P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Jonathan Rea is retiring as the most successful World Superbike rider of the modern era. What would his MotoGP career have looked like?
The retirement announcement of six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea at the end of 2025 marks the end of an illustrious career in the production bike class, leaving behind a legacy of dominance and success.
Rea, often considered a candidate for the title of the greatest of all time in World Superbike racing alongside legends like Carl Fogarty, solidified his status as the modern master with an unprecedented six consecutive title wins between 2015 and 2020.
Despite his exceptional achievements in WSB, there will always be speculation about what Rea could have achieved had he made the transition to MotoGP, a move that never materialized despite offers from satellite teams like Pramac and Forward.
Even though Rea did briefly test his skills in MotoGP in 2012 as an injury replacement for Casey Stoner, his loyalty to Honda and the difficulty of leaving his World Superbike success ultimately kept him from pursuing a full-time MotoGP career.
Comparisons with his former rival and MotoGP success story Cal Crutchlow suggest that Rea possessed the potential for a similar trajectory in Grand Prix racing, but his decision to stay in Superbikes and continue his winning streak with Kawasaki deprived fans of witnessing one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in recent racing history.
