Jonathan Rea finally ‘king of the road’ with bike licence
The six-time world champion, and most successful Superbike competitor ever, has been strictly track based since his first outing at the British Superbike Championship as a teenager in 2005.
However, that all changed this week when he sat and passed his motorcycle driving test at home in Co Antrim.
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Hide AdHis journey from learner to road legal has been documented on camera and posted in a serious of Youtube videos.
Rea recorded himself as he practised various bike handling skills and the necessary basic roadcraft man.
In one of the first videos he posted, the 34-year-old revealed he “didn’t think it would be so difficult to drive on the road”.
In conversation with his riding instructor just before heading to the test centre, Rea asked: “Do you think I will go straight through it?”
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Hide AdHe was pleased with the reassuring reply: “I think so.... absolutely.”
Recording his thoughts immediately after the test, a relieved Rea said: “[The instructor] said I was pretty faultless to be fair.
“Thanks Phil, you made me feel pretty relaxed the whole time and I wasn’t too stressed.”
Rea also thanked his training instructor Stephen from Moto Training NI for his expertise in helping him making the grade.
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Hide AdIn a televised interview with journalist Eamonn Mallie earlier this year, Rea revealed that had previously failed his theory test, and that the Covid pandemic lockdown had delayed his hopes of getting a road licence.
“I actually failed my theory test once. I did a theory test when I lived on the Isle Of Man and I failed it,” he said.
“At the start of lockdown last year I had filled out all the details to do my theory test in Northern Ireland, in Belfast, then I had a notification to say that the testing centre closed down.”
The world champion said was “pretty embarrassing” that he couldn’t drive a bike to the shop.
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Hide Ad“I want to get my licence, I had this cool idea of documenting the journey from theory test to doing my practical, passing a CBT and putting it on YouTube or whatever
“It’s pretty embarrassing that I’m six-times world champion but I can’t ride down to the local shops on a motorbike,” he said.