Frustrated Jonathan Rea admits he has lots to do after early struggles at Misano

The Ulster rider missed much of the first free practice session at the Marco Simoncelli Circuit after his Pata Maxus Yamaha R1 developed an electrical issue.
Rea squeezed in a lap at the end of FP1 but there was more frustration in the afternoon when the 38-year-old was unable to make much progress with the set-up of the machine.
He finished 18th after the opening day, 1.715s down on pacesetter and championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati).
Rea is now aiming to make up for lost time in final practice and qualifying on Saturday ahead of the opening race of the weekend at 1.00pm.
'Tough start to my day which put us on the back foot because we had a technical problem in the morning that kept me in the box,' Rea said.
'Fortunately, the mechanics worked incredibly hard and I was able to get a lap at the end of the session to verify the bike was okay and give us some confidence to move on in the afternoon.
'Unfortunately, FP2 we didn't make much progress with the set-up as temperatures rose and the track felt different, a bit greasy, and I really struggled with a lot of chatter and understeer.
'It was hard to be precise, I couldn't stop like I want to and be on the correct part of the circuit.
'I tried to take a wheel to understand what other riders were doing, but the more I tried, the worse it got.
'Definitely room for improvement tomorrow and very disappointed with today.'
Rea made his return from injury at Cremona in Italy last month after missing the first three rounds following a crash in testing at Phillip Island in Australia.
He is out of contract at Yamaha this year and is reported to be seeking a deal with a different manufacturer for 2026.
Rea is the most successful rider in World Superbike history, winning the title in six successive years between 2015 and 2020.
After leaving Kawasaki, he has struggled to find the same form at Yamaha and finished last year in 13th in the standings, with his best result a third place at Donington Park.
Italian Bulega, last year's title runner-up, was 0.190s faster than reigning champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) yesterday, with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) in third.
Bulega leads the championship by 31 points from Razgatlioglu going into round six and is bidding to win the crown for the first time in only his second season in World Superbikes.
Razgatlioglu, meanwhile, is set to make the move to the MotoGP World Championship next year with the Pramac Yamaha team and is determined to retain the title for BMW before taking on a new challenge next year.
'On one side, I feel sad; on the other, I'm so happy,' said Razgatlioglu, whose crew chief is Northern Ireland man Phil Marron.
'I'm sad because I feel like World Superbike is part of my family. I know everyone,
'I'm really happy with the paddock. This paddock is relaxed, and everyone is friendly.
'Moving to MotoGP as a three-time World Superbike champion is my biggest dream for this year.
'We're still fighting for the title with Bulega and we're not so far behind, just 31 points. I hope we get the title this year.
'This is my last year with BMW, and I need to give something to them before I move to MotoGP.'
On Sunday, the Superpole race is at 10.00am with Race Two at 1.00pm.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Metro

17 minutes ago

• Metro

Man Utd urged to complete shock transfer for 'physical' Premier League star

Manchester United have been urged to sign 'physical' Premier League star Beto from Everton this summer in what would be a shock move. United head coach Ruben Amorim is keen for a new-look strike force at Old Trafford with the Red Devils linked to a number of attacking players. Matheus Cunha has already joined United from Wolves and Amorim is reportedly keen to recruit Viktor Gyokeres from his old club Sporting CP. But Fernando Lopes is convinced that Beto would be a better choice for United, despite the striker scoring just 15 goals in 71 games for Everton. Lopes, the president of Portuguese club Uniao Tires, where Beto started his career, told The Sun: 'Everyone thought Amorim would sign Gyokeres as he had him at Sporting – but the Premier League is completely different to Portugal. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. 'Teams are more physical and compact at the back, it is quicker and more competitive. 'Gyokeres would struggle to play as a lone No. 9 waiting for service. 'Beto's a more physical player, who fights with defenders and doesn't lose duels. 'He is a real headache for opponents – if he gets the service. 'In their golden era, United always scored a lot of goals from set-pieces but haven't had a proper striker for many seasons. 'Nowadays, teams have small, quick strikers or a false forward because there is an obsession for possession of the ball. 'Beto represents the typical old style, because of his physique, power and work-rate – plus he is very fast. 'When [David] Moyes went to Everton he showed what a handful he is for defenders to stop. 'He'd be like Amorim's ace up his sleeve in a game of poker.' More Trending Everton paid around €30m (£25.8m) to sign Beto from Italian club Udinese in the summer of 2023. The 27-year-old Guinea-Bissau international scored eight Premier League goals across 30 top-flight games in the 2024-25 campaign. Beto is currently under contract at Everton until the summer of 2027. 'One of Beto's attributes is the fighting spirit first injected at Tires,' Lopes added. 'He has had the attitude of never giving up since he was a boy. I'd love to see him in a more attacking team because if he has the service, he will definitely score around 20.' MORE: Atletico Madrid reject chance to sign Arsenal star in summer transfer window MORE: Ruben Amorim sends message to Manchester United over Emiliano Martinez transfer MORE: Chelsea set Nicolas Jackson asking price as Premier League club join transfer race

