This time there were not going to be any misses. History books could not help but include Jonathan Rea in their annals. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider won his second WSBK title at the Losail International Circuit yesterday and became the first rider in 17 years to win back to back titles in WSBK. Rea needed just two points from the two races in Qatar to win the championship.
And he finished with 20 points having finished in second position in Race 1 to comfortably wrap up the title.
Rea put himself in fantastic position to win the title by grabbing the pole position for Race 1. To put things into perspective, this was only the second time this season that Rea has managed to do that. Chaz Davies riding the Ducati for Aruba.it Racing got off to a great start, which saw him move from third to taking the hole-shot at the first corner. Honda World Superbike Team’s Nicky Hayden briefly overtook Rea but the champion was able to wrestle it back in the very next corner.  Davies went on to claim a great victory, his 10th win this season while Rea brought home his bike in second to win a historic second title. His teammate Sykes who brought himself up to fourth but then dropped to fifth after he was overtaken by Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who went on to take the final step on the podium.  
The outside chance that Sykes had before the race had vanished when Rea disappeared into the distance. For Qatar, home boy Saed al-Sulaiti finished in 17th place. He has the second race to put on a better show.
Rea will remember this Qatar race for a long time to come. “Not just winning the WSBK championship, which is a hotly contested affair but to win it back to back is an incredible feeling. The feeling will sink in after a few weeks,” said Rea after the race.   “The 2016 ZX10R was launched earlier this year and during the winter tests we realised that there was a lot of work to do. I am happy to win the championship in the first year for this model,” added Rea.
Last season, the ZX10R was a well-oiled machined that helped Rea dominate proceedings but the new model posed a lot of problems for the Kawasaki rider and he feels that this title is sweeter than the one he won last season. “Last season we were winning for fun. We won the championship at a ridiculous early point in the season. We almost achieved the points record. But when we went into the testing, even though I was a world champion, I felt like an underdog. The challenges we faced makes this title sweeter,” he added.
Another factor that makes this title special is that at the start of the season, his son Tyler had a problem and Rea couldn’t focus on the racing. But support from his family helped him to focus on the racing. “I didn’t speak about it at the start of the season but because of the issue that Tyler was facing then I had a mental breakdown. I didn’t think I would be able to do this but the strength of the people around me, especially my wife helped me get back on track,” said Rea yesterday. “All of this looks easy on TV but it’s a tough life. The support that I got from KRT also helped a lot. Everything worked a package to put me there on the podium. I am the guy who goes out on track and gets the job done but I wouldn’t be able to do that without the incredible support that I am getting,” said the newly-crowned 2016 WSBK champion.
There are three other people who have won two consecutive titles but no one has managed to do it three times in a row. Does Rea believe that he can claim that elusive honour? “I believe that with Kawasaki I have found an incredible home. My target for next year is to win the title. We have to see how the winter tests pan out but I know that I have the best guys behind me,” said the 29-year-old.  
After he won the title yesterday, Rea spray painted his initials on the tarmac of Losail Circuit. He has definitely left a mark on this circuit. Now to see if he can get that triple treat.