Honda’s woes: After his wildcard appearance, Jonathan Rea realises the full extent of the situation

Whilst Honda test rider Johnny Rea secured the Japanese manufacturer’s best race result by finishing tenth in the Sprint at Donington Park, regular riders Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra were battling at the back of the field. And this despite the fact that Honda had been testing on the same circuit in June.

Finishing 14th, 32.2 seconds behind winner Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati), Rea recorded the smallest gap of any Honda rider in the long races – which highlights the difficulties Honda has been facing for years.

After all, as we recall, Honda hasn’t won since Nicky Hayden’s victory in the rain-soaked chaos at Sepang in 2016; Jonathan Rea secured the last dry-weather victory at Imola in 2014. And Honda’s last Superbike World Championship title came in 2007 with James Toseland, back when the tuning experts at Ten Kate Racing from the Netherlands were still looking after the works team.

Johnny Rea: “Trying to help”

“There’s no substitute for testing under race conditions alongside your rivals,” Rea noted. “I was able to get a look at BMW, Yamaha and Ducati – that’s useful information. My aim was to stay on the bike, enjoy the race weekend with the test team and bring home a few points. Tenth place was actually unrealistic, but I managed it in the Superpole Race. In the first main race I had to retire due to brake problems; in the second I finished 14th. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we know it. It’s been a long time since this bike won a race. My job is to try and help. Overall, it was a positive weekend. Are we satisfied? No. We want to be more competitive. But we are where we are.”

That applies to many manufacturers; we’re just a bit further behind.

Johnny Rea on Honda’s deficit

That’s the best Honda can do at the moment, as SPEEDWEEK.com confirmed with the six-time Donington winner and six-time world champion. “Yes, we’ve got everything out of it,” Rea emphasised. “Dixon and Chantra aren’t slow riders; they’re both very talented. I was able to draw on my experience at Donington and with Superbikes in general to put in a decent performance. A look at the results shows that it’s extremely difficult to finish in the top six or seven. To do that, you have to get the most out of your package and be perfect. Without harbouring any illusions, as a test rider and on this bike, I’ve ended up exactly where I expected to be. We’re a long way off; the gap to the front is too big. That applies to many manufacturers; we’re just a bit further behind.”