Jonathan Rea’s Extended Interview – “Alvaro of a Different Race”

Interview with Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea: “The bikes today are quite different, we tried to compare the 2022 bike with the 23 bike in the afternoon, there are positives and negatives of both. I’d rather stick with ’23. Unfortunately when I was doing a simulation, lap 14 I was eliminated in T4.”

Q: Because of the wind?

Straw: “You know, the wind was very strong, it was blowing really hard from behind and I was at my limit, clearly pushing, and it was a very slow collision, completely different from yesterday, I went quite a distance when you start to release the brake. I had really positive feelings during that run. After 13 laps I was able to stay in 31st place, for me that’s where I needed to fight for the podium.

“We then evaluated the rear tire SC0. Pirelli asked me to do a longer run, to understand the performance of that tire in the Superpole race. Again, the tire performance is very good, so from an electronics point of view, I’m really pleased with the steps we’ve taken in the team.”

Q: In terms of electronics Jonny, you talk about the improvements you’ve made, is it hardware or software, personnel?

Straw: “A little bit of everything, not hardware but software with different electronics strategies, with a new electronics engineer at Sander Donkers [Engine Engineer & Electronics]and we have new staff in Christophe Lambert [Electronic Engineers & Data Coordinator]. Both come from different things with different experiences, from an electronic point of view, so there will be more input. At Kawasaki, we have the same electronics engineers for life. So it’s nice to put some new input in the box and just have a different perspective. I think that really took the team a step further – different ideas.

“Everything is working fine, our bike is working more normally than usual, only on bumpy roads I have quite a few difficulties. Through zone three, past Hayshed, seven, eight and nine. So that was the thing to do, I needed to shift more weight forward to get past Hayshed. I was a passing passenger at the time, the bike was always late when I changed direction. That is the main focus for Friday to work.

Q: Do you mean bringing that weight forward during neutral and acceleration, not during braking?

Straw: “Increase the throttle continuously, when I brake, I can get the car into position, but naturally the weight doesn’t go forward like I usually do, like I like… So we needed to create an extra one. bit of a slope, and I think that could help in some other areas, like the last corner, the second turn, the fourth turn so I don’t have to actually put the car in place, it will more natural fall. So we have a clearer direction than yesterday where we need to go. I am more satisfied with the bike than I was yesterday, but there are still some key points for improvement.

“We have taken a step forward from last year in terms of winter time, electronics, acceleration, tire consumption. I feel we have taken a step. But everyone has taken a step. Everyone is moving forward and we need more. We can’t just make a new bike, the changes for the 23 are very subtle.

“I need power, a lot of power. I’m racing with a guy who is likely 15 kg lighter than me, with a bike that has a lot of power. You know, last year it was a similar story, hitting the limit at every corner, every lap, only to have it take so long in an instant, you couldn’t magically fix this . So of course we need to improve, we need a much faster engine, because the shortfall we have in straight line and acceleration is too much. But it’s the same story. We’ve made progress, so I’m grateful, I’m grateful for the efforts they’ve made. Because with these regulations, the companies that make mass-produced, homologous bicycles are very difficult to improve, so I don’t think we will find a miracle step. We need to improve this area.

“I think we can fight for the podium, I really feel we can fight the best of the rest. I think Alvaro is clearly in another league, he’s going to be in another race. He has such an advantage here. Not only is he here with strength, he’s doing great, cycling well, bike working well and he’s clearly at one. But I think we can fight for the best.”

Q: You have been the favorite in the World Championship for a long time, maybe this year Alvaro.

Straw: “I am excited, the pressure is gone. In 2021, I lost the championship to Toprak, 13 points or something. After last year I was beaten so badly by Alvaro, he went to the championship from half the season. So, of course, we need to step up, but that’s interesting, it’s a different position than before. Moreover, we accept what we are and need to improve. It’s a different mentality. I’m just trying to work with the team to improve and hopefully fight to get as many race wins as I can.

Q: One of the problems you had last year was hot temperatures, did you work on this?

Straw: “No because we tested in Jerez and Portimao, at a maximum temperature of 25-30 degrees on the track, we don’t know. What I do know is that when I look at each lap, I just check my rhythm is pretty good. Forget Alvaro, the rest, maybe with Locatelli, Rinaldi, my rhythm is there with these guys fighting at the front for the podium. So if maybe we’ve taken a hot step. Last year’s race, it might have saved me because it was pretty cool. I think this year if we can stand on the podium here in the heat, I think we’ve really shown we’ve taken a step forward. I mean the podium is going to be a great result this weekend.”

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