Honda’s star test rider Jonathan Rea (39): “Knowing what we need to work on”

For Honda, these are bitter facts: The Japanese manufacturer last won the Superbike World Championship title with James Toseland in 2007; Nicky Hayden secured their last victory in the rain-soaked chaos at Sepang in 2016; and it has already been two years since their last podium finish (Iker Lecuona at Estoril)!

However, you cannot accuse Honda of not trying. A genuine HRC works team has been in place since 2020. In addition, a test team based in Europe for the Superbike World Championship was set up at the start of 2025, and in November, an exceptional talent in the form of Jonathan Rea was signed on as a test rider. With the experience of six riders’ world championships and 119 victories under his belt, the Northern Irishman is tasked with making the CBR1000RR-R competitive.

However, no progress has been evident so far: Honda is actually having its worst season yet, partly due to injuries to its race riders Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra. Rea hints that whilst the areas needing improvement have been identified, the solutions are difficult to implement.

“We know we need to step it up,” emphasised the 39-year-old. “This championship is based on production motorbikes and it’s not possible to make arbitrary changes, for example to the chassis. Furthermore, MotoGP ties up some of our resources. But we know what we need to work on. I only give my feedback directly to the engineers.”

Strange: in other series, the Fireblade is competitive, such as in the World Endurance Championship. Rea himself won the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours in July, albeit on Bridgestone tyres. Is there any truth in the accusation that the CBR is being developed too heavily around the Japanese tyres?

“No, it’s not just the tyres,” Rea dismissed the suggestion. “Suzuka is a major event and Honda has an incredible amount of experience there, an unbelievably good team and, of course, some very good riders. It’s all about the battle with Yamaha, BMW, YART and Yoshimura. In the Superbike World Championship, Ducati sets the benchmark, along with two Bimotas and four factory Yamaha bikes. The standard is extremely high. And even though I say it’s not just about the tyres, the CBR works brilliantly with Bridgestone. Of course, the character changes and the tyres help, but that isn’t the only reason why you’re successful in Endurance and struggle in the World Superbike Championship.”