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Pere Riba was one of the architects of the titles won by Johnny Rea in Kawasaki. Jonathan's former crew chief, who from this year is following Alex Lowes, continues to work with the Japanese manufacturer despite the move to Yamaha by the Northern Irishman.
On the occasion of the Portimao round, we shared a long chat with the Spanish technician. We talked about Rea, Toprak, Bautista and the current World Championship. At the same time we analyzed this season's Kawasaki, which is going beyond expectations with Lowes.
We then divided the interview into two parts, of which this is the first focused on Rea and the other protagonists of the series.
"Even though Johnny is gone, Kawasaki is still the same as it has always been," he explained, "now Rea is in Yamaha and making a new path. To tell the truth though, I didn't think he would be struggling so much. I think he is still not right with the bike and as a result he is not 100 percent."
What's your idea of his potential?
"I think with the Yamaha he cannot fight against Toprak and the Ducati. However, the moment he is okay he can fight with Alex Lowes or with Locatelli since at the moment the Yamaha is inferior to the Kawasaki. By this I do not want to say that Rea's problem is the Yamaha, but rather the complete package, because in the end in racing it is a combination of factors that make the difference. To date Johnny is not 100 percent and I think it shows."
Meanwhile, Toprak is dominating. Would you have expected that?
"Toprak lacked one thing last season, which was power. Toprak showed he was strong with Kawasaki, then he won the title with Yamaha. Now he has a bike with an awesome engine, equipped with 25 more horsepower. He, with his riding and skills is slaughtering everyone. We know well how strong he is, in fact he jokingly told me, "I was not used to overtaking in the straights, now I pass them all." He with these six tenths a lap more that he has, it is normal that he is winning the races by 12-15 seconds."
Until a few years ago it was the Rea-Bautista battle that captured the spotlight, but now things have changed...
"In the end it's the cycle of life. In your 20s you have a lot of strength and energy. In sports you get to the top and then you go down. I don't know if for Alvaro and Rea the downhill phase has come. Obviously a rider will never tell you that for him his decline has come because it is always the fault of the bike or external factors. Certainly no one is eternal."
What do you think about this ballast applied to Bautista?
"The 6kg will have an effect on him, but that is not what makes the difference. It will probably affect him to have them, but I don't think that's the issue."
Do you think the world championship is balanced?
"When one bike has 25 more horsepower than the others there is little to say. It becomes difficult to fight, and should the rules not change, I think Toprak will continue to be stronger and stronger."
