Injured Jonathan Rea dealt "no chance" fitness setback
Jonathan Rea will also miss round two of the WorldSBK season at Portimao, Yamaha to call up MotoGP test rider Augusto Fernandez?
Pata Yamaha is in search of a replacement rider for round two of the 2025 World Superbike championship after team principal Paul Denning confirmed that Jonathan Rea’s injuries mean he has “no chance” of returning for Portimao.
The aftermath of a highside during testing at Phillip Island on Monday, ahead of this weekend's season-opener, saw Rea's bouncing R1 crush his left foot, leaving him with multiple fractures.
Jonathan Rea handed WorldSBK injury setback
Although the next round, in Portugal, is not until March 28-30, “Jonathan… unfortunately has no chance of testing or racing at Portimao.”
Denning told WorldSBK.com: "[Jonathan's] super disappointed but he’s back home.
"He’s seen a surgeon, and the next course of action will be… I don’t want to share anything that’s medically his private information, but he’s on it and doing everything he can to be ready as soon as he possibly can.
“Jonathan, all things being equal as we know today, unfortunately, has no chance of testing or racing at Portimao.
"[The] mid and end of March are two dates which are just too early for the complexity of the injury to heal, so we’ll have two riders on track but who [the replacement] will be is very much to be confirmed.”
New Yamaha MotoGP test rider Augusto Fernandez is a rumoured contender to stand in for Rea, alongside Andrea Locatelli, for the Portimao test and race.
Locatelli was eighth and eleventh in Friday's pair of free practice sessions in Australia.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
