Overview
- Rea exits after 17 seasons as WorldSBK’s most decorated rider with 119 victories and six championships.
- His two seasons with Yamaha were hampered by injuries, yielding one podium and one pole while he missed five rounds.
- A Superpole Race crash at Jerez injured his knee and ruled him out of Race 2, bringing his final event to an early close.
- He has agreed to become Honda/HRC’s factory test rider for 2026, with reported possibilities for wildcard race entries.
- The knee injury also forced him to skip November Jerez testing, as Xavi Vierge moved into his Pata Yamaha seat and Oriol Pallares joined Bimota to work with Axel Bassani.