In the second part of our interview with World Superbikes’ Jonathan Rea, we asked the 23-year-old about his first love motocross, his heroes, and his onetime alternative career options…
You still do a bit of motocross for fun. How is it different from Superbikes?
Riding-wise, because motocross isn’t a job, it’s probably a little bit more fun. When you’re out there, it’s just you and you’re having fun, whereas in Superbikes, there is always that pressure. Even though I love what I do, it is a job at the end of the day. A lot of people rely on results and me doing well – mechanics and so on – so it’s a high-pressure job… It’s great, you know, and I wouldn’t swap it for the world, but with motocross, I can throw the bike in the back of the van myself, drive to a cool sand track and waste the day away having fun with my friends. Road racing isn’t exactly like that. Just to ride your bike, you need at least six guys there. And you’re in the spotlight – good days are great, but bad days, you know… they suck!
Red Bull X-Fighters is coming to London soon. Are you going, and have you ever tried FMX?
Unfortunately I can’t make it this year, but I was lucky enough to go last year and it was a great event. I recorded the X Games Live in the motorhome last night and it kind of made me wish I was there too, you know? Back in my day, it was cool to do big whips, can-cans and maybe a nac-nac, which I could do, but that wouldn’t even get you noticed at a freestyle event now!
'It’ll be nice just to do normal things like going to the cinema. I need to go and see that A-Team film!'
What are you planning in the four-week break before the SBK round in Germany?
To be honest, I haven’t been home since April. My calendar went, ‘Isle of Man TT, Misano test, Imola, back to Goodwood Festival of Speed, Brno, to Japan, back to the UK…’ I’m looking forward to some downtime, maybe booking a holiday with my girlfriend to relax for a week or so. But it’s going to be cool just to go home and see my family, ride some dirt bikes and have fun. It’ll be nice just to do normal things like going to the cinema. I need to go and see that A-Team film!
What’s the best bike you’ve ever ridden?
The best bike would probably be the Suzuka 8 Hour machine that I used in 2008. It was a proper factory machine from Japan built by Honda. That was one of the most special, I think.
Who was your motorcycling hero when you were growing up?
Kevin Schwantz. [We agree! See our recent interview with Kevin here.] He’s a good lad.
'My mum and dad made me to go to college, as they’d never really seen motorbikes as a job'
What’s been the best moment of your career to date?
To be completely honest, the most significant moment of my career was 2002 – getting picked for the the Red Bull Rookie programme in the UK, because, like I said before, I was a motocrosser at heart with a tiny little bit of interest in road racing. I grew up watching people like my dad [Johnny, an Isle of Man TT class winner] and Kevin Schwantz, and they were my heroes, but I kind of wanted to be a motocrosser. Then I got this opportunity and it changed my life. I was hooked straight away. That phonecall from Red Bull’s motorsport manager back then, Linda Pelham, was one of the happiest times in my life – it was a great opportunity and I wanted to grab it with both hands. And here I am seven years later, winning World Championship races.
If you hadn’t become a motorcycle racer, what would you have done as a career?
My mum and dad made me to go to college after school just to do a bit of studying, as they’d never really seen motorbikes as a job. I studied to be a mechanical engineer. For sure, if I wasn’t riding bikes, I’d like to be a crew chief. Worst case scenario, I’d be working at my dad’s haulage yard driving a fork-lift!
Fortunately, Jonathan will be on a slightly quicker Hannspree Ten Kate Honda at Silverstone this weekend. Keep up with the action at his own website, jrea65.com, and at worldsbk.com
Comments
Add a comment