Scotsman

3 hours ago

• Scotsman

'Made for Italy' - next emerging Scotland star encouraged to join exodus to Serie A

18y/o told he would thrive like Lewis Ferguson has in Italian football Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Lennon Miller returns to Motherwell today for the start of pre-season training but how long he remains with the club remains to be seen. The 18-year-old midfielder is Scottish football's hottest property right now and, if speculation is to be believed, he will be off to pastures new before the end of the summer transfer window. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The newly capped Scotland international may not have played his last match in claret and amber just yet though. Motherwell have eight competitive matches - four in the Premier Sports Cup group stages followed by the opening four Premiership games of the season - before the September 1 transfer deadline, by which time Miller will have turned 19. Lennon Miller made his Scotland debut off the bench against Iceland earlier this month. | SNS Group Clubs linked with a move for the talented playmaker include Celtic, Sunderland, Udinese, Strasbourg and Union Saint-Gilloise. Others will also be watching with interest. His father, Lee, himself a former Scotland striker who played for Aberdeen, Hearts and Falkirk among others, has hinted that his son is open to moving abroad. Another footballing dad, Derek Ferguson, believes Miller possesses the ability to follow his own son's career path. Lewis Ferguson joined Bologna from Aberdeen three years ago and has taken Serie A by storm, winning individual awards and captaining the side to Coppa Italia glory last month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "The style of footballer that he is, I think he's made to measure for Italy," ex-Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson said in reference to Lennon Miller on BBC Sportsound on Sunday where he was a guest alongside Lee Miller. "I've watched Lennon as a 16-year-old, he's added to his game already this season, so he's improving. You can just see he's going to thrive." Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson holds the trophy after the 1-0 win over AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final. (Photo by ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images The success of Lewis Ferguson at Bologna, along with Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour at Napoli, Che Adams at Torino, Josh Doig at Sassuolo, and previously Aaron Hickey at Bologna, makes Italy an attractive destination for young Scots. Miller senior revealed that Lennon had "asked questions" of the foreign-based Scots when on international duty. "He's confident in his own ability, but he's not arrogant with it," he said. "It's good to see him in this environment and thriving in it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "He's mature enough to go and kick on in his career and he needs to do that himself. I'm more confident that he would go over there and thrive. I think it would take his game to another level. "That's the way he plays. He organises, he takes the ball under pressure. It was proud for me as a dad watching it, seeing him being himself and not changing for anyone." After two years and 76 appearances in the Motherwell first team, the time feels right for Miller to move on. The club also has good reason to think so as it may be their last chance to properly cash in on a player who has just one year left on his contract with a value of around £5million mooted. "He's back in at Motherwell training tomorrow," Lee Miller added. "We'll just wait and see what happens, but he just ultimately wants to play football. Yes, he wants to further his career and there's been lots of chat about different clubs.

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Kevin De Bruyne makes Jack Grealish transfer stance clear after Napoli talks

Manchester City have frozen out Jack Grealish with the England star free to find a new club this summer and Kevin De Bruyne would like to play with him again at Napoli Kevin De Bruyne wants Napoli to reunite him with Jack Grealish in Naples this summer with the Manchester City star now on the lookout for a new club. De Bruyne, 33, linked up with the newly minted Italian champions earlier this month after being told he would not be offered a new deal by City. And Grealish looks set to follow the Belgian maestro out of the Etihad before the summer is out after being axed from City's squad for the FIFA Club World Cup. ‌ A host of clubs have been linked with a move for Grealish, however, it emerged earlier this week that City have received no offers for the 29-year-old England star. ‌ Napoli are the latest club to be credited with an interest in Grealish - and De Bruyne is said to have been sounded out by Antonio Conte over a potential move for the former Aston Villa man. As per The Sun, De Bruyne has given Grealish a glowing reference to the Napoli boss in the hope that the club will make a move for the winger. City are prepared to take a significant financial hit on a player they paid £100million for back in the summer of 2021. And Grealish would likely have to take a huge pay cut in order to move to Napoli, with the report claiming he earns around £300,000-a-week. Napoli are also considering a move for Alejandro Garncho - who they linked with back in January - and Jadon Sancho, both of whom are free to leave Manchester United. But it remains to be seen which of the players they will actually pursue given they have no need for all three. ‌ Pep Guardiola recently confirmed that Grealish is available to leave the club, explaining: 'It was a conversation between him and the club and they decide. Jack is an exceptional player, the only reason why he didn't play last season is of course my decisions, and we decide that he has to play - and the club was honest, he was honest. 'We decide the best is that he has a place that he can feel he can play and come back to be the player that he was in the year of the treble or all his career at Aston Villa; without him it would have been impossible or more difficult to achieve the treble. 'The fact is the last two seasons he hasn't played much minutes and he has to come back to play and get the butterflies back in his stomach that he can play every three days and show again the quality that he has.'