Jonathan Rea: 'What do I think about when I'm racing at 200mph? What's for lunch'

"You'd be out in pre-practice or whatever, knocking out some laps, and then you start thinking, 'Oh, I wonder what's on hospitality buffet at lunch, or I wonder what the chef's rustling up tonight?'

"It would probably be fast because it would be on a straight, because that's when you think most, so probably close to 200mph, 180mph before I hit the brakes.

"I do a lot of self-analysing and understanding how I can be better and I think mentally it's really strange for me, because I'll be sat on the grid before a really important race and I'll be thinking absolutely nothing.

"And I keep telling myself sometimes on the grid, I should be thinking something, or like a plan or a strategy or whatever, and then generally the last two minutes when everyone leaves me I start closing my eyes and visualising the perfect start.

"But until that moment, there's so much chaos in the grid with mechanics and organisers and VIPs all around, I tend just to switch completely off.

"And then my brain just goes to mush! And then it comes back on and it's just the way it works, but I find it quite strange."

In a wide-ranging interview for upcoming podcast Celebs And The Average Joe with Phil Reynolds, Jonathan spoke about life away from racing at the Templepatrick home he shares with Australian-born wife Tatia and their children Jake and Tyler.

And while he brushes off the risks associated with racing motorbikes, he confessed that it has been the subject of debate between the couple behind closed doors.

He said: "I did bring it up to my wife once, 'Why can't you just really support me? Instead of being so nervous, why can't you be like shouting in my face like a trainer would before a race saying, "Let's go out and smash everyone" - you know, like a coach?' I guess I'd been through the good, bad and ugly in motorcycling. I had been told that I couldn't have another crash again, I had to retire because my leg wouldn't be strong enough.

"I've had horrible crashes that's left me injured for months and months and not knowing if you're going to come back to full strength.

"And then I've had six world championships so I've had everything from, like I said, good, bad and ugly. And my wife, now she's been on that journey with me.

"She doesn't get that euphoria of standing on top of the podium, or doing a record lap, or crossing the chequered flag.

"But she gets to deal with me when I'm sat in doctors' surgeries or waiting rooms.

"To be honest, it's played on as dangerous, but right now the sport's as safe as it can be.

"The danger, the risk, has to be out of your brain, you know, you have to be able to switch on and switch off, because the last thing you want to do when you're trying to make a race-winning pass or fight for a world championship is thinking about the bad outcomes, so it's positive thoughts only."

Right now, like many parents across the country, the couple are getting to grips with home schooling and the 33-year-old racer said he has found it a challenge.

He explained: "Not that we like competition, but sometimes I'll ask my son, 'Do you want Mr Rea or Mrs Rea to take you today?' "And depending on how the day before goes you always get a different answer.

"It's tough for everybody and I think the teachers do a great job.

"We very lucky and fortunate that through this period we've remained healthy and we're both at home.

"I need to work away to do my job so when I'm at home I'm doing my training and I'm trying to be dad and help Tatia.

"We've got two kids, they're P1 and P3 and the work is super hard. Because of their little attention spans at that age that requires two parents giving them their undivided attention.

"The teachers say that we can do the same job from home but I can just put myself in the shoes of a parent who has to try and work from home and school older kids or even three or four kids.

"It would be a complete nightmare. Sometimes I'm at my limit with it. My wife and I have lost our cool so many times because we just don't know how to deal with it. It's not normal.

"I think we can get an hour-and-a-half of good work and then it's time to go and play some football outside and then back to the table again. It's hard. During the first lockdown at the start of the year we worked really hard and I trained really hard in the week, but we always decided that Friday would be 'feelgood Friday'.

"So we'd open a bottle of wine and get dressed up. All four of us at times would do fancy dress with the kids and stuff and try and let off some steam because it's stressful enough for everybody and it's not normal these times, but we're very fortunate we've got each other and we've got a bit of company and we can get through it."

The level-headed former Larne Grammar School pupil is such a family man that he said he would swap all his world titles if he knew his kids would consider him cool when they grow up.

He said: "You hope they do, wouldn't you?

"I walk them straight up to the school gate door and I get a hug and everything from both of them, but that day will wear off though I bet.

"You know whenever you get asked the question, 'What would you like to be remembered for?'

"If my kid could turn round when he was 18 and say, 'Dad's pretty cool', that would do me.

"Forget the six championships, if my 18-year-old future son thinks dad's cool, that's me - I've made it."

But when it comes to his own dad Johnny, an Isle of Man TT winner in the past, Jonathan said they "tend not to inflate each other's tyres" when it comes to celebrating victories.

He said: "Maybe it's in our genetics coming from where we come from, or maybe it's just my family and the weirdness, but we don't acknowledge each other's successes if you like.

"Maybe it's even suppressed, because I think there's something in-built in you over here that you're not allowed to get above your station or you'll get a thick ear from your mum or dad, do you know what I mean?

"So that's how I grew up. So even the championship winning conversation with me and my dad was like, 'Yep, well done son.' 'Thanks, dad.' Right, 'I'll see you on Monday.' And that was it."

He might be a six times world superbike champion, but one thing that is on his lockdown to-do list is to get himself a licence so he can legally get out on the roads on a motorcycle at home.

He laughed: "Correct! It's mad isn't it? It's a bit like Lewis Hamilton not being able to drive a car.

"I rode a 50cc scooter to work when I worked in an engineering factory when I was young but aside from that I never took my full licence, so legally I can't even ride to the Co-op to get myself a sandwich or whatever.

"During the first lockdown I did plan my theory test but it got cancelled so it's definitely on my to-do list because I could think of nothing better than jumping on a bike and riding out to a cafe on a nice day here, it would be pretty cool."

The Kawasaki rider has two years left on his deal but said he couldn't rule out aiming for double figures if he keeps on winning.

He added: "Three years ago I started thinking about what retirement would look like and now I can't see what that would look like.

"I think, getting to 10 now? You'd have to say it's realistic, but I don't know."

÷ Jonathan Rea will be the special guest on Celebs And The Average Joe with Phil Reynolds on Friday, January 29

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