The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action kicked off on Friday at Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round, but one off-track topic was still on everyone’s minds: the future of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Not yet signed up for the 2023 season, the six-time World Champion previously described this period as “exciting” but, at Donington, revealed he was at an advanced stage with negotiations and what he is looking at for when he signs a contract.

Rea was the man to beat after Friday’s two Free Practice sessions as he went half-a-second clear of rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in the combined classification. Not only was his overall lap time strong, but his race pace was too. He set an incredible 13 lap times in the 1’27s bracket.

On site at Donington Park was Rea’s manager, Chuck Aksland, and, after the day had concluded, attention turned to his future as the assorted media gathered for his Friday debrief. Discussing the latest on his contract negotiations, Rea said: “You’re asking me questions but I’m at quite advanced stages with things. It’ll all become clear in the next weeks.”

The Ulsterman also revealed what he was looking for as he goes in search of his next contract, explaining that he is looking to put himself in the best possible position as he goes in search of making even more WorldSBK history. Discussing this, he said: “I’ve always been well respected by Kawasaki. I feel we have a mutual respect. It’s not about the financial package because I feel I have my worth; that’s never a negotiation on both parts. For me, it’s about being competitive. You can see my frustrations this year racing with Alvaro, last year racing with Toprak; my team really responded in the offseason, but you can’t just respond in one winter, it has to be an evolution.

“When you negotiate with a manufacturer, it’s more about understanding their future, their ideas for the next model or the next model or whatever. The biggest negotiation for myself was… do I want to keep racing? Is this something I need to do? That negotiation was very short because it’s all I know, and I love it. It’s more about the technical things. WorldSBK now is in such a good place, with all manufacturers being competitive and a lot of fast riders. I want to put myself in the best possible position. That’s where most of the toing and froing is.”

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