'Retiring Rea's records could stand test of time'

"Let's see what happens".

When a fresh faced, 21-year-old Jonathan Rea uttered those words before his first World Superbike race in 2008, few could have predicted what was to come.

After impressing in the British Superbike Championship and World Supersport Championship, Rea announced himself on the big stage by finishing in fourth place on his debut in Portugal.

It was a sign of the success ahead. As a novice, Rea was lightning fast but a little rough around the edges. Once refined, he grew to become one of the greatest ever.

Now, 17 years on, he will hang up his helmet having broken every record in the book.

Six titles, 119 wins, 264 podiums and 44 pole positions. His is a legacy that will endure.

After an impressive debut, Rea would win his first race in his first full season for Honda in Misano in 2009.

The Northern Ireland rider would continue to win races and flashes of brilliance but could not string a championship challenge together.

That was until he switched to Kawasaki in 2015. He was paired with former champion Tom Sykes, but it wasn't long before it was Rea's team as he dominated the early part of the season on his way to taking the title.

More dominance followed over the next three years as he matched the record of four titles set by Carl Fogarty.

The 2019 season brought a new challenge in the form of ex-MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista, and a move to three races per weekend rather than two.

But Rea rallied and the second half of the season was flipped from the first and he surged to title number five.

Not even a truncated Covid-impacted season, or the emergence of future great Toprak Razgatlioglu, could deny Rea a sixth crown.

Motorsport is unique when it comes to consistency due to the number of factors involved.

While the cream often rises to the top, machinery can let riders down with no notice, the weather can turn at the wrong moment or they can be caught up in an accident through no fault of their own.

It's all part of the jeopardy and why it is one of the most exhilarating sports in the world.

In motorcycle racing, there is also the increased risk of injury. It's not a sport for the faint hearted.

In MotoGP, only the great Giacomo Agostini has ever won as many consecutive titles as Rea.

The modern day legends Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, while winning seven and six titles respectively, did not do it consecutively.

In Formula 1, where a strong car matters, even Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton did not win as many titles in a row in their most dominant era.

That's what makes Rea's achievements so impressive. He was almost unbeatable at his peak.

From 2015 to 2020 he took part in 164 races. He won 84 of them - a staggering 51%.

Taking into account his number of podiums, the percentage rises higher to 87% as he stood on the rostrum 143 times.

He failed to finish only eight races. His lowest finish of the 14 occasions when he took the chequered flag but didn't make the podium? Sixth.

His final three years with Kawasaki or two most recent seasons with Yamaha will not be as fondly remembered as his pomp, but they should not detract from Rea's achievements.

People can point to Kawasaki being the dominant bike at the time, particularly in his first four titles, but Rea didn't just beat his competition. He obliterated it.

Racers are always judged against their team-mates, and Rea came out on top against Sykes, Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam, three very talented and capable riders.

But none could get close Northern Irishman across six seasons. In their four years together, Sykes finished 149, 51, 183 and 231 points behind Rea. Haslam was 382 behind, and Lowes was 171 off in 2020.

While the lingering questions over what Rea could have achieved in MotoGP will now always be a 'what if?' - despite two stand-in appearances for Honda in 2012 -his status as one of the all-time greatest motorcycle racers is not in doubt.

Joey Dunlop, who won 26 races at the fearsome and iconic Isle of Man TT, is widely considered to be Northern Ireland's greatest motorbike racer, and possibly even his country's greatest sportsperson.

The fact Rea even entered that conversation, never mind even ahead of Dunlop for some, is an indication of how highly he is regarded.

Dunlop is still celebrated 25 years after his death, and Rea's remarkable achievements will also be remembered for decades to come.

The final four races of the season will be a chance to celebrate Rea and what he achieved. There is unlikely to be anyone in the World Superbikes paddock who would begrudge him a final trip to the podium, especially the top step.

Records are made to be broken, but Rea's landmarks could well stand the test of time.