Jonathan Rea admitted that he can’t perform his “career strength” of exploiting fresh tyres oꦯn the Yamaha.

Rea fi꧃nished ninth in Sunday’s Superpole then sixth in Race 2 in the World Superbikes round at Most, Czꦉech Republic.

H꧅e sighed afterwards that he is struggling to deliver the major attribute that he possessed throughout his title-winning Kawasaki heyday.

“It’s been my career strength putting fresh tyres on a bike and exploiting e🐬verything,” Rea said.

“But with the Yamaha I jus✤t can’t do that now. We are working hard.

“The bike has a great feeling but it tends to c🔥ome when 🐼the tyres have their initial drop.

“At the beginning it’s 🎐so hard for me to exploit the strengths. Remy Gardner and Andrea Locatelli can do it, but I’m not there yet.

“Why? Maybe the commitment and lean angle. I am more conservative. With this bik💞e, it doesn’t se♛em to work.

“🔴If we can qualify better anಌd I can exploit the fresh Pirelli tyre, we should be there or thereabouts…”

Jonathan Rea assesses Race 2 at Most

Rea finished 1ཧ0th in Saturday’s Race 1, and said after the Most round ended: “The trajectory of the weekend was positive. Qualifying P15 to go 10, 9, 6 is somewhat positive.

“It highlighted the importance of qualif🥃ying. Track posi♍tion was everything.

“My pace was better than✅ the guys around me. The group in🗹 front of me was achievable.

“B💧ut trying to get through traffic was really difficult. I made a good start in the last race after giv𒀰ing myself half a chance from the third row.

“Something came over the top of me, on T2. I came out and the RPMs were so, so low. I was in first gear but I thought🙈 I must’ve been in 𝓡second, or third.

“I got done by the guys who carried speed. Someone c🎉ame over the top and killed ꦍall my drive.

“Agai𝓀n, that was track position. 🍌Anything positive I did until Turn 1 was ruined.

Never give up. Once I settled, I disposed of the Hondaꦚs quickly. Rinaldi was the next target, I kept my head down then caught him.

“We had a bit of tyre left. I could sꩵee others were dropping but they were too far ahead.

“I didn’t mak🧔e my life or my team’♔s easy by crashing in Superpole.”

Rea desc🌜ribed his race on Sunday: “Once I got throu🐈gh the Hondas, I thought ‘don’t give up’.

“In clean air the🎃 Yamaha can make the lap time. At one point, I was one of theꦫ fastest on track.

“It goes to show that there are clear a🌠reas we need to work on.

“I knew if I put th🥃e bike in clean air, ꦿand ride my lines, I could catch him. But then where could I pass? It wasn’t aggressive, it was a block pass. I learned that from racing Toprak - he would always level me, whereas I would go through on people. I levelled guys today, it seemed to work.

“I learned 𓆏a bit more about the Yamaha in traffic and how to🐈 exploit its strengths.”