Rea extends deal with Honda team

Jonathan Rea has won two World Superbike races this year

Jonathan Rea will continue to compete in the World Superbike series for the next two years after signing a contract extension with the Ten Kate Honda team.

Rea, who lies fourth in the current standings, will race for the Dutch team in the 2010 and 2011 championships.

The 22-year-old finished second for Ten Kate in last year's World Supersports.

"I'll admit I've had some flattering distractions to think about recently but now I can concentrate on the future with Ten Kate Honda," said Rea.

"We started this season pretty slowly and I take my share of the blame for that.

"But I think we've shown that we have been able to turn the Honda into a race-winning package in the face of some stiff competition.

"Now the challenge for me is to help turn it into a championship-winning package.

"We had a three-year plan, including the first year in Supersport, but not really a fixed deal.

"Now we've come to a good decision together and I'm looking forward to the rest of this season and the next two years with this strong and professional team."