WORLD SUPERBIKE: Jonathan Rea agrees new two-year deal with Kawasaki

Jonathan Rea has signed a new two-year deal in World Superbikes with Kawasaki.

The East Antrim rider and Kawasaki say they aim to continue the kind of success that delivered Rea the championship in his first season with KRT last year.

The Ballyclare man, a former pupil at Larne Grammar, leads the current WorldSBK championship standings by 35 points after five rounds of the 2016 season have been completed.

“I am so happy to extend this partnership with the Kawasaki Racing Team and continue the great relationship I have with all the Kawasaki engineers and fans,” Rea said.

“It is clear that our objectives and way of working are very well matched so it makes perfect sense to extend this for two more seasons.

“With all the incredible memories we have made so far and are now creating, I am 100 per cent confident we will enjoy working together and develop the Ninja ZX-10R into the future. I would like to thank Kawasaki and all the KRT staff for their full support and belief in my potential. “With this in mind I am now even more focused than ever to win the World SBK Championship in 2016 to make it back-to-back wins.”