Yamaha’s Jonathan Rea insists “regularly we need to be in the top five now” in the second half of the 2024 World Sꦺuperbike season.

The six-time WSBK champion’s first campaign on the R1 after switching from K🐭awasaki has proven to be difficult, with the Ulsterman so far scoring just one podium - a third at Donington.

Having failed to score in the first five ra😼ces of the 2024 campaign, recent rounds have shown signs of improve✱ment for the Yamaha rider - though he hasn’t cracked the top five since his sprint race podium at the UK event.

Looki𝔉ng ahead of this weekend’s Portimao round, Rea told WorldSBK.com: “Portim𓄧ao’s a happy hunting ground for me, it’s a track I’ve had a lot of success at in the past.

“It means nothing sometimes when you change teams. The Yamaha’s a different beast around here. It has a lot of po🐬sitives but also some areas where we need to work on.

“The test was good because we identified those areas and hopefully, we൲ can work on them.

“The bike’s changed since we tested here. We’ve homed in on more of a set-up. It’s a different vibe with the eveniℱn♛g race.

“It’s a track that always bꦕrings a lot of travellin♛g support from Northern Ireland as well.

“The key for my weekends this season🌞 has been trying to qualify well and we’ll put a lot of emphasis on that throughout tomorrow and Saturday morning.

“Hopefully we can qualify on those first few ro๊ws and make the races a little bit m🥀ore straight forward.

“It’s a physical track but the ride𝓀r can find that last little bit and I know a bit around here so hopefully I can put it to good use. I’ve always been saying the aim is to, step by step, improve the feeling.

“ That’s still the case. I want to battle inside th🍌e top five.

“That’s the next step, to try to be there. I felt I had the 🧸pace to do that at Most actually, and at Donington I had a strong weekend. Regularly we need to be in the top five noꦕw. That’s the goal.”

Rea is 10th in the standing🐠s ahead of the Portimao round on 75 points, which is 70 shy of fifth-placed team-mate Andrea Locatelli.&ꦰnbsp;