Jonathan Rea ‘has no words right now,’ after a dominant victory at Magny-Cours on Saturday saw him clinch the 2017 World Superbike championship.
The Kawasaki rider won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, and came into Saturday’s first race in France needing just five more points than second-placed team-mate Tom Sykes to secure a third title.
Starting from pole position despite a crash in qualifying Rea cruised away from the field in the tricky conditions to take his 50th win in WorldSBK, and became the first rider in the series’ 30-year history to win three championships in succession.
The Kawasaki rider also matched Troy Bayliss‘ tally of three championships, while his race victory put him just nine adrift of the all-time record set by four-time world champion Carl Fogarty.
“I’ve no words really, how it feels right now. I’m just super grateful to be in this position,” Rea, who has led the WorldSBK standings since he joined the team in 2015, said.
“To ride for a manufacturer like Kawasaki and have all the support of the Kawasaki Racing Team and my family and friends and all our teams sponsors is incredible.
“They put me there, (but) of course I have to do my work and turn up every weekend and be sharp, but I couldn’t do this without all their support. So, massive thanks to them.
“I think the 50th race victory is going to get a bit lost in the moment with the championship, but I’m equally as proud of that and I’ve, not just in 2015, ticked the childhood dream; to win back-to-back in ’16 was also amazing, but to do three in a row, I’ve no words right now.
“I don’t think I’ll understand exactly what I’m doing until I maybe look back at my career when I’m old and out of racing.”
Rea admits to feeling ‘hollow’ after winning his first title off of the top step of the podium, and after he was beaten to the win by Ducati’s Chaz Davies in Qatar last year he was determined to win his third crown with a race victory.
“I wanted to win that race so bad, but also not at all costs,” said Rea, who won the race by 16 seconds over Ducati’s Marco Melandri.
“Of course, I was taking… riding here at Magny-Cours in the wet, it’s on a knife edge, you only have to do something one percent wrong and the penalty doesn’t fit the crime, you’re upside down.
“In 2015 I won the championship by being off the podium, and it was such a hollow feeling.
“I felt like… yeah, the dream is to win the championship by winning the race and in ’16 I got beaten by Chaz in the race, but this year I made sure I won.
“It wasn’t easy, this morning I lost the rear and crashed and really hurt my shoulder.
“That crash, to pole position, to winning the race and the championship, the day has just gone sharply up with emotions, so I’m really happy.”
