Image: Supplied.

Defending four-time champion Jonathan Rea believes establishing an early set-up at Aragon this weekend for round three of the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) will promote the best chance of a strong performance over the three-race format.

Rea is yet to score a race victory this year, and for the most part, has been unable to challenge WorldSBK rookie Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati), who’s gone undefeated in the first six outings this season.

“It’s been a nice break since Buriram and Motorland is a good place to get back to business,” said Rea. “I enjoy the track layout and we made some good progress last year during winter testing. We will continue to work on making more progress during Friday’s practice sessions.

“The layout is nice and flowing with lots of challenges during the lap, so finding a good set up for the race is crucial. It’s an important race for my team too, as their headquarters are just a few hours away in Granollers, near Barcelona. I expect lots of support and I’m excited to give it my all.”

The Kawasaki Racing Team rider is ranked second in the championship standings, 26 points adrift of Spaniard Bautista.