Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea visited the Motorland Aragon podium for the first time after finishing third in yesterday’s opening second-round race of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship in Spain.
It was the 34th World Superbike podium of the 27-year-old British rider’s career after he battled throughout the 17-lap opener to finish behind the Kawasaki machines of Tom Sykes and Loris Baz.
Rea was unable to repeat his podium performance in race two, crossing the line in fifth place after a softer front tyre option left him with a loss of feeling from the front end of his Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.
Rea holds fifth position of the team’s home race at Assen in two weeks’ time.

“It’s been a really positive weekend for us” said Jonathan Rea “to go back on the podium this early in the season. It hasn’t really been a trend for us recently so it’s given everyone a bit of a boost. We just really need to build on this. I really enjoy riding the bike at this circuit and we’ve made a lot of improvements since Phillip Island. Because of the temperature change and some rear problems we experienced in the first race, in race two we went with the softer tyre option, which most of the grid changed to.”

“It was working OK” the Brit continued “but unfortunately we also used the softer front for the higher temperature. I had a few engine brake problems which pushed me into the slower corners and, with the lack of feeling from the front, I felt a bit like a passenger. I had a warning or two around mid-race, so I was kind of nursing it a bit. But we deserved two solid top fives today and I feel we can now take some momentum to Assen where we know the bike is good and build on this at a circuit I really enjoy.”