Jonathan Rea is retired. At least that’s what I had been told. After two tough seasons with Yamaha, Rea introduced his retirement from racing on the finish of the 2025 season. Shortly thereafter, although, he signed on as a check rider with Honda HRC.
Nevertheless it seems to be like Rea’s testing has changed into racing, with the Northern Irish bike racer slated to line up on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. He’ll be taking the seat of the injured Jake Dixon, who sustained wrist fractures and a subsequent surgical procedure after an off-bike incident through the WorldSBK Official Check at Phillip Island.
The six-time WorldSBK Champion ended his illustrious profession with 119 wins, 264 podiums, and 470 race begins, together with claiming 44 pole positions, second all-time behind Tom Sykes’ with 51. These are some critical numbers, so it’s no shock that Honda HRC tapped Rea to fill in for the still-recovering Dixon because the WSBK heads to Portugal.
What’s attention-grabbing, although, is that this would be the first time Rea has raced for Honda since 2014, and at Portimao no much less, the circuit the place he made his WorldSBK debut in 2008 racing for Hannspree Ten Kate Racing.
His exit from WorldSBK racing didn’t precisely go as deliberate, nonetheless, as Rea sustained a knee harm on the Tissot Superpole Race in Jerez final season, a less-than-exciting approach to finish an unimaginable profession behind the handlebars of a Superbike.
Nevertheless it seems to be just like the six-time champion will probably be again on the grid for Spherical 2 of the 2026 WorldSBK season, racing alongside Somkiat Chantra. The pair will probably be chasing the checkered flag aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, a motorbike that Rea has ridden as a check rider over the winter at Jerez and Portimao, and as not too long ago as final week, according to a report from WorldSBK.
So, will this be Jonathan Rea’s remaining look within the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship? Maybe. Nevertheless it shakes out, it’s thrilling to see him again on a Honda HRC machine after practically a dozen years, coming full circle on his WorldSBK profession.
The Pirelli Portuguese Spherical of WorldSBK will happen March 27-29 on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao.
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