Jonathan Rea Bids Adieu to Team Pata Honda After Six World Superbike Seasons

News    05.11.2014                 Honda bids farewell to a racing friend Last Sunday's thrilling end to the 2014 World Superbike championship season in Qatar also marked the conclusion of one of the longest and most successful racing partnerships that the series has ever seen.   After six seasons with the official Honda World Superbike team, run from the Ten Kate Racing workshops in the Netherlands – plus a year in the World Supersport championship with the same outfit – Jonathan Rea will begin the 2015 season with a new challenge.   Year one of the partnership between Rea and the Ten Kate Honda team yielded six World Supersport podiums and three race wins. When he stepped up to World Superbikes and the Honda Fireblade in 2009, Rea began a remarkable record that has seen him take at least one race victory every year.   With the culmination of the 2014 season, that win tally stands at 15, with a total of 41 podium finishes. Rea currently sits 12th in the all-time World Superbike championship win list, with all those victories having been achieved with one team on Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade.   Indeed, Rea’s entire road racing career to date has been on Honda machinery, beginning with the Red Bull Rookies programme and, in 2003 at the age of 16, competing in the British 125cc championship.   After an injury-blighted season in British Supersport in 2004, Rea progressed to the British Superbike championship in which he finished as runner-up to Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari in 2007, before stepping up to the World Supersport championship with the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team. Rea's Honda career has also taken him to the Suzuka 8Hours race in Japan, which, in 2012, he became the first British rider to win. Later that year, Rea also stood in for the injured Casey Stoner on the Repsol Honda RC213V at the Misano and Aragon MotoGP rounds.   At a recent World Superbike championship round, representatives from title partner Pata, Honda Motor Europe and the Ten Kate Racing organisation took an opportunity to acknowledge Rea’s contribution with a specially-designed montage representing his Honda career. It seemed a fitting way to thank the 27-year-old for his services to Honda and to the team, and to wish him and his family the best for the future.   Jonathan Rea and Honda - career-to-date   British 125cc Championship - 2003 Pole positions            - Races                       12 Podiums                    1 Wins                          -   British Supersport Championship - 2004 Pole positions            - Races                        6 Podiums                    - Wins                          -   British Superbike Championship – 2005-2007 Pole positions            8 Races                        72 Podiums                    17 Wins                          5   World Supersport Championship – 2008 Pole positions            - Races                        12 Podiums                     6 Wins                           3   World Superbike Championship – 2008-2014 Pole positions            4 Races                        140 Podiums                    42 Wins                          15   TOTALS Pole positions            12 Races                         242 Podiums                     66 Wins                           23   Copyright-free images (left to right): Robert Watherston (head of motorsport, Honda Motor Europe), Ronald ten Kate, Jonathan Rea, Gerrit ten Kate, Carlo Fiorani (Honda Motor Europe, motorsport division)   The montage presented to Jonathan Rea   Ronald and Gerrit ten Kate with Jonathan Rea     Special note to Ronald ten Kate on the back of Rea's helmet worn at the final round of SBK2014 in Qatar © 2014 Pata Honda.