Jonathan Rea Considered Retirement After Challenging Racing Season

Six-time world champion Jonathan Rea has acknowledged that he contemplated “walking away” from his racing career after experiencing what he described as a “dark year” competing on his bike. Rea, known for his dominance in the World Superbike Championship where he secured six consecutive titles from 2015 to 2020, concluded his inaugural season with Pata Yamaha in 13th place, having previously departed from Kawasaki. The rider from Northern Ireland achieved only a single podium finish, which occurred at Donington Park in July. However, he confessed that ending his illustrious career after such an unsatisfactory season would have been “a horrible way to do it.” Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Rea stated: “In the last few years I’ve been imagining what retirement would look like, but I struggle to see retirement without being competitive on a motorbike.” He elaborated on his thoughts: “Walking away from the sport healthy was an option but it would have been a horrible way to do it.” Rea further explained his motivation: “I would probably have hung on to a lot of those negative feelings, so I want to right the wrongs. When the feeling on the bike is good you can’t see retirement again. It’s the good moments that remind you that there is a lot more to come.” He additionally commented: “When the feeling’s good you feel like you’re going to ride this wave, you’re going to build the snowball effect. But yes, this year was a dark year in many ways.” Despite accumulating 119 career World Superbike race victories, Rea secured only one podium finish during 2024. The 37-year-old rider attributed his unsatisfactory year to several contributing factors. He stated: “As a team we took many different directions with development. Also, at times this season, it felt like the team and the bike weren’t getting the best out of me.” Rea continued: “I know when we get that my potential is so much higher so that’s what kept me fighting. It frustrated me this year that I didn’t get to show my full potential.” He further elaborated that two significant crashes at Phillip Island at the commencement of the previous season “had a big impact on him physically and mentally” as he embarked on his new endeavor. He commented: “I lost a lot of confidence and it took time to rebuild that but there were a few moments of magic where I managed to secure pole positions, compete for podiums, be on the podium and generally my pace at the end of races was as competitive as most.” Rea added: “Overall though it was definitely under par for me and not where I expected to be. “My expectation was much higher after coming to Yamaha after they were so good the previous year, but we just didn’t seem to hit the ground running. Even in the tough moments though I turned up with a positive attitude.” The rider from county Antrim intends to reverse his performance in the 2025 campaign, which is scheduled to commence with its customary season opener at Phillip Island on 22-23 February. He elaborated: “Bit of a reset now this off season and a change of mindset going into 2025. Setting goals that motivate us to go out and work really hard as a team is going to be important.” Rea expressed optimism: “I’m 100% sure next year will be a step forward on this year. We’ve got a lot of new things coming in the pipeline and my last test in Jerez with my crew was a positive one.” He concluded: “I was a lot faster than I was in the race weekend there and was feeling good with the bike. Being able to ride 100% on the limit every single corner is what we’re aiming for, to be confident that I can push.” A significant alteration already implemented for the 2025 season involves Rea replacing his crew chief, Andrew Pitt, with Oriol Pallares, who served as his long-standing chief mechanic at Kawasaki. Regarding the personnel change, Rea commented: “Andrew was an amazing guy. He worked relentlessly hard, but I just think a change in dynamic for me is going to help.” He added: “Yamaha are working incredibly hard behind the scenes too but I think a good target for us next season is to keep fighting for podiums – that’s my target and it would be a huge step forward from last season.” Rea concluded with his aspirations: “I’d love to finish the season inside the top five again, plus podiums. A race win would be the icing on the cake.”