For the first time since Jonathan Rea's (Pata Maxus Yamaha) retirement announcement, the six-time World Champion prepares to take to the track for this weekend’s Round Nine of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championships. As he gets set for his final four rounds in WorldSBK, all eyes are on whether he can get back on the podium in the sunset of his star-studded career in the category.

ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS: “I feel quite light, right now it’s quite exciting. I’m jumping into the unknown in 2026”

His second season with Yamaha started on a sour note, suffering an injury which inflicted several fractures in his left foot, requiring surgery and ruling him out until Round 4 at Cremona. Since then, he has improved his form and is now regularly around the top 10, including a high of a P5 at Donington’s Race 1. While he looks to be on a positive trajectory, Rea has decided to call it a day on his 18-year WorldSBK career, and announced on August 25^th that this would be the final French Round of his career as a permanent WorldSBK grid rider.

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Rea said: “I feel quite light, right now it’s quite exciting. I’m jumping into the unknown in 2026, whatever that will be. For right now, I’m trying to focus on the final four rounds of the season. It was important to me to make this announcement before Magny-Cours, so I could come into the round with the blast and the emotions having died down a bit. Magny-Cours has been a good track for me in the past, and I want to try to finish this chapter strong and competitive. Unfortunately, last year here I crashed with Bulega in the last chicane and ended up having to have surgery on my thumb, so I want to put the demons of 2024 away and have a really good weekend.”

CALLING IT QUITS: “It’s been playing in my brain for a long time. It’s been the most difficult decision as an athlete to make that call when it’s all you’ve ever known”

While Rea announced in late August that he would be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, his time with Yamaha hasn’t been as successful as either party had hoped for. While together so far, they have been able to achieve a podium finish last season at Donington Park. Rea stated that he had come to the conclusion at the end of the last round at Balaton Park.

On the timeline of his decision, Rea said: “I probably had made the decision two or three weeks before I announced it, after the last race. I think I walked out of the paddock in Balaton pretty convinced that it was the right decision. It’s been playing in my brain for a long time. It’s been the most difficult decision as an athlete to make that call when it’s all you’ve ever known, but for me, it’s the correct decision at the correct time. I’m incredibly grateful for the career I’ve had in WorldSBK, but now it’s time for new challenges, new ideas in life, to find something I’m good at and try to be rewarded in the same way. I’ve had an incredible life here. WorldSBK has given me an incredible platform and so much in return, but now I have to try to finish this year well. For sure, at some point, I’ll be back around the paddock. I have no hatred for the sport, maybe that´ll be handing out trophies to future stars or just hanging around for the weekend, I’m sure I’ll be around.”

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: "The target is to give my 100% every lap, every race"

Magny-Cours is one of Rea’s most dominant tracks; the Ulsterman holds the record for the most wins here at the track with a total of nine. While Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is within striking distance to pass Rea with eight wins, if any track is set for a Rea swan song victory, it’s here in France.

Regarding his goals for the rest of the season, Rea said: “The target is to give my 100% every lap, every race. To try to put a package together that can get the maximum out of me. If we can do that, we can aim for the podium. We’ve already been in the top five, so it’s a lofty target now, but if we can build some momentum in these races, I think we can do it. Estoril was also a strong round for us last year with a fourth and a fifth, so let’s see if the stars align and shoot for them.”

A BITTERSWEET GOODBYE: “There are a thousand things I’ll miss”

Rea is retiring after 18 seasons in the Championship, breaking records and setting new ones that tower over the massive accomplishments of phenoms like Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). On the things that he’ll miss most from his life in the paddock, he showed his competitive spirit that’s propelled him so far in this sport.

 On the aspects of WorldSBK he’ll miss most and least, Rea said: “In terms of what I’ll miss most, I’ll miss the burning fire inside to win, it’s an incredible feeling. I’ll miss the camaraderie, the feeling of the team working; there are a thousand things I’ll miss. There are also very tough things I won’t miss. Injuries have taken their toll on me, especially in the latter stages of my career, and sometimes the travel and being away from family. It’s a busy year, so without it I’ll have time to think about new adventures, but in general it’s been an incredible ride.”

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