CONFRIMED: Jonathan Rea leaving Kawasaki for PATA Yamaha
Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea will be racing for Pata Yamaha in 2024
It's official, Jonathan Rea will be racing for the Pata Yamaha team in 2024, as he turns on the page on a stellar nine-year career with Kawasaki that yielded seven World Superbike titles for him and the team.
The news was confirmed just a short time ago, with the Pata Yamaha team taking to social media to confirm the news. Their post came around an hour after Rea's own social media post confirming that he was leaving the KRT fold.
The post from Pata Yamaha reads:
JONATHAN REA TO RACE FOR YAMAHA IN WORLDSBK FROM 2024
Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce that six-time FIM Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea will race alongside Andrea Locatelli in the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Official Team in 2024, having secured a two-year agreement with the Ulsterman.
This is an updated story originally published earlier on today, the original story can be found below.
JONATHAN Rea’s ninth season with the Kawasaki in WorldSBK will be his last racing for the team.
Both Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team have confirmed that they’ll part ways after the 2023 season concludes, bringing to an end a near-decade-long partnership that yielded six rider's titles on the bounce from 2015 to 2020.
Rea hasn’t said what he’ll be up to in 2024, but it’s thought he’ll end up at Yamaha, taking the spot available following Toprak Razgatlioglu’s departure. Previously, the Northern Irishman had been contracted to ride for Kawasaki in both 2023 and 2024 as part of a two-year deal.
In a statement, the Kawasaki Racing Team said:
"Six time WorldSBK Champion, Rea, will leave the Kawasaki Racing Team at the end of the 2023 season. Formally contracted for both the current and 2024 seasons, Rea will be released from this agreement by mutual consent at the end of the racing season.
"During his time riding for the official factory team, 36 year old Rea achieved an unprecedented haul of six WorldSBK titles as well as accruing a slew of other records including all-time WorldSBK records for Championships, Race Wins, Podiums, Fastest Laps and Overall Points Scored."
Meanwhile, on his social media channels, Rea said:
“I will leave KRT at the end of the season. I want to thank everyone at KMC and KRT for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to prove myself at the highest level. I have learnt and grown so much as a person and a rider since the first day throwing my leg over the factory Ninja ZX-10R superbike.
Winning six consecutive WorldSBK Championships will always be the most obvious highlight of my time with Kawasaki; but it will also be the amazing memories, the life lessons and the laughs that I will take with me into the future. And, for sure, it’s our mission to complete the 2023 season as strongly and with as much commitment as we have always shown.”
Who’ll replace Rea at Kawasaki isn’t yet known, but the rumour mill is sure to start swiftly turning from now until an announcement is made.
Matt has a background in motoring journalism of the four-wheeled variety but has long had a passion for motorbikes, taking his first steps into riding in 2010.
