Jonathan Rea was one of the stars of the World Superbike show in the second half of the 2011 championship after spending much of the summer recovering from his nasty crash at Misano Adriatico. The 24 year-old from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, is now getting ready for the long winter months that separate him from the start of the 2012 season with the knowledge that he will have a competitive package for next year and anxious to test the new 2012-spec CBR1000RR. At the moment Rea is currently involved in three days of testing at the Losail circuit in Qatar, together with his Castrol Honda team and his new team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama. WorldSBK.com caught up with him at the recent EICMA show in Milan, where he was signing autographs for his numerous Italian fans.
The 2011 season ended not so long ago and now you're getting ready to test before the winter break. What are the team plans?
"We test in Qatar Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, mainly because last year we were a bit unlucky with the tests. In Miller it was raining, in Portugal the official test was wet and in Arag�n, the new circuit of last year, we tested there but it was too cold to ride. Last year the pre-season test was very bad. So we go to Qatar and we get a three day test which is very good. The point we need to improve the most is when the bike is on the edge of the tyre and on the Qatari track it is perfect to do so."
Will you ride the 2012 bike?
"To be honest I'm not 100% sure, there will be a lot of 2012 parts but I think it's going to be still the 2011 bike. I am not sure, though."
What are your plans for the coming winter?
"In December I go back to Australia with my fianc�, we have an apartment in Melbourne so it's good to go there for training and also for her to get to see all the family. During the racing season we travel a lot so it's definitely nice to go there for December and January."
What's your opinion on the one bike rule for next season?
"I don't know, but my new crew chief is coming from BSB and he's used to the one-bike rule so for sure he has some experience. For me it would be a problem only in qualifying, I think it will be surely hard work for the mechanics."
What are your goals for next season then?
"I want to be in the top-3 but surely my aim is to win the Championship. We have made a lot of improvements so hopefully we can get there."
You always get a warm welcome here in Italy. Without a shadow of a doubt you're one of the most well-loved non-Italian riders here....
"I don't know if I'm one of the favourites but for sure Italians are one of my favourites. You can see the difference between the English fans, they are very loyal, I have a lot of British fans, but when you come to Italy the passion of the fans is fully on a different level. On my Twitter page I've got so many Italian followers and after every race they message me and that makes a lot of difference".
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