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Rea: "I wanted to win the race so badly, but not at all costs"

Saturday, 30 September 2017 14:57 GMT

    • British champion dominates the field to take the race and championship victory

    Back to back MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion for three consecutive seasons, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took a stunning victory which in saw him cross the line an astonishing 16 seconds ahead of his rivals in tricky conditions at the Pirelli French Round.

    Rain hit the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Saturday morning, and in a wet FP3 and Superpole riders were able to get to grips with the conditions of the track, as it was only the third day of 2017 in which they have endured some wet track action. Securing pole position despite a crash Superpole, the 31 year old clearly had one task on his mind which was to win. Getting a strong start off the line, Rea never looked back and cruised to the victory as the track began to dry in central France.

    Crossing the line to take his 50th WorldSBK victory, and the world title, Jonathan Rea has made history in 2017. “I have no words for how it feels right now,” begins an overwhelmed Rea. “I just feel so honoured to be riding for a manufacturer like Kawasaki, to be able to join the team and to win like this is amazing. I have to do my work and turn up every weekend and be sharp, but I couldn’t do it without the support of Kawasaki Racing Team and my friends and family.”

    Adding to his successes, Rea continues: “I think the 50th race victory will get a little bit lost in the moment with the championship but I am equally as proud of that. To win three titles in a row, I have no words. I don’t think I’ll understand exactly what I’m doing until I look back on my career until I’m retired, but at the moment I’m with my team and still really eager to do more. So now we have to turn our attentions to 2018, and facing some bigger challenges and we’re ready for it.”

    Referring to the difficult race he faced today, the record breaker added: “I wanted to win that race so bad, but not at all costs. Riding here in the wet at Magny-Cours you are on a knife edge. The dream is to win the championship by winning the race, it wasn’t easy.”

    Watch all Rea’s celebrations, his career highlights and much more with the WorldSBK VideoPass.