Rea delighted to return to winning ways
Added on Monday, April 18th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor
Rea delighted to return to winning ways
Jonathan Rea admitted his delight at claiming his first World Superbikes victory of the season, which he believes can kick-start his title challenge after his early injury.
Rea claimed a race one victory at Assen on Sunday as well as a third place in race two, earning him his first podiums of the season and propelling him to fourth in the rider’s standings.
The victory came after Rea fought through the first two rounds of the season with a hand injury, sustained during pre-season testing at Phillip Island back in February.
But after a strong showing at Donington Park last month, Rea hopes that his first victory of the season can kick-start his 2011 title challenge.
“First and foremost, I’m really proud to give the famous Castrol Honda name the first victory on its comeback to this championship,” he claimed. “We spent all weekend developing the bike for the races, and that strategy paid off.
“I got a good start but couldn’t decide whether to let Max [Biaggi] past and let him dictate the pace. In the end I made the right decision to stay in front and take the win.
“We had to dig deep in race two because I got held up for a while and the front guys got away. I was matching their lap times but we ran into some tyre problems later in the race. I’m really happy with the weekend though, and really grateful to everyone who has helped to get me here – it’s been a long hard winter coming back from injury.
“The team has worked really well and that’s exactly the right sort of confidence and momentum that we need to take to the next races. I’m happy to be back where I belong, in the winners’ circle, and I look forward to trying to get more wins for the team.”
