“Sadly, as of today, Jonathan won’t be able to race at Portimao.”
With Rea’s absence drawing extra focus on the rest of the Yamaha team, Paul Denning and the Pata Maxus Yamaha crew are determined to maintain their momentum as the 2025 WorldSBK season approaches.
After the grid wrapped up its final Friday Free Practice sessions, Saturday will offer teams like Pata Maxus Yamaha one last chance to make adjustments before the Tissot Superpole. Unfortunately, Friday’s Free Practice 1 saw the team reduced to just one rider, as Jonathan Rea suffered an injury that leaves him unfit to compete this weekend in Australia—and he’ll also miss the upcoming round in Portimao.
REA OUT FOR PORTIMAO:
The six-time champion will be sidelined for the next two rounds.
Rea had been showing encouraging signs of improvement this offseason, even finishing P1 on a rainy day in Jerez and consistently ranking much higher than in his 2024 campaign. He was demonstrating that same pace during Free Practice 1 earlier in the week until, on his 21st lap, he lost control while tackling the Turn 2 Southern Loop. The resulting high-side crash sent him off track, and his bike cartwheeled onto his left foot, fracturing it in several places. Although he was lucky to avoid more serious injuries, the setback is significant. In a post-crash interview, Team Principal Paul Denning explained the impact on the team:
“I think ‘sad’ is the word. It’s really disheartening to see Jonathan, who was just beginning to find his flow, forced to step away from the bike. He’s super disappointed, but he’s back home and has already consulted a surgeon. I don’t want to disclose private medical details, but he’s doing everything he can to recover. Unfortunately, as things stand today, there’s no way for him to test or race at Portimao—mid and end of March are just too soon for this injury to heal. That means we’ll have two riders on track, though who they will be is still up in the air.”
KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING: Yamaha’s Fight to Maintain Progress
Despite Rea’s absence, Yamaha is still showing positive signs. Although his teammate hasn’t enjoyed as impressive an offseason as Rea did last year, he’s been competitive in testing—aside from a P11 in Friday’s FP2. On that day, Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) emerged as Yamaha’s best performer by finishing P6. Meanwhile, from Denning’s squad, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) clocked in 10th with a time of 1’29.849, showing solid race pace in the low 1’30s.
Reflecting on Yamaha’s prospects at Phillip Island, Denning commented, “Phillip Island is always a unique challenge. It’s hard to tell if you’re really making progress, especially after a winter test that was clouded by unpredictable weather. However, we definitely saw significant improvement on Jonathan’s side in many areas. I think we’ll learn much more during the Portimao test and race, but from the data so far, we’ve taken some important steps forward. Now it’s just a matter of seeing if that translates into the performance we need on race day.”
WorldSBK.com
