Jonatha🐠n Rea has a chance to kickstart his 2024 WorldSBK campaign in a big way this weekend at Assen.

Completely lost in Phillip Island, steps ꦇforward were made by Rea and Yamaha in Catalunya. 

• Ducati hit back a🐭t ܫYamaha over Bautista ciritisicm: ‘They have bigger problems’ 

• Andrea Iannone pushe♔s for facꦉtory ride: ‘I have interest from many manufacturers’ 

However, this weekend should see that happen once again as the six-time world champion holds a stunning record of 17 wins around the Dutch ci🐎rcuit.

Part of Rea’s adaptation to Yamaha includes working with a new cr꧒ew ch🐼ief in the form of former team-mate Andrew Pitt.

Discussing the biggest challenges with his switch from Kawasaki to the R1, Rea said:  “It’s hard to answer. Just getting familiar with a completely new crew, understanding how they work and the🐲m understanding how I work. It’s step by step.

“I real🔯ly believe in everyone inside Yamaha. They’re great people, intelligent people. I had a relationship with my previous crew chief that spanned nine years.

“There were growing pains in that relationship as well. There were times it wasn’t great but generally, for example,𝐆 if you said ‘left’, with that kind of relationship, they telepathically knew how far left.

“With a completely new crew that’s worked with different riders, it’s very hard for th❀em to understand me without words. 

“In the previous rounds, I spent a long time in the pit box trying to explain my feelings clearly. That’s also new for me, and that can also be a big p🍸roblem; a rider talking too much as you can create more and more problems from a technical point🐈 of view. 

“It’s just step by step. I think that situation coupled with a few issues we’ve faced, and difficulties, the challenges of Phillip Island and cra🔯shes, it’s been tough to put everyth▨ing together, but I do feel like it’s going to come.”

While the relationship with Pitt is a good one, Rea is coming from a par✨tner🌜ship with Pere Riba that won six titles together.

But success aside, the two share similarities which Rea feels is a good thing: “They’re more similar than you can imagine, to be honest. Both are very cl🍒ever.

“I was going to say Andrew’s worth ethic is incredible and he’s so busy and ruthlessly competitive, alwaꦺys trying to find something, and he’s pushing all the crew to do their best.

“Andrew’s pushing 🦂the electronics department, the chassis department, to improve, but Pere was൲ the same.

“The biggest differeꦜnce is I worked with Pe𝐆re for nine seasons and sometimes I didn’t have to speak.

“When you look at the rider market, for example, Toprak went the other way but took his crew chief, but the🦄y then have♓ to learn another bike.

“Would it have been an advantage to have Pere by my side now? Not sure. Maybe from communication and understan🎃ding me, but he doesn’t under🍒stand the R1.

“There’s pros and cons to everything. The relationship with Andrew is really good. I trust him and trust in Yamah🔯a that it’s going to come good.

“Been a difficult start, to be﷽ honest. We have to have some faith. Keep my head up and hopefully we can get back to some normality here.”