this in my whole career, where it really is a big tyre choice by the minute. Every minute it changes. With three minutes to go in race two I was asking Pere if they still had slicks on the grid! The Superpole race was the first time I had ever raced the intermediate tyres so huge kudos to Pirelli. I decided after that experience to use that tyre choice in the final race as well. It was the safest option. It wasn’t the right one, but it was the safest one, for sure. The majority of the grid had that combination. I realised that I was going to race for second but second feels like a win. The only way we could have been more competitive is with the right tyre choice. From that point of view I am really happy and excited for Estoril next week.”

Alex Lowes, stated: “We had no chance of staying with Scott in race two because after two laps the track was completely dry. That was a shame but I felt good on the bike and at the end I played a bit with some settings to find a bit more grip. Three podiums to start the year, on a track I think I have had one podium at in a sprint race on another bike before, but nothing really special. So it is nice to start the season like this. It is just one weekend but I feel good on the bike, which helps. If you are in control on the bike then you can manage the situations a little bit better. This morning in the full wet conditions I felt good. In the dry I felt good. In the mixed conditions we did a good job. In all of these conditions with the bike we understand what is happening and that puts us in a good position going forward.

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Lucas Mahias retired in the sprint race today but was tenth in race two, placing him 15th overall. Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki competitor, and another rookie, Isaac Vinales was 15th and 13th today, having scored point in all three opening races in his native Spain. Loris Cresson and Samuele Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) have yet to score points, with Cresson 20th each time and Cavalieri retiring and then 21st in Sunday’s races.

2021 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics

Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020
2021: Races 3, Wins 2, Podiums 3, Superpoles 1
Career Race Wins: 101 (86 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 188 (146 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 28 (24 for Kawasaki)

Alex Lowes:
2021: Races: 3, Wins 0, Podiums 3, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 2 (1 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 27 (7 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)

8 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
6 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 160 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 460 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 93 – second overall

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Words and Photos: Kawasaki EU

Rea Wins Sixth Straight WorldSBK Title!

Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his sixth successive WorldSBK Riders’ Championship win with a fourth place in the opening 21-lap race of the final round in Estoril, after starting out 15th on the grid. Alex Lowes (KRT) took a fighting sixth place in the race after qualifying seventh in Superpole.

The latest of Jonathan Rea’s six championship wins, all as an official Kawasaki rider, came after some early dramas as he fell in Tissot Superpole qualifying and had to start from the fifth row of the grid.

Moving up to second place long before half race distance on his Ninja ZX-10RR Rea pushed hard inside the podium positions but had to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag.

On the slow down lap he celebrated his latest championship success on track with a golden crash helmet, six ‘Superbowl style’ winners’ rings and special T-shirts for him all his team, marking his remarkable sextet of straight championship victories in memorable fashion.

Rea still has one more major landmark to shoot for in 2020, as a next WorldSBK race victory would make it a magical 100 in all since he first started out in WorldSBK over a decade ago.

Lowes had a tough and determined fight against both the official Honda machines in race one, as he showed his characteristic grit and desire, finishing inside the top six at a circuit completely new to him this weekend.

One ten lap and a final 21-lap WorldSBK race remain for Jonathan and Alex at Estoril on Sunday, with each out to end what has been at times a highly unusual eight round championship campaign with a flourish.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “I have no feeling right now; I cannot even look back. It has been an incredible journey this season. I want to thank WorldSBK, Dorna, all the circuits and organisers to even get racing this year. In the middle of what everyone has experienced in 2020 sport always comes second – but we managed to race. I miss the fans here, I miss not having my family and friends here, and all my travelling support from back home in Northern Ireland; I really miss that. They cannot be here right now but it is for all of them and my Kawasaki Racing Team, for keeping pushing this season. We started behind like last year but never gave up. It has been a hell of a journey and I am so happy.”

Alex Lowes, stated: “First of all I am so happy for all the Kawasaki guys and Jonathan. For the whole of KRT, and especially for the guys on his side of the garage. It is so hard to win a world championship let alone six in a row, so big respect to them. I am proud to be part of the team and let’s hope next year we can get involved too and make it a bit harder for him. In Superpole I feel like I did not do a very good lap on the qualifying tyre. There are quite a few corners here that you are on the side of the tyre for a long time and with the Q it just upset the front a bit, which I did not expect. In the race I got a good start but I wasn’t fast enough in the first few laps. I got into a battle with the two Hondas and I felt I was faster than those guys but they kept passing me and I would get back onto them, but and then the same thing would happen again. It was a bit of a frustrating race because I could not find my own rhythm. I feel that if I could have done, I could have got away a little bit.”

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in a strong eighth place in race one, with Sheridan Morais (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 16th and Loris Cresson (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) 18th.

2020 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics

Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020
2020: Races 22, Wins 11, Podiums 17, Superpoles 4
Career Race Wins: 99 (84 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 185 (143 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 27 (23 for Kawasaki)

Alex Lowes:
2020: Races: 22, Wins 1, Podiums 4, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 2 (1 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 24 (4 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)

8 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
5 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018 & 2019)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)

Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 158 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 454 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 92 – second overall

#NinjaSpirit

#Rea6

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