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Jonathan Rea was back in MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as he replaced Jake Dixon at the Honda HRC squad for a two-day test. Rea jumped on the CBR1000RR-R SP machine at the Portuguese venue as part of his test rider role with the Japanese manufacturer, stepping in for the #96 as Dixon continues his recovery from injuries sustained in the Official Test at Phillip Island.

The best running of the test came in the morning of Day 1, with dry conditions on track at the rollercoaster circuit. Rea posted a 1’41.372s as he took ninth place on the timesheets for the first day of action, completing 35 laps in total, although all of his timed laps were on the bike designated as ‘bike 2’. The six-time Champion finished 1.110s off the pace set by Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), but he was the lead Honda rider.

Rea joined Somkiat Chantra in the Honda box for the test as the Thai rider made his comeback from the injuries and subsequent surgery that he sustained in a training crash at Sepang last year. For Chantra, it was just the second time he jumped on Honda’s machine following a test at the end of 2025, and he set a 1’42.546s as he got back up to speed with the CBR1000RR-R SP.

With Day 2 a washout following overnight rain and then more rainfall during the second day, neither Rea nor Chantra completed any laps. Discussing his test and what he had planned to work on, Rea said: “The feeling with the team was super positive and very welcoming. Of course, I know from the winter tests a lot of faces and the relationship and information between both the race team and test team is very close. The bike was similar and, for me, this test was just to keep on working, trying to understand the bike and the areas we need to improve. We confirmed some items that we tested in January but, unfortunately, the weather’s not been on our side. We didn’t finish the complete test programme. The goals for the test were to first confirm the feeling we had in January and try to work on our weaker areas where we can improve the bike. That will be a continuous evolution. HRC are working hard alongside the test team to improve the bike. It’s not something you can do from today to tomorrow, but we’ll keep working.”

Rea previously tested the Honda machine at Jerez in January, albeit in an outing that was also disrupted by rain, where he stated that he felt ‘quite uncomfortable’ on the bike and needed more time. He’s since had more recovery time since then, with the #65 not competing in Australia. After getting more laps under his belt at Portimao, Rea explained how his knee was feeling now.

He said: “Physically, my condition is a lot better. I’m still getting over some sickness from last week. I was able to complete laps with no pain or injury problems. At Jerez, I was really struggling with my knee; I couldn’t bend my knee enough to ride comfortably. At this test, it’s not been a problem. Portimao is a physical track, so it was a good test. I feel physically ready to keep progressing with testing.”

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