Rea: "I was over the limit so many times"
2017 world champion delighted to take first victory around Jerez
2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his first victory around the Circuito de Jerez in Race One, as the Brit gave his all on board the Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
Starting from the front row in Southern Spain, the 30 year old was able to get a solid start and was up in the battle for the lead in the opening laps. However Italian Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put in an early lead and was a hard man to catch, but Rea didn’t give up and was chasing down the Panigale. A mechanical issue meant Melandri was forced out of the race and Rea was able to cruise to the victory in dominant style.
“I feel really fantastic,” Rea began. “I gave more than 100%. I was over the limit so many times with front and rear slides and small moments. It was a really nice race for me as Marco was a setting a nice pace, and as I started to hunt him down and I was thinking to pull off the gas. But I have so much support here, so I pushed for them and unfortunately he retired, and I’m really sorry for him, as he rode even better than me. He was so consistent, and he deserved to be here in Parc Ferme.”
Follow the 2017 World Champion as he looks to do the double on Sunday at the Pirelli Spanish Round, which can all be followed on the WorldSBK VideoPass.