Rea out to retain world crown

New season starts in Australia

Castletown's Jonathan Rea begins the defence of his World Superbike title this weekend.

The campaign starts on the other side of the world at Phillip Island in Australia.

Rea will sport the number one plate on his Kawasaki machine after winning 14 of the 26 races last year and being on the podium for all 23 finishes.

His biggest challenge is likely to come from Kawasaki Racing team-mate Tom Sykes who has topped the times in pre-season testing.