Jonathan Rea finishes 19th on WorldSBK return in Italy

Six-time World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea returned to action at the Cremona round after missing the season's first three events due to a serious left foot injury sustained in February testing. Rea qualified 17th and finished 19th in his comeback race, struggling with braking and race fitness, and twice running off into gravel, but expressed relief at being physically able to complete the race. He acknowledged that while his foot held up, he is still regaining the intensity and comfort required to compete at the front and needs more time on the bike to rebuild race fitness and adapt to recent technical changes on his Yamaha. The race itself was won by Nicolo Bulega, who extended his championship lead, with Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista rounding out the podium. Rea and his team are using the weekend to gather data for improvement, with further races scheduled at Cremona. Despite setbacks, Rea described his return as a positive step towards full competitiveness.