Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) announced his decision to retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season recently, and the #65 has now spoken about decision in detail in a special sit-down interview that covered when he made the decision, what comes next, the goals for the final few rounds of the year and what WorldSBK means to the rider who broke countless records and re-wrote the history books throughout his career.

MAKING THE DECISION: “The catalyst was after my crash at Most… I did a small shoulder check. I could see the bike was coming at me and thought, ‘I don’t need this anymore’”

While Rea made the announcement ahead of the French Round, it was something he revealed had been brewing for a while. After an injury-hit start to the campaign, where he missed the first three rounds, the six-time Champion was one of several riders to crash in separate incidents in FP1 at Most and this fall was one of the catalysts for Rea to start making an ‘exit plan’ from racing.

Talking about how he came to the decision, the Ulsterman said: “I’ve been thinking about making the decision for longer than you’d imagine, to be honest. But the catalyst was after my crash at Most in Free Practice 1. I worked super hard to come back from the injury at Phillip Island. It was a really complicated injury. After recovering from that, going to Most at the chicane, I lost the rear again and while I was sliding, I did a small shoulder check. I could see the bike was coming at me and thought, ‘I don’t need this anymore’. That started sowing the seeds. I needed to think about an exit plan. In racing, you always think about what’s coming next, but I was thinking more, ‘I need to think how to stop’ and forget about what’s next in life. I was tired, injuries were taking their toll, I wasn’t as competitive as I want to be. It was a very, very tough decision, to be honest, because it’s all I’ve known all my career; all my life, more or less, since I was five years old and racing motocross, was waking up, trying to be competitive, trying to win races and now is the time to finally stop. For me, it’s the correct decision. I felt immediately at peace and as tough as it’s going to be in the next races, it’s going to be enjoyable. I just hope we can end in some way in WorldSBK that makes us feel fulfilled. It feels right and I’m looking forward to what life has on the other side.”

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE: “I am scared about retirement… I’ve had some great advice from many people that I need to get good at something!”

Rea has raced in WorldSBK since 2009 on a full-time basis, competed in WorldSSP in 2008, and the British Superbike championship from 2005. Of course, he started racing before that, coming up through the motocross ranks before switching to circuit racing. It means a big change coming for Rea as he prepares for life outside of full-time racing.

Looking ahead to what his life will look like in retirement, the #65 said: “I am scared about retirement. For me, my next chapter is unknown and that’s a strange feeling. I’m worried about that. I’m worried about not being fulfilled. I’ve had some great advice from many people that I need to get good at something. Life away from the circuit is amazing. I have an incredible family. I really enjoy simple things like watching my kids play football; I get so much from that. For sure, I’ll be fulfilled in different ways. Maybe not standing on top of the podiums spraying Prosecco in front of thousands but for me, life at home is much simpler and I do take a lot of excitement and fun from it.”

AIMING TO END ON A HIGH: “If the stars align, maybe it can be a fairytale ending”

With the announcement made ahead of the French Round, Rea had four rounds left in full-time racing and put in one of his strongest performances on the Yamaha at Magny-Cours, fighting with former teammate Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) for the podium. He eventually came home in P6 and will be hoping for more podium battles across the final three rounds of 2025 at Aragon, Estoril and Jerez.

Giving his targets for the end of the year, Rea said: “Finishing out the season, I have targets but not extremely lofty ones. I want to finish healthy, that’s the biggest one. I want to finish knowing I gave 100% every lap, every session, every race. I’m not a rider who starts to think, ‘Ok, I’m finished, roll off the gas’. The only thing I know is to close the visor and go full gas and give my best. I’m sure if we can do that and maximise the potential of myself and the bike, we can be surprised by the results we have. If we can find some momentum and good feeling, then I hope I’m able to demonstrate not just what I can do but also the Yamaha R1. We’ve seen it in the capable hands of ‘Loka’ this year, winning a race. While that feels quite far away, we have to aim somewhere. Let’s see. If the stars align, maybe it can be a fairytale ending.”

LEARNING LESSONS IN A TOUGH PERIOD: “There’s nothing worse than going away and thinking, ‘What if I didn’t try it?’”

While Rea enjoyed so much success with Kawasaki, winning countless races, six titles and breaking almost every record he could, the last two seasons with Yamaha have been trickier. A single pole, in the wet at Assen, and a podium in the Superpole Race at Donington – both in 2024 – have been the highlights, but the six-time Champion was philosophical as he reflected on his time in Yamaha blue, searching for positive takeaways.

A reflective Rea stated: “These two years with Yamaha will be remembered for never giving up, for having the motivation as a group every weekend to try to get out of the tough moments. It’s been tougher than we both expected. I believe in the project, the people and myself but I haven’t been able to extract that. That’s tough and I have to shoulder some of that; Yamaha have to shoulder some of that. It’s an incredibly good group of people, good humans, so I’ve enjoyed it. It’s taught me a lot about myself. I’ve learnt to improve as a rider and with feedback. I’m grateful for the opportunity because there’s nothing worse than going away and thinking, ‘What if I didn’t try it?’. I did and I’m grateful for the opportunity and the lessons I’ve learnt. It’s been a really good experience.”

WHAT WORLD SUPERBIKE MEANS TO REA: “It gave me the platform to live out my childhood dream of being a World Champion”

After spending 18 seasons inside the WorldSBK paddock, Rea was able to look back on what WorldSBK has given him over that time. From fulfilling dreams to meeting “incredible” people and understanding different aspects of a racer’s life, Rea said: “World Superbike has fulfilled my dream, I feel fulfilled. It gave me the platform to live out my childhood dream of being a World Champion. WorldSBK gave me the platform to improve my skills, to understand life, business and travel. I’ve met incredible people. I owe everything to WorldSBK; it’s shaped my life. I’m incredibly grateful. I think my story is intertwined with WorldSBK. You’ll see me around for sure, in some way, maybe presenting a Superpole trophy to the talented riders we have here. Who knows? But I love the sport, the people here and I’m sure I’ll be around.”

Watch the final three rounds of Rea’s full-time career using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!