Jonathan Rea’s first season with Yamaha will come to an end this 🐲weekend.

Although there have been positive signs of late, it’s ultimately been a difficult season with results belo🦄w the expectations of both the six-times champion and the manufacturer that won the WorldSBK title only three years ago.

⭕“I’m looking forward to the weekend,” Rea told 💎WorldSBK.com ahead of this weekend’s final round in Jerez.

“Parts of me are really excited about Jerez and trying to cap off the season in a good way, and then a part of ♓me that wants to completely forget about this disappointing and challenging season as a whole and re-focus for ’25.”

The positives, for Rea❀, begin in Estoril, where he had his best weekend so far in the blue of Yamaha✤ last weekend.

This weekend, in Jerez, Rea is also returning to🦄 the circuit where he first rode the R1 back in November 2023.

“It’s nice because we’re comi♛ng from a good weekend at Estoril,” h🌱e said.

“From what I understand, the base setup we have now is very similar to when first rode the bike last year in November. With all the changes we♍’ve made, we’ve come back to a happy base setting.

“I feel like I’m more optimistic going into here than🌃 I was going int❀o Estoril, but in the end, Estoril turned out to be a positive one.

“In all honesty, when I first rode the Ya✃maha, I loved the feeling of the bike. It wasn’t a full grid at the test, but I still felt quite fast.”

The positive start meant thatꦅ the season that’s followed has been unexpected, even if the six-times WorlౠdSBK Champion is now able to see positive changes coming.

“I couldn’t imagꦜine this being the most difficult season of my who♛le career,” Rea said.

ꦦ“We know it’s challenging times, but I really feel better days are coming. I know Yamaha are working really hard in the background to improve the bike in all different aspec🐠ts.

“I feel there’s 🅷reasons to be optimistic that we can be more competitive nex♔t year. It’s just piecing all the bits together, all the marginal gains.

“I✨’ll work on myself, trying to improve, because I don’t feel the team, or the bike, are getting my full potenti꧑al right now.”