Jonathan Rea to join Yamaha in WorldSBK

One of the biggest bombshells to hit the FIM Superbike World Championship landed in September when Jonathan Rea announced he would be leaving the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) at the end of the 2023 season to join Yamaha. The most successful rider in World Superbike history, 36-year-old Rea will replace Toprak Razgatlioglu at the factory Yamaha team after the Turkish rider revealed in May he would be moving to BMW in 2024.  

Rea still had one year left on his current contract with Kawasaki, but an agreement was reached, allowing him to depart at the end of this season to join the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Official Team alongside Andrea Locatelli.

Although he debuted in WorldSBK in 2008, Rea’s dominance started when he moved from Ten Kate Honda to KRT in 2015. In nine seasons on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Rea won six consecutive world championships (2015-2020). Including his pre-Kawasaki years, Rea also holds numerous WorldSBK class records, from race wins to points scored, fastest laps and races started.

In an Instagram post confirming his departure from Kawasaki, Rea thanked them and KRT for giving him the opportunity to prove himself at the highest level. While acknowledging the six world championships with Kawasaki were a highlight, Rea also pointed to the “amazing memories, the life lessons and the laughs that I will take with me into the future.”

Rea said he also felt proud to bring so much joy and happiness to Kawasaki fans and Kawasaki owners around the world.

A statement released by Yamaha Motor Europe on 4 September confirmed they had signed Rea on a two-year deal, with he and Locatelli expected to form “a formidable partnership” on the Pata Yamaha Promoteon WorldSBK R1.

“We are very happy to welcome Jonathan to the Yamaha family and are very motivated to collaborate with him for the future,” said Eric de Seynes, President and CEO, Yamaha Motor Europe.

“Jonathan’s drive, determination and hunger for success have been constants throughout his career and these attributes will contribute to our future common success. We truly believe that Jonathan can add to his world championship tally, and we are equally confident that he can achieve this  with us.”