Retirement “was an option” for Jonathan Rea after nightmare 2024 WorldSBK season

Jonathan Rea’s switch from Kawasaki to Yamaha for the 2024 WorldSBK season saw him go winless last year, and left him considering retirement.

The Northern Irish rider, with six world titles to his name and 119 WorldSBK race wins, is the most successful in the championship’s history, but will turn 38 in 2025.

Four riders – Max Biaggi, who was 41 when he beat Tom Sykes by half-a-point in 2012; Troy Bayliss, who was 39 when he won his third title in 2008; Carlos Checa, who was 39 when he won the 2011 title; and Alvaro Bautista, who was 39 when he won the 2023 title – have won a World Superbike Championship title while aged older than Rea is now, and so it is not something entirely unusual in WorldSBK, but 2024 fell dramatically below his expectations as he switched brands.

Rea joined Yamaha off the back of the 2023 season, in which Toprak Razgatlioglu finished second in the championship to Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, won seven races, and failed to make the podium in only two races: thanks to a bike problem in Race 2 at Phillip Island, and when he finished fourth in the Superpole Race at Jerez.

However, Rea didn’t claim a single win, and only one podium – in the Superpole Race at Donington – in his first season with Yamaha

“Walking away from the sport healthy was an option,” Rea told BBC Sport NI as he reflected on his 2024 season, “but it would have been a horrible way to do it.”

He continued: “I would probably have hung on to a lot of those negative feelings, so I want to right the wrongs. When the feeling on the bike is good you can't see retirement again. It's the good moments that remind you that there is a lot more to come.

“When the feeling's good you feel like you're going to ride this wave, you're going to build the snowball effect. But yes, this year was a dark year in many ways.”

Rea explained that the way he gelled with the Pata Yamaha team in 2024, as well as the team’s development approach, prevented him from showing his true potential.

“As a team we took many different directions with development. Also, at times this season, it felt like the team and the bike weren't getting the best out of me,” he said.

“I know when we get that my potential is so much higher so that's what kept me fighting. It frustrated me this year that I didn't get to show my full potential.”

Despite the difficult 2024 season, Rea was enthused by his final test of the year in Jerez, which saw him working with a new crew chief, Oriol Pallares.

“I'm 100% sure next year will be a step forward on this year,” he said.

“We've got a lot of new things coming in the pipeline and my last test in Jerez with my crew was a positive one.

“I was a lot faster than I was in the race weekend there and was feeling good with the bike. Being able to ride 100% on the limit every single corner is what we're aiming for, to be confident that I can push.”

Rea added: “Yamaha are working incredibly hard behind the scenes, too, but I think a good target for us next season is to keep fighting for podiums – that's my target and it would be a huge step forward from last season.

“I'd love to finish the season inside the top five again, plus podiums. A race win would be the icing on the cake.”