Jonathan Rea upbeat as World Superbike championship resumes at Misano in Italy

The Pata Prometeon Yamaha rider was second fastest in the two-day test at the Marco Simoncelli circuit at the end of May after making further progress with factory Yamaha R1.

Rea is 15th in the championship after a difficult start to life with his new team, but the six-time world champion put some solid points on the board last time out at Assen, finishing sixth in race one and fifth in the Superpole race.

Now, the 37-year-old hopes to improve further this weekend at a circuit which holds fond memories for Rea, who clinched his maiden World Superbike success at Misano in 2009.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was second fastest in a recent two-day World Superbike test at Misano in Italy

“I’m excited to go to Misano, especially after a couple of days of testing where I’ve been able to familiarise myself with the Yamaha R1 and also work with the team to get more comfortable on the bike,” said Rea.

“We made some balance adjustments to change how the bike behaves and immediately from the first laps I felt more comfortable.

“We made some positive steps and I really felt like I made a step as well.

“Looking forward to the start of the weekend, it’s always a great race with a lot of fans and hopefully the weather will shine on us and hopefully we can do a really good job for the Pata Prometeon Yamaha team and for all the fans out there.

“I really like the circuit and I have fond memories of Misano – I won my first ever race here back in 2009, so I always have a nice feeling going through the gate and I have holidayed here quite a lot with my family – there’s no better place to be after doing a good job on the bike.”