After what turned out to be arguably the worst Yamaha debut that Jonathan Rea could have dreamed of the six-time World Superbike Champion made his feelings known.

After what seemed to be a good start to life with Yamaha, Jonathan Rea has reached an all time low as he states his ‘confidence is shattered’ after only one race with the R1. The Northern Irish rider has had a difficult week in Australia with adapting to his Yamaha around Phillip Island.

However, it does not seem that even he expected his race result to be as bad as it was. The 37-year-old suffered rear chatter issues throughout the race and was running outside the top ten in the early stages. Rea’s fortunes went from bad to worse after an issue in his mandatory pit stop saw him lose 22 seconds and drop back behind Alvaro Bautista, who had crashed earlier in the race.

Rea found himself crossing the line in 17th place, a position he is not used to at Phillip Island, or a position he is used to in World Superbikes.

“Consistently, I give the same comments but we can’t seem to put our finger on it. It’s frustrating for me and the team as they’re trying their hardest.” Jonathan Rea told the media after Race One at Phillip Island.

“Throughout testing, I’ve preferred some different chassis parts than ‘Loka’ but this weekend, we’ve started with what the team feel are the good for tyre consumption, grip and all the Phillip Island characters. This morning, we went back to some parts that I liked more in testing but we’re still with the same issues. I’m as confused as everyone in the box; we’re lost and it’s frustrating.”

“At Jerez, the bike worked fantastic; in race rhythm with all riders, I could compete for a podium. At Portimao, not so much and we were floating around the top five. Here, we’re in the middle of the shit.”

“I don’t want to say too much more; I don’t know why I am here because you don’t normally speak to guys who are P17 and I’ve got nothing great to say, so I don’t think I can say too much.”