Jonathan Lear’s fifth-place finish in Race 1 at the UK WorldSBK marked the highest achievement for a Northern Ireland rider in the 2025 season.
This year, the REA team has often struggled with qualifying, impacting their supersport performance globally. However, at Donington on Saturday, Lear secured a strong fourth place in Super Pole.
"I’m pleased," Jonathan Lear commented after the race. "Qualifying has been one of my weaker points over the past 18 months with the Yamaha R1, so this was a solid result. I have to thank Alex Rows for not interfering with my qualifying lap, as I needed a good slipstream to secure a front-row start and got a great lap behind him."
Lear got off to an excellent start, reaching P2 by the first corner. "Nicolo Brega and Locatelli passed me, but after some initial rhythm issues, I was able to improve gradually," he added. "I’m very happy with today’s outcome; it exceeded my expectations."
Lear’s fifth place was secured after a late duel with Scott Reading. "It was interesting because he excelled in some areas while I was stronger in others," Lear explained. "He was better braking into the chicane, but I had the edge exiting turn 8. It’s good to be part of these battles, even if they’re often in positions 8 to 11. Those fights don’t make the headlines, but they’re just as intense."
The Pata Yamaha rider noted traction, especially exiting corners, has been a significant challenge throughout the weekend. "Since Friday, traction off the throttle has been problematic," he said. "Even when the bike isn’t spinning aggressively, it feels unstable and loses positions. Our chassis works well, so optimizing acceleration on long straights is key. When grip is low, it’s a disadvantage we need to address tomorrow."
The struggle with grip has pushed many teams toward softer rear tires, a factor also related to Yamaha’s chassis traits. Lear is considering using SCQ tires for the Super Pole Race. "We don’t wear tires aggressively and need good grip," he explained. "The SC0 tire requires more effort to get working, but the new SC0 is an improvement over last year. The difference is small, so I plan to stick with SCX for tomorrow."
He added, "I used the SCQ during qualifying, but it degraded quickly. It’s not off the table, but could be a risk. I’ll decide after tomorrow morning’s run."
Fan Take: Jonathan Lear’s breakthrough performance signals a promising rise for Northern Ireland riders, showing that persistent effort and strategic tire choices can overcome challenges. This could boost competitiveness in WorldSBK and make races even more thrilling for fans worldwide.
