Plaudits for record-breaking Jonathan Rea

The Kawasaki rider is the most successful rider of all time having bettered Carl Fogarty’s tally of four WSB titles and Joey Dunlop’s achievement of five consecutive Formula One world titles between 1982 and 1986.

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey hailed the achievements of the local sporting hero and Freeman of the Borough.

Commenting on Rea’s success, Cllr Jim Montgomery said: “On behalf of the citizens of our borough, I want to congratulate Jonathan on yet another outstanding victory.

“He has well and truly put our country and indeed our borough on the world stage and we consider it a great privilege that we can call him our local hero.

“Jonathan is a true ambassador for our borough and a fantastic role model for our young people.

“This has been an extremely difficult year for all industries including sport, but we are delighted that the World Superbike Championship was able to proceed and that Jonathan has been able to bring home the silverware to our borough.

“We look forward to seeing what he has in store for the next season and I know our residents will be supporting him all the way.”

Jonathan Rea attended Larne Grammar School.

Praising his latest success, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston said: “Mayor Johnston said: “On behalf of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, I extend our congratulations to Jonathan on this outstanding achievement to add to his already glittering career.

“His professionalism and dedication to his sport have seen him rise to the very pinnacle of his profession, and he is without a doubt, one of the greatest global sporting icons of all time.

“Jonathan’s achievements are unsurpassed. He is a true ambassador for the area, and I am delighted that next month, we as a council will bestow one of our highest honours upon him as he receives the Freedom of the Borough.”

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you.