WSBK, Sportrik Media – Jonathan Rea admitted he was in “survival mode” during the closing stages of Race 2 at the Dutch round of WorldSBK 2026 in Assen, after struggling with front tyre degradation.
The Northern Irish rider was again deputising for Team HRC rider Jake Dixon, who remains sidelined due to injuries sustained during pre-season testing in Australia. It marked Rea’s second consecutive appearance as a substitute following his outing in Portimao.
Despite feeling better prepared compared to the previous round, Rea left Assen without scoring points across the weekend. His task was further complicated as he became the only Honda rider on track after Somkiat Chantra was declared unfit following a crash in Free Practice 3.
Although the final result did not reflect strong competitiveness, Rea took positives from Race 2, particularly in the first half where he was able to engage in battles and execute overtakes.
“I actually enjoyed Race 2, or at least the first half of it, because even though I got a bad start, I was able to make some passes and find a good rhythm,” Rea told WorldSBK.com.
“It was the fastest I’ve been all weekend, lapping in the mid 1m34s. The pace was good and I felt comfortable.”
However, his race began to unravel in the latter stages as the front tyre performance dropped significantly around lap 11 or 12, impacting his ability to maintain cornering performance.
“But around lap 11 or 12, I started to struggle with the front tyre. I had a few moments and then found it difficult to turn because I wasn’t loading the tyre in the same way,” he explained.
“To be honest, I was kind of in survival mode at the end, which was frustrating because physically I felt good.”
Despite the late-race difficulties, Rea acknowledged the progress made with the bike setup over the weekend, highlighting constructive work between himself and the team.
“The guys made some good setup changes right from Free Practice 1 and we worked well to explore some options with the bike,” he added.
“If we had to come back tomorrow, we already have more ideas to try in order to be faster at the end of the race. I know the result doesn’t really reflect it, but we made some progress this weekend.”
Rea also extended his support to his injured teammates, expressing hope that both riders can return soon for the upcoming round.
“Now the weekend is done, I want to wish Somkiat Chantra all the best in his recovery, and Jake Dixon as well. Hopefully they can be back on board at Balaton,” he concluded.
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