There is no doubt that Jonathan Rea approached his new stage as HRC test pilot in a different way from what is happening. But destiny had other plans for him and these happen because, at least until now, his retirement from racing has only made him miss one of the contested events.
That will be the case until, at the very least, Assen. And Rea will once again be the substitute for Jake Dixon, who continues to recover from the injuries suffered at Phillip Island at the end of February. So we will be able to see the six-time champion again on one of the most favorable tracks for him, at least according to the results.
And to date, Rea has 17 victories and 25 podiums in total on the Dutch track. A figure that will now have the opportunity to improve on paper, although the reality of the competitiveness of its Honda right now does not seem to allow it, except as a surprise.
With the times in Rea’s hand, in Portimao it would be a surprise if he fought for the top5
In any case and seeing Rea’s role in Portimao and the development work he continued to do, logic suggests that the situation will be similar in Assen. At the end of the day, if we review his evolution in the last round, we see how there was no really important evolution between the first and second races in terms of fast lap time and distance from the leaders, and only the problems of the rest of the drivers made him climb positions.
Even so, it is always a pleasure to see the Briton in the race again and, who knows, if this time he will have the possibility and the desire to bring out his talent in what, once again, could be his last race in the WSBK knowing that Dixon will race in Hungary if he receives medical approval:
“The Honda HRC team will field Somkiat Chantra and Jonathan Rea at the Pirelli Netherlands Round at Assen (April 17-19), with test rider Rea once again replacing Jake Dixon. Dixon’s recovery is progressing well and as expected. The target for the British rider’s return is Round 4, the Motul Hungarian Round (May 1-3), subject to final medical clearance.”
