Jonathan Rea primed for pivotal weekend at Motorland Aragon in quest for record sixth World Superbike crown

The Northern Ireland rider currently leads the championship by a slender margin of four points going into the first of two consecutive rounds at Motorland Aragon in Spain this weekend.

Rea, fresh from a dominant hat-trick at Portimao in Portugal earlier this month, has an excellent record at the Spanish circuit, where he has finished on the rostrum in every race since he joined the Kawasaki Racing Team in 2015.

However, the spectacular venue in the hills near the historic town of Alcaniz has been a happy hunting ground for Ducati over the past five years, with the V4R Panigale proving especially dominant in the hands of Alvaro Bautista in 2019.

Rea, though, has never been one to shirk a challenge and the 33-year-old arrives at Motorland in hot form following his Portimao treble.

“I am excited to go to Aragon especially as we have done a lot a lot of riding in the last few weeks, at Jerez, Portimao and then the recent Aragon test, so I feel really good on the bike,” said the five-time world champion.

“That test was an opportunity to ride the circuit in hot summer conditions. We have not done that in a number of years, because we use it as a winter test track.

“The bike was working really well in the heat, which confirmed our new base setting.

“Looking to this weekend itself the temperatures could be cooler than we had at the test – maybe in the mid-20s on race day, which will be nicer on the body but may throw us a curve ball,” Rea added.

“So, we need to make sure we are prepared on Friday to get a set-up that is user friendly, fast and consistent. The target will be to win races.”

Rea’s chief rival and Aruba.it Ducati protagonist Redding has a wealth of experience at the undulating track, where he has raced nine times during his Grand Prix career.

The 2019 British Superbike champion is competing in World Superbikes for the first time but Redding has wasted no time in making his presence felt, and the 27-year-old will be aiming to capitalise on Ducati’s formidable record at Motorland and reclaim the title advantage.

Redding said: “They will be two very important race weekends in Aragon.

“The test we did two weeks ago allowed us to make improvements on the bike that will help me during the race and for this I am very happy.

“It will be important to find the right feeling from the very first laps to be competitive throughout the weekend. I can’t wait to get on track.”

Toome’s Eugene Laverty will be hoping for a better weekend in Spain after he was out of luck in the previous round at Portimao.

Laverty has lost his place in the factory BMW Motorrad team in 2021, with team-mate Tom Sykes confirmed as Shaun Muir’s second signing for 2021 alongside Dutchman and current Pata Yamaha rider Michael van der Mark.

Free practice takes place on Friday with the opening 18-lap on Saturday scheduled for 13:00 BST. On Sunday, the Superpole sprint race is at 10:00 BST with race two at 13:30 BST.

Meanwhile, rookie Eunan McGlinchey will be in action again in the World Supersport 300 Championship as he attempts to qualify for the feature race for the first time this season on the Team 109 Kawasaki.

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