Jonathan Rea hoping for magic touch at one of his favourite tracks to ignite his Yamaha career

The six-time world champion earned his first points of the 2024 campaign at Catalunya in Barcelona in March with eighth place in Race Two after failing to put any points on the board in his first five outings on the Yamaha R1.

However, the Northern Ireland rider boasts an incredible record at the TT Circuit at Assen, where he has won an unprecedented 17 times and claimed 25 podiums.

Rea, who replaced Turkey’s Toprak Razgatlioglu in the Pata Prometeon Yamaha Team after nine years at Kawasaki, was fifth fastest in free practice on Friday on a weather-impacted opening day at Round Three.

Currently 17th in the standings, the 37-year-old is hoping to kickstart his 2024 season at the iconic Dutch track, where Race One takes place at 1pm GMT on Saturday.

“I’m really excited to be back at Assen, and it’s a track I’m really familiar with,” said Rea.

“In my younger Superbike days, I spent a lot of time testing here, and I like the layout of the track, plus the fans bring me some really good energy here.

“It’s just a case of trying to find some form and some performance, both from myself and the Yamaha R1.

“We need to keep an eye on the weather, and Assen is always one where anything can happen at the beginning of the season from a weather point of view.

“It’s a place where we can make that step, but it’s step-by-step progress; we have to walk before we can run. It’s not one of these things where we can jump from where we are, relevant to everyone else, to fighting for race wins,” he added.

“We need to find a way with myself and the bike, and it’s not just a magic set-up, I also have to understand how to ride the Yamaha R1 to exploit all of its strengths. Assen is a more normal style of track, so we’ll go out and see what we can do.

“If there’s anywhere where we can start creating a little bit of magic, it’ll be here.”

Reigning champion Alvaro Bautista set the early pace on the Aruba.it Ducati from BMW’s Razgatlioglu by 0.211 secs, with Remy Gardner third fastest on the GRT Yamaha.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi was next on the Motocorsa Racing Ducati ahead of Rea, who was 0.449 secs down on Bautista’s best time in the afternoon session.

On Sunday, the Superpole race is at 10am, with Race Two at 1pm.

Elsewhere, the opening round of the British Superbike Championship gets under way at Navarra in Spain, which is hosting a round of the series for the first time.

Carrickfergus man Glenn Irwin, who missed out on the title by half a point to team-mate Tommy Bridewell in the 2023 season, will be aiming to start the 2024 season on a high.

Irwin is the sole rider in the PBM Racing Team in 2024 on the Ducati Panigale, with Bridewell riding for Honda Racing UK.

A final test took place at Navarra when Irwin was second fastest overall, 0.185 secs down on OMG Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde.

Andrew Irwin will be eager to make amends in 2024 after missing most of the 2023 season through injury.

Irwin remains with the Honda Racing UK Team alongside Bridewell and road racing star Dean Harrison.

Qualifying takes place on Saturday, with the first two BSB races of the new campaign scheduled for Sunday at 12.50pm and 4.30pm.

Meanwhile, Michael Dunlop is competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours race in France for the TRT27 Racing Team on a Honda Fireblade. The iconic event gets under way on Saturday at 2pm GMT.

The opening round of the Principal Insurance Masters Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in Co Kildare is also taking place on Saturday and Sunday.