Since he debuted at the Supersport World Cup Jonathan Rea It caused a sensation in the motorcycle championship derived as standard, so much that with a single year he jumped to the queen category in the then powerful Ten Kate. Unfortunately for Jonathan, the CBR1000RR of that time was not as solvent as two seasons before, when they had taken the title by James Toosaland.
But in those years dancing with the ugliest, the legend may be forged. With a motorcycle that was not as competitive as the Ducati, April, Kawasaki or Yamaha managed to add 15 victories and 42 podiums, which opened the doors of Kawasaki to make history.
Together with the KRT of the Roda brothers they simply made history. He arrived in 2015 and from that moment no one could with him in the next six seasons. With the Kawasaki ZX-10R, which was not always the most competitive, they achieved the titles of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The final part of the relationship with Kawasaki was not so productive, because from 2021 to 2023 with a ZX-10r clearly at a disadvantage he could continue fighting for poles, victories and podiums, but the championship got uphill up being runner-up in 2021 and third in 2022 and 2023 where, by the way, his last victory arrived.
Even so, that joint stage with Verde Rea resulted in 104 wins and 221 podiums, which is said soon … but everything that begins ends and in 2024 it was time to give a new boost to his career with the Yamaha R1. These two seasons have been complicated for REA, with falls and a complicated injury at the beginning of 2025 that have not allowed him to show the potential after 2024 in which he gradually found the rhythm.
But despite these more complex seasons, the figures do not lie and Jonathan Rea is for their own merits the most laureate pilot in the history of the WSBK unseating the Foggarty myth. Some figures that speak for themselves in many aspects where it is Rercordman of the category.
Rea is, except in Poles, the most successful pilot in the history of the WSBK
Today and with the remaining rounds ahead, Jonathan Rea is the pilot who has traveled the most kilometers in WSBK: 36,345. Also who has given the most turns with 8,035, who has added more points 6,336.5, who has led the most turns (2,013), who has played more races with 459 … and that only in terms of nimias figures, because the most important ones, those of competitiveness, Marean.
He has achieved 119 victories in total and is the only WSBK pilot who has exceeded 100. He is also the pilot with more podiums, 264, which implies that he has risen to the podium in 57.51% of the races he has played. He has 104 fast laps in his pocket, he is the longest pilot between his first and last victory with 14 years, 1 month and 8 days and, of course, he is six times WSBK world champion.
So although 65 leaves, in his words, “the full -time competition” and is not on the WSBK 2026 output grid, it will continue to be a reference in the championship for many years …
