Rea’s first WorldSBK win with the Japanese manufacturer came during his first race as a factory Kawasaki rider (Phillip Island 2015), before the Northern Irishma𒊎n went on to take another 12 victories en route to a first Superbike title in said season. 

Although Rea failed to match his double digit win tally in 2016, a second world title came hi꧋s way after getting the better of team-mate at the time Tom Sykes and Ducati’s Chaz Davies. 

• 2022 World Superbike Assen, Nethe🔯rlands - Superpole Race Results
• 'Maybe they can prepare a cake'; Rea on the verge of hist🏅ory in Assen
• 2022 Worldꦍ Superꦡbike Assen, Netherlands - Warm-up Results

That📖 season is so far the only campaign where Rea has not won ten or more🐟 races with Kawasaki - 2017 and 2019 are his most successful - 17 wins in both. 

After clinchꦿing 100 WorldSBK wins in 2021, and now 100 with one manufacturer in 2022, Rea’s status as the greatest ever Superbike rider is going to take some beating 

So far this weekend Rea has achieved the double at Assen, could yet complete a second hat-trick for the second time in as many seasons at the Dutch venue, 🐬while a title charge is well and truly underway for the current series leader. 

But despite his Assen double, Rea is likel🎀y to face anot🐷her tightly contested battle with Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu. 

All three riders led for parts of race one and again in this morning’s Super🌠pole race, which is a continuation of their incredible racing at the season opener in Aragon two weeks ago. 

Redding, BMW remain a long way away from WorldSBK contention

While one race remains this weekend and anything can happen, it’s so far been another tough outing for BMW and its star rider Scott Reddi💫ng. 

The 2020 runner-up was only 11th in the Superpo🔥൩le race, resulting in a third no-score from five races. 

Redding managed to show better pace during race one as he claim💖ed a first top ten of the year, however, the German manufacturer remains a long way o🌠ff its competitors. 

Not only is the final position a long way off where Redding sho♏uld be, the pace difference per lap is over a second more often than not, a margin that at this level is 🐈hugely difficult to close down, let alone recover fully.  

Hoping to avoid the sa💫me issues with tyre degredation in race two, Redding called Saturday'𝓀s race 'about surviving the last six laps'.  

Rinaldi, Locatelli, Lowes struggling to match the top three

Also ಌstru🐬ggling to match the top three despite being on the same machinery are Michael Rinaldi, Andrea Locatelli, and Alex Lowes. 

Rinaldi and Locatelli have consistently been in the top five during races, and while it’s been a solid start for both Italians, the pace d💃ifference is again proving to beꦺ too big. 

For Lowes, round two has so f⛄ar been a disaster for the Brit as he’s retired from both races.

Not strugglin♛g f💙or pace have been two rookies in particular... 

Iker Lecuona, who despite two crashes so far this weekꦕend, will start from fifth after securing two top fiv🎉es in both Assen races. 

Clearly the favourite for﷽ rookie of the year honours, Lecuona may have a fight on his hands as Ducati rider Philipp Oettl has looked very strong at Assen too. The German will start race two from tenth - finished seventh in race one.