Career start and successes at Honda
Jonathan Rea began his international career at Honda. After competing in the British Superbike Championship on a Honda and finishing as runner-up, he moved to the Supersport World Championship and also finished as runner-up there. He made his debut in the Superbike World Championship at the 2008 season finale in Portimão on the CBR1000RR. In his first season as a regular rider, Rea established himself in the top 5 and celebrated his first race wins at Misano and the Nürburgring.
Between 2009 and 2014, he racked up a total of 15 wins, 42 podium finishes, and 10 fastest race laps for Honda. These results make Rea one of the three most successful Superbike riders in the manufacturer’s history.
Records and switch to Kawasaki
After switching to Kawasaki, Jonathan Rea became the most successful rider in Superbike World Championship history. He won a total of six riders’ world championships, scored 119 race wins and stood on the podium 264 times – all WorldSBK records. At the end of the 2025 season, he announced his retirement as a full-time rider, but left open the option of further involvement.
New role as test rider at Honda
With his official confirmation as test rider, Jonathan Rea takes on a central role in the Honda CBR1000RR-R development program. Rea will use his many years of experience to support the team and drive forward the further development of the Superbike. His former crew chief Chris Pike is also part of the test team as project manager, which provides a familiar working environment.
In a statement, Rea emphasized that the new role was a kind of fulfillment for him. He said he was looking forward to contributing all his experience and working with the team on the development of the Honda CBR1000RR-R. He is also particularly motivated by the opportunity to work with old colleagues.
Strategic realignment at Honda
With the signing of Jonathan Rea as test rider and the new team manager Yuji Mori, Honda is continuing its strategic restructuring in the Superbike World Championship. For the 2026 season, the factory team will compete with a new rider duo – Jake Dixon from Moto2 and Somkiat Chantra from MotoGP. In the test team, Jonathan Rea and Ryan Vickers will work together on the further development of the motorcycle.
According to team manager Yuji Mori, Honda sees Jonathan Rea’s return as an important step in further advancing the Superbike project and underlining its own ambitions in the championship.
