It’s been a tough year for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) so far following his switch to Yamaha for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, but perhaps there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for the six-time World Champion after a decent showing at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. He was fighting at the front in Race 1 before a technical issue forced him to the lower end of the points, before he secured 10^th in the Tissot Superpole Race and sixth in Race 2.

The #65 started the weekend with sixth in Friday’s combined classification, lapping just three tenths slower than Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) who was fastest on the first day of track action. In Tissot Superpole, Rea was directly behind teammate Andrea Locatelli as they led away the third row, but it was Race 1 where Rea showed big potential for the weekend. Before a problem with his quickshifter, he was running as high as fifth in the first seven laps, but he was in the mix in the lead group. He eventually finished 15^th.

In Sunday’s action, it was a bit more challenging for Rea. He was 10^th in the Tissot Superpole Race, meaning he lost his third-row grid position for Race 2 and started from 11^th, but was soon able to fight inside the top ten. He had a fierce fight with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) which cost him time but, once he got ahead of the Honda rider, he was able to make more progress and finish in sixth ahead of Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW).

Reflecting on the weekend as a whole, Rea said: “It’s been a positive weekend in some ways, as we improved my feeling with the R1 a lot, but Portimao has highlighted where we need to improve. Yesterday in Race 1 I had a good rhythm and pace until we had the technical issue, and today in the Superpole race I got a good start but fighting in the group proved difficult when everyone had grip. That compromised our start position for Race 2, I had to start P11. I made a good start, but I got involved in a few fights, especially with Vierge, I struggled a lot to pass him, and it dictated my race a bit as he was not as strong over the lap, but stronger down the straight so it was a bit of a fight before I could get through. When I got through, I focused on both van der Mark and Petrucci and even though the gap was there, I managed to close them down as one of our strengths with the R1 is pace on used tyres, so I was able to make use of that and stick a strong pass on Mikey on the last lap. I’ve got mixed emotions as it’s the best I’ve felt with the bike from a chassis point of view and was able to use the bike’s strengths much better. All in all, it’s been a confidence inspiring weekend as from a feeling point of view, and with the electronics, I’ve gained more trust to ride the bike more like I should. Credit to Andrew and the crew as they arrived with a set-up which gave me some more direct feedback from the rear of the bike, so hopefully we can take this on to Magny-Cours. Thanks to all the travelling supporters, it’s those people who really give me strength in tough times!”

In his debrief from Yamaha, Andrea Dosoli, the Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, provided a more thorough analysis of Yamaha and Rea’s performances over the weekend. The Italian said: “Overall, it has been a tough weekend for us as a whole, although there have been some positives including the podium finishes in Supersport and Jonathan Rea’s overall feeling with the R1 improving. However, it is clear we have been struggling and for sure we cannot be satisfied with the performance achieved. "In Superbike, our strongest result was sixth place with Jonathan Rea in Race 2. In the first race, he was unlucky as he got a very strong start and had the chance to stay with the top group fighting for the podium. Unfortunately, he almost crashed but managed to save it, which lost him a couple of positions and then a couple of laps later an issue developed with the quickshifter which compromised his race. In the Superpole race, he was unlucky in the first laps and this left him 11th on the grid for Race 2 – which was a tough race as he was fighting the whole race long, but without a single mistake, so this was a very good effort. There is no doubt that our competitors have done a better job in Portimao, so we need to improve to close this gap. Despite the gap from the winner, and the fact the track was slower this year due to conditions, Jonathan was the only top rider to improve his 2023 race time – he has taken a step forward and his feeling with the R1 is getting better and better, so there are positives to take away from the tough weekend.”

Follow all the action from WorldSBK in 2024 LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass - now 50% off!