Honda eager to give MotoGP chance to Jonathan Rea

Honda will push to find a MotoGP spot in 2015 for current World Superbike championship leader Jonathan Rea.

The Ten Kate Honda rider has rocketed into the points lead in WSB after three successive wins, including a stunning double at the previous round in Imola.

The 27-year-old has flirted with a MotoGP move and he has previously been linked with Gresini Honda and Pramac Ducati.

Rea has made no secret of his desire to secure a full-time MotoGP switch, but he has never found the right opportunity to tempt him to quit World Superbikes.

He did compete in two MotoGP races as injured Casey Stoner’s factory Honda replacement in Misano and Aragon in 2012, scoring a best of seventh.

Rea has a big ally in HRC in Repsol Honda boss Livio Suppo, who said he will try and secure a MotoGP switch for the Briton next year.

Suppo told MCN: “He is doing a very good job and personally I would really like to see him in MotoGP. He has been a Honda rider for a very long time and we really like him, so hopefully we can build up something for him. The two races he did as Casey’s replacement were not easy at all.

“He was constantly switching between MotoGP and World Superbikes, so he was on different bikes and different tyres every other week and he did a good job. It would be nice to see him in MotoGP.”

It is unlikely Rea could clinch one of the two prototype RC213V machines potentially up for grabs at LCR and Gresini, that are currently held by Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista.

A production Honda RCV1000R is likely to be the easiest passage into MotoGP with Honda, and Suppo added: “It is too early to understand where he might fit in but there are a lot of Hondas. A production bike would be the easier option but at the moment we have four and all of them are doing reasonably well.”