
After three rounds and six races of undefeated form Jonathan Rea was again readying his paint to scrawl all over the WorldSBK wall prior to the tenth round of thirteen. The series dropped into the distinctive layout of Magny-Cours with the Kawasaki man only needing to keep his Pirelli tyres firmly fixed and spinning on the French asphalt. With another chequered flag in the first dash of the weekend on Saturday the 31 year old Northern Irishman made yet another slice of FIM motorcycle racing history.
Rea, already the most successful WorldSBK racer ever thanks to his efforts in 2018 that saw him overhaul Carl Fogarty’s previous win record, was overwhelmed by his loyal crew at the unique Superbike paddock podium era. It was a special moment. Rea had become the very first athlete to post three consecutive championship wins in 2017 – a feat that caught the attention of the British public and he was voted second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, one of the most prestigious sports awards ceremonies in the world – and his 18 podiums and 13 victories this season pushed that number up to four.