How Jonathan Rea’s WorldSBK retirement will impact the championship

After racing for 17 years in WorldSBK, Jonathan Rea has decided to end his glittering career, which will also bring an end to his two-year stint with Yamaha.

While the last two seasons may have been Rea’s least successful in the series, the Northern Irishman is not just the best rider the championship has ever seen, he’s arguably the best British motorcycle racer that’s ever lived.

Sticking solely to circuit racing, Rea’s achievements on the world stage have been unrivalled as a British rider. In fact, his six championship wins have only been bettered by Valentino Rossi (7) or matched by Marc Marquez (6) during the same era, albeit both of them won all their titles in MotoGP.

WorldSBK and MotoGP can not be compared, nor can stats be added up equally, because the former features multiple races a weekend that count towards a rider’s overall win total. That’s not the case in MotoGP. However, to still be amongst the likes of Rossi and Marquez when it comes to title wins is a remarkable feat.

With Toprak Razgatlioglu heading off to MotoGP in 2026, WorldSBK is losing its two biggest stars. Razgatlioglu is perhaps the most talented rider that’s ever graced the class, but with him out of the picture, Rea’s records could stand the test of time.

119 wins is a ridiculous achievement, and of those, 104 were achieved on Kawasaki machinery, while the other 15 wins came with Honda. His title wins were all in succession with Kawasaki; starting in 2015 and ending in 2020.

WorldSBK is unlikely to find another rider of Rea’s talent anytime soon, let alone one that can achieve prolonged success like he did. Which begs the question, where is the next British star?

In the 1990s Carl Fogarty was the hero of two-wheel racing in the UK, and in the 21st century it’s been Rea, but at the moment there does not seem to be someone ready to fill those shoes.

Scott Redding showed promise but ultimately was unable to beat Rea, or Razgatlioglu, and the ex-MotoGP rider has now departed the series. Many British riders have tried their hand at WorldSBK, with varying levels of success achieved.

Tom Sykes is one who left the series a few years ago having been successful in winning a world championship, but others have at times struggled.

It’s fair to say the void Rea will leave behind is going to be huge, not just because of his name, but the seismic amount of success he’s enjoyed.

If you thought Rea’s success started and ended with WorldSBK, then think again, because the current Yamaha rider is also a two-time Suzuka 8 hour winner. His first win at the endurance race came in 2012 with Honda, before replicating that success in 2019 when he teamed up with Leon Haslam and Razgatlioglu.

Rea’s career will come to an end after the final four rounds (12 races) with Magny-Cours, Aragon, Estoril and Jerez left on the 2025 Superbike calendar.

Speaking about Rea following his retirement announcement, Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Race Planning Manager, who Rea once worked with, said: “I recall like it was yesterday when we were presented with the opportunity to sign Jonathan to ride in WorldSBK for our Kawasaki Racing Team. We knew he had already achieved a lot in his career, but I think both parties believed strongly that there was a lot more to come.

“That said, the achievement of six WorldSBK Championships – and in such a short space of time – was like a dream come true. Jonathan's work ethic and professionalism, along with his crew chief Pere Riba and a tight-knit team in his pit box, was the embodiment of his personal mantra of “dream, believe, and achieve”.

“Everyone involved in Kawasaki’s racing endeavours thanks Jonathan for his achievements whilst at Kawasaki and wishes him and all of his great family the very best for their future.”

Rea’s legacy is clear; he will go down as one of the best racers, not just of his generation, but ever across any championship.

Injuries and a difficult adaptation to the Yamaha R1 have caused Rea to struggle in the last couple of seasons, but before leaving Kawasaki, Rea had never gone a full season (15 in total) without a win. That type of consistency is hard to find in any sport, let alone one which is also dependent on the quality of machinery.

What’s also been impressive, which only the greats can do, is win a championship when a rival had the quicker bike. That’s what Rea did in 2019 when he overcame Alvaro Bautista and Ducati.

The likes of Marquez and Rossi have proven they could do the same, or if we take this argument to F1, you could possibly name Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen as the drivers that have managed to do it in the last 25 to 30 years. But beyond that, and in Rea’s era, you would struggle to say others have done it, especially at the highest level of racing.

Find all the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com.