Reigning World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea says he fully expects the returning Yamaha factory squad to be challenging at the front of the field in 2016. Yamaha returns to the WSBK fray next year after a four-season absence in a tie-up with the Crescent Racing team, signing 2014 champion Sylvain Guintoli to join Suzuki convert Alex Lowes. The new YZF-R1 machine has already proven itself with a championship win in the British Superbike series at the hands of Josh Brookes, as well as victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours in July, and Rea is expecting the Japanese factory to be at the sharp end of the field from the outset. “It’s great for the championship that they have come back,” Rea told...
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