Jonathan Rea is retired. At least that’s what I had been told. After two difficult seasons with Yamaha, Rea announced his retirement from racing at the end of the 2025 season. Shortly thereafter, though, he signed on as a test rider with Honda HRC.
But it looks like Rea’s testing has turned into racing, with the Northern Irish motorcycle racer slated to line up on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. He’ll be taking the seat of the injured Jake Dixon, who sustained wrist fractures and a subsequent surgery after an off-bike incident during the WorldSBK Official Test at Phillip Island.
The six-time WorldSBK Champion ended his illustrious career with 119 wins, 264 podiums, and 470 race starts, along with claiming 44 pole positions, second all-time behind Tom Sykes’ with 51. Those are some serious numbers, so it’s no surprise that Honda HRC tapped Rea to fill in for the still-recovering Dixon as the WSBK heads to Portugal.
What’s interesting, though, is that this will be the first time Rea has raced for Honda since 2014, and at Portimao no less, the circuit where he made his WorldSBK debut in 2008 racing for Hannspree Ten Kate Racing.
His exit from WorldSBK racing didn’t exactly go as planned, however, as Rea sustained a knee injury at the Tissot Superpole Race in Jerez last season, a less-than-exciting way to end an incredible career behind the handlebars of a Superbike.
But it looks like the six-time champion will be back on the grid for Round 2 of the 2026 WorldSBK season, racing alongside Somkiat Chantra. The pair will be chasing the checkered flag aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, a bike that Rea has ridden as a test rider over the winter at Jerez and Portimao, and as recently as last week, according to a report from WorldSBK.
So, will this be Jonathan Rea’s final appearance in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship? Perhaps. However it shakes out, it’s exciting to see him back on a Honda HRC machine after nearly a dozen years, coming full circle on his WorldSBK career.
The Pirelli Portuguese Round of WorldSBK will take place March 27-29 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao.
