Jonathan Rea complains Honda comeback repeatedly hindered by poor weather

This week’s Portimao WorldSBK test has once again been hit by rain, limiting the running for all riders, including HRC test rider Jonathan Rea.

Rea was able to finish in the top-10 on the first day of running, but both days were ultimately hit by rain. The morning saw all of the meaningful running on Monday, while on Tuesday there have been almost no laps completed by any riders as a result of the wet track.

Afterwards, Rea spoke of his frustration at the continuous disruptions the European weather has brought to his testing efforts with Honda since January, when Rea rode at both World Superbike tests – first in Jerez, then at Portimao – with rain substantially limiting running on both occasions.

“[On Monday] I had a smile on my face just because I was riding the bike at this circuit that I love,” Jonathan Rea said.

“It was great to work with the crew again and get that feeling back, even though we once again had to deal with some bad weather. In fact, the weather has been a challenge throughout the whole winter testing season. 

“So far, we’ve only managed to complete around 50–60 laps in all, which is less than one full day of testing in normal conditions, so we still have a lot of work to do. “

Rea added that his first impressions of the Honda are that the bike has good potential but needs refining.

“That said, I was able to understand the level of the CBR quite quickly when I arrived,” he said. “It’s already good, but there are clearly some areas where we can improve. 

“We’re getting there gradually, and we’re giving the engineers in Japan and the team here a clearer direction to follow. Physically my condition is much better compared to the first test we had in Jerez, where I couldn’t bend my knee enough to ride comfortably. Portimão is a very physical track, so all in all it was a good test, and I feel physically ready to keep progressing with the work.”