Indonesian WorldSBK: Jonathan Rea ‘expects to be stronger’, Lombok ‘more of a gauge’ than Phillip Island
The six-time wo൲rld champion left Australia with just one (wet) podium to his credit, and already 3🌸1 points behind Ducati’s reigning champion Alvaro Bautista, after an unexpectedly difficult event for the latest ZX-10RR.
"All of a sudden, bang, I had no grip wh🐽atsoever," Rea said after an eighth place in race two. "It’s a bit of a head-scratcher to be honest. I don🗹’t think this result reflects the true reality of where we are."
The Northern Irishman now returns to Mandalika, where he celebrated three podiums last year and took victory in both ina🐓ugural 2021 SBK races (when the Superpole contest was cancelled due to bad weather).
“Iꦡt’s good to start the 2023 season at the two circuits where we finished the previous season,” Rea said. “We will try to capitalise at Lombok wiꦬth some good points scores and look forward to understanding the year in general.
- Yamaha ‘can’t imagi🦄ne’ V4 engine switch, ‘enormousꦑ task’
- 16🌳8澳洲5最新开奖结果:Keith Huewen: ‘World domination ♊for Ducati then?’
- MotoGP aerodynamics: Ride♓-height as ‘DRS’, moveable fairings in future?
“Last year in Lombok I felt good until the last part of the races where🍰 the risks I was taking were really overloading the front.
“I expect to be stronger in L♌ombok than I was l🐓ast year. We will go and try our best.
“Lombok will be more of a gauge for us than Phillip Island,🥃 as ꦡit is more of a normal circuit design - although it will be very hot.”
Alex Lowes: ‘We have got work to do’
While Rea is optimistic aꦏbout a🍌 better weekend, team-mate Alex Lowes is yet to finish higher than seventh in Indonesia.
The Englishman arrives after a lone fourth place, betw🌌een a pair of DNFs in Australia, the last of which also brought down Toprak🤪 Razgatlioglu.
“Mandaꦉlika was our worst track last year and Phillip Island was our best track. I have one target for next week and that is to enjoy riding because I think it might be a tough weekend for us,” said Lowes.
“We have worked really hard to improve our package but it looks like either w🐓e have dropped back or all of our opposition have jumped a bit forward.
“We have got work to do. It is going t🌺o be hot and slippy, which are not the best conditions for us. We will work hard from Friday, enjoy it and try to grind out three good results.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story 👍and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
