P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Rea set for shock Yamaha WSBK switch in 2024
In 2015, Jonathan Rea joined Kawasaki after six seasons with Honda in the WSBK series. He went on to dominate the series on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, winning six consecutive championships between 2015 and 2020 and setting a record of 119 race victories. However, Rea was dethroned by Toprak Razgatlioglu aboard a Yamaha in 2021, and Alvaro Bautista became the champion last year with Ducati. Rea’s Kawasaki contract is set until 2024, but the competitiveness of the ZX-10RR has diminished in recent years. With Razgatlioglu leaving Yamaha to join BMW, Rea saw an opportunity to access a more competitive bike and decided to switch to Yamaha in the WSBK series. Rea terminated his contract with Kawasaki by mutual consent. Meanwhile, former MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone, who has been serving a doping ban since 2019, is nearing a return to racing in 2024 in the WSBK series with a Ducati satellite team.
Source: Autosport.com
