Rea: All the pressure is off now, I can ride with nothing to lose

Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea will need to overturn an unlikely 30 point deficit against Toprak Razgatlioglu if he’s to become a seven-time WorldSBK champion this weekend. 

Rea kept himself in the fight by getting the better of Razgatlioglu during last month's final race at San Juan, a race in which Razgatlioglu was the pre-favourite heading into after winning the first two that weekend. 

But even so, the stakes remain high for Rea as it’s the first time in his seven years with Kawasaki that he enters the final round second to another rider. 

In fact, Rea has only been taken the distance on two occasions - his first year with the team when team-mate Tom Sykes still had a chance at winning the title at the season finale in Qatar, and last year against Scott Redding.

However, Rea’s lead in both was relatively comfortable, something that’s far from the case heading to the new Mandalika International Circuit.

But despite being in danger of losing the title for the first time since joining KRT in 2015, Rea is feeling ‘no pressure’ and can instead go all-out attack. 

“After a few weeks at home preparing, I’m very excited to go to Mandalika and get the last round of the championship underway” said Rea. 

“I’m curious to see the circuit for the first time. First impressions from images I’ve found of it are great. It looks like a circuit that will suit the strengths of our ZX10-RR. 

“We will work hard on Friday to learn the circuit and fine tune our settings. We will arrive there 30 points behind in the championship battle but we will fight to the end. 

“I feel all the pressure is off now; I can ride free with nothing to lose and the target is clear. With three points scoring opportunities lying ahead I will give 100% to get the maximum possible.”