Jonathan Rea’s dominance in World Superbike has unwittingly created a \u201cblock\u201d in MotoGP teams signing WSBK riders, believes former series champion Neil Hodgson.
\nRea and Kawasaki have had a stranglehold on WSBK since 2015, with Rea winning the title for the past three seasons, and currently leads the 2018 standings by 92 points.<\/p>\n
The Ulsterman was linked to a move to Suzuki in place of Andrea Iannone last season, and said earlier this season he was evaluating options in MotoGP for ’19 – though he ultimately penned a new two-year deal to remain with KRT.<\/p>\n
BT Sport pundit Hodgson \u2013 who unsuccessfully moved to MotoGP following his 2003 WSBK title win \u2013 believes Rea would have to settle for riding for a \u201cB-team\u201d if he were to go to MotoGP, and his reluctance to do so means his rivals are not even considered for grand prix rides.<\/p>\n
He told Motorsport.com: \u201cIf you\u2019re Jonathan Rea, you have to take potentially a B-ride [in MotoGP], not a full factory team, to earn less money doing more races, thinking, \u2018if I do well this weekend, I can be fifth, or seventh\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr he can stay where he is, earn more money to do less races, 13 rounds instead of 19, with very little testing. When you look at it like that, it\u2019s a no-brainer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, if Honda or Ducati offered him a full factory contract offering decent money, he\u2019d jump at the chance. But it\u2019s not happened.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s been B-teams that have offered him the opportunity, and the money he\u2019s been offered is potentially one-quarter of what he\u2019s earning in WSBK.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo-one [else in WSBK] is considered. If they can’t touch Rea, why would we employ this person in MotoGP? Jonathan has almost created a block, but it’s not his fault.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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