Jonathan Rea eager to 'capitalise' on swift chance to claw back points in World Superbike Championship in Indonesia

The Kawasaki rider finished seventh and eighth in the Superpole sprint race and the second 22-lap full-length race at the opening round in Australia at the weekend.

Rea made a strong start to the new season with a runner-up finish in the wet at Phillip Island in race one, but the six-time champion was unable to mount a challenge for the podium places on Sunday.

He is now 31 points behind reigning champion Alvaro Bautista, who won all three races on the Aruba.it Ducati to complete a commanding hat-trick.

With a quick turnaround for the second round at the Mandalika International Street circuit on the island of Lombok this weekend, Rea will be aiming to make amends and collected a big points haul to prevent Bautista from stretching his advantage further, even at this very early stage of the championship.

Rea has won twice at Mandalika and claimed three rostrum finishes in the five races held at the new circuit, which made its debut on the WSBK calendar in 2021.

“It’s good to start the 2023 season at the two circuits where we finished the previous season – the Superbike calendar is really good this year,” said Rea.

“We will try to capitalise next weekend at Lombok with some good points scores and look forward to understanding the year in general.

“Last year in Lombok I felt good until the last part of the races where the risks I was taking were really overloading the front.

“I expect to be stronger in Lombok than I was last year. We will go and try our best,” he added.

“Lombok will be more of a gauge for us than Phillip Island, as it is more of a normal circuit design, although it will be very hot.”

Rea is joint third in the standings on 31 points with Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi, three points behind Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli.

After this weekend, there is a break in the championship of more than one month until round three takes place at Assen in the Netherlands, which has proved one of Rea’s most rewarding circuits throughout his WSBK career.