World Superbikes: Championship leader Rea targets repeat performance at Aragon
- Published
Rea has won seven of the 12 races staged in the 2020 season so far
World Superbike series leader Jonathan Rea is aiming for more wins as he and his fellow competitors prepare to race at Aragon for the second week in a row.
The five-time champion followed up his third place in race one last weekend by taking victories in the Superpole event and race two at the Spanish circuit.
That sequence of results left the Northern Irishman 10 points clear of nearest challenger Scott Redding.
"I'll just try to replicate that this weekend," said the Kawasaki rider.
With four rounds completed, the second Aragon round sees the season enter its second half and the battle for the championship looks to have developed into a two-horse race between Rea and Ducati-mounted rival Scott Redding.
'We are in a good place'
Series rookie Redding took his tally of triumphs in 2020 to three last weekend and added second and fourth place finishes to stay well in touch in the title chase.
At a track where the Ducati marque is traditionally strong, Rea was pleased to come away with a heavy points haul to top the standings.
"We were lucky to come here a few weeks ago testing with the other teams so we kind of knew we were strong here," explained the 33-year-old.
"In race one we finished where I guess we should finish - I made a mistake but we were fighting at the end with Ducati.
"For the Superpole race and race two I found something extra. I was able to put in a really hard pace at the beginning and keep it to the end with not so much drop in the tyres.
"It shows we are in a good place with the bike in the hotter conditions. Physically I felt pretty good so I'm hopeful will be there or thereabouts again."
Same circuit - different conditions
Rea has won seven races to date this year, including all four 10-lap Superpole sprint outings, and feels he can adapt to the slightly different conditions he expects to encounter this weekend.
"It's a strange situation to come back to a track we have already raced at last weekend but we have a lot of data.
"It may be different conditions, it's a little bit hotter and the wind has dropped right off, so we'll just try to understand the pace, pick our race tyre again in the hotter conditions and we should be ready."