World Superbikes: 'I've got a lot of fight left' - six-time champion Rea on title battle
- Published
Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu have been involved in a compelling battle for the World Superbike title
Jonathan Rea says he is "going to fight until the end" as he battles to see off his challengers and secure a seventh World Superbike title in a row.
With two rounds and six races of the 2021 season remaining, Rea trails his Turkish rival by 24 points.
The Kawasaki rider clawed his way back into championship contention by winning the third race at the Portimao round on 3 October, with Razgatlioglu crashing.
England's Scott Redding is a further 30 points adrift in the series standings.
"These guys are on a good level but it fires me up so much and I'm up for the battle," said Rea ahead of this weekend's penultimate round of the championship in Argentina.
"My attitude has been 'we're on the back foot, let's come out fighting'. It's going to be tough but in my head I can control the situation by winning the remaining races."
'A tough season from a technical and riding point of view'
The Northern Irishman's hopes of retaining his crown suffered a double setback when he crashed in the opening two races of the Portimao round in Portugal but his victory in the second feature race of the weekend has boosted his confidence.
"Mentally I needed that. It was a tough weekend as I had the pace throughout but made two uncharacteristic mistakes for which I had nobody to blame but myself.
"As soon as I hit the front I was too eager to try and pull away and went down and went back to the garage distraught.
"I went into the final race almost with no pressure because it had got to the stage where the gap was so big I thought I had nothing more to lose.
"I started from 10th on the grid, came through the pack and led after only a few laps. My rhythm was incredible and then Toprak had an issue with his bike.
"He went down in the last corner, ironically the same place my race ended the day before, so the championship then looked a little more realistic than it did 24 hours previously."
"It's been a tough season from a technical point of view and from a riding point of view - I'm going all in every race and now have a realistic chance of battling until the end."
'Able to do things with my bike I hadn't been able to do'
Rea explains that he is happier with the set-up of his bike going into the closing stages of a season which has seen him pushed hard by his main challengers.
"In Portugal I felt good with my bike. For the first time this year we've realised something we haven't been using that we used to in the past and I got my bike back.
"I was able to do things with it that I hadn't been able to do with it and it gives me a lot of confidence going to those two important meetings in Argentina and Indonesia now that I'm back in contention."
'Toprak's a tough competitor, just like me'
The rivalry between the 34-year-old and his Yamaha challenger has been building throughout the series as they emerged as the two clear frontrunners for the title, engaging in some thrilling battles on the track - and some jousting off it.
"Toprak's a really good guy - what happens off the track is sometimes sensationalised but on the track itself he's a tough competitor, just like me. That's the way he races and the way I can race.
"In the media and social media they've been trying to build this rivalry up and it's great for the championship because it is tight.
"I've won for the last six seasons and it's always been by quite a big margin - now we're facing the last two rounds with less than a race win in points difference. It's all to play for.
"When I fell well behind Alvaro Bautista in 2019 I thought the game was up but you keep giving it your best and suddenly the tide changes.
"I really feel like I've got a lot of fight left and I'm going to fight until the end. My team deserve it as they've been right behind me every step of the way. Who knows what can happen?"
Rea (left) and Razgatlioglu have dominated this season's World Superbike series
'We're fighting for a championship, there's a lot at stake'
Rea and his team were the subject of criticism from some quarters after appealing the outcome of the final race in Magny-Cours when the result was overturned, handing victory to Rea, ahead of Razgatlioglu, who had crossed the finishing line first.
"He made a mistake, used the green paint at the edge of the track on the last lap of the race, which is completely forbidden, and an automatic penalty was imposed.
"Then after winning in Portugal he was brushing up part of the green paint at the side of the circuit, poking some fun at the reversal of the result.
"I came out of the medical centre in Portimao, picked up my phone and saw this and it lit my fire. It was in my brain to poke some fun at that on Sunday. I couldn't think of a better place to do a burnout and that's what I did.
"It's the rules - if you go on the green on the last lap it's an automatic penalty regardless of whether you gain an advantage, it's the same for everybody.
"My team went about their business well in how they dealt with it - we're fighting for a world championship here so there's a lot at stake.
"The riders and manufacturers have put so much into it and if we feel like we have been penalised we should fight for all we can get."
Rea (left) and Razgatlioglu have dominated this season's World Superbike series
'I'm riding as well as I ever have'
The County Antrim rider believes his cause has not been helped by the championship organisers' decision not to allow his machine the extra power which would have allowed him compete for top speed on a more level playing field with his Kawasaki and Yamaha opponents.
"Technically we're really on the limit of what we can achieve. I was a bit annoyed at how the FIM handled the rpm penalisation at the start of the year when we were due 500 rpm with Kawasaki making a new homologation.
"RPM is affecting our top speed because of acceleration and how the gearbox is put together. We can't be as fast as we could if we had that.
"It's frustrating for me to be testing with that all winter and then a week before the start of the season they decide to penalise us.
"But that's life, we got on with it, and huge credit to Toprak and Yamaha - they've really stepped up and they're doing a really good job.
"It's competitive and it's bringing out the best in me. I'm riding as well as I ever have, I'm just making too many mistakes, crashing in races when I should have settled for points.
"Toprak hasn't made too many this year but his team have made quite a few.
"I have to be positive because Argentina's a great track for me - a circuit I thought wouldn't suit us because it has such a long straight and the last few years we have struggled for top speed compared with Ducati, but for some reason the rest of the track is incredible.
"Indonesia is a new track and there is some doubt as to whether it will happen and if not will there be a replacement and where. At the moment all I can control is what I do on the bike."