WSB: Rea on brink of historic third title

Jonathan Rea is poised to clinch a historic third successive World Superbike crown at Magny Cours this weekend.

The Ulsterman holds a crucial 120-point advantage heading into the 11^th round of the 2017 season this weekend, meaning he could clinch the crown as soon as Saturday’s opening race should he gain five points on second-placed Tom Sykes, who hopes to be back in action this weekend after being ruled out by injury two weeks ago in Portugal.

Despite the title looming, Rea insists he’s trying not to think about it and heads to France with the aim of winning both races for the Kawasaki Racing team.

Rea’s third title will hold historic significance as he becomes the first rider in history to win three championships on the bounce.

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“This weekend is the first opportunity we have to try to win the 2017 WorldSBK championship,” he said. “I want to put that out of my mind for now and go do my best in both races. I’m excited, especially after such a strong weekend in Portimao. We found some positives in the test after the race and perhaps we can implement them this weekend to give me some extra confidence on corner entry.

“Magny Cours is a great circuit and one that I’ve been strong at in the past. The circuit itself requires a little compromise when setting up the bike and we will have also keep in mind the weather, as at this time of year anything can happen!” 

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