WorldSBK legend Jonathan Rea is gunning for wins at Donington Park this weekend, as he prepares for his home event on 15-17 July.
The six-time champion has won four of the last six races to be held at the East Midlands circuit, including a treble in 2019, and has stood on the podium 13 times at the venue in his WorldSBK career.
Rea has five wins so far in 2022, and has only missed out on a podium on two occasions. That means he sits second in the championship standings at the moment behind Ducati's Alvaro Bautista, in a situation that closely mirrors that of 2019. Then, Rea used the Donington rounds as a launch pad to his fifth title, with his Donington wins being part of a string of 14 successes across the final 19 races.
A similar performance in front of his home crowd this weekend will help him close down the 36-point gap to the former MotoGP contender.
He said: "It's very cool to face my home race, it brings a lot of excitement because a lot of my friends and family will make the trip. I always enjoy seeing the faces of the home fans who have been following me since my BSB days. Now the paddock is more open than it was last year so it will be nice to get amongst them and really soak up the atmosphere of a home race."
This weekend's WorldSBK event ends a five week gap since the last rounds at Misano, but Rea's been keeping sharp.
"It feels like a long time since we have raced, but we have been on the bike. We did some private testing at Aragon and also some preparations for the Suzuka 8 Hours. I have had a lot of bike time recently."
As for Donington, he can't wait to get going at one of his favourite circuits of the year.
"I am looking forward to the first laps at Donington because it is a track that I really enjoy. It is a circuit of two halves. One fast and flowing, but the end of the lap is very much stop/start. The Ninja ZX-10RR has a good history at Donington and I have had a few wins there now. It is a good track to kick start this part of the season. Both Donington and Most come in quick succession, so it is important to capitalise. The target is to win so I am excited to see what we can do."
Discounted tickets for the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship at Donington Park are available in advance until 4pm on Wednesday 13 July. For more information and to book call 0344 225 4422 or click here.