Jonathan Rea

The most successful WorldSBK rider of all time, with six world titles, 119 race wins and 264 podiums to his name, Rea, from Northern Ireland, is unmatched in his achievements and records on the production-derived stage. From 2015 to 2020 Rea literally dominated in WorldSBK, securing the championship title in six consecutive seasons, a feat that is unlikely to be repeated any time soon...

Background

Significantly, the Northern Irish rider spent his formative years on Honda machinery. In the early days of his professional career, Rea spent three productive years with Honda teams in the British Superbike championship, rounding out the 2007 season as runner-up. The following year he moved to WorldSSP with Ten Kate Honda and again closed the year in second place overall. This result saw him move up to WorldSBK for the 2009 season, again with Honda, his collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer continuing until the end of 2014. During that time, he amassed 42 podiums, 15 of which were race wins. These achievements put him third on the all-time list of most successful Honda WorldSBK riders.

In 2026, Rea will also return to the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race as part of the Honda HRC line-up alongside Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco. The Northern Irish rider, who serves as a test rider for Honda HRC in WorldSBK, returns to Suzuka for the first time since 2022, aiming to secure a third overall victory as Honda HRC targets a fifth consecutive win in the prestigious Japanese event.