Jonathan Rea's hopes for the opening round of the 2025 season were dashed after a high-speed crash exiting Phillip Island's turn two. The six-time WorldSBK Champion suffered multiple fractures to his left foot, ruling him out of contention. He will miss at least two rounds of the championship.

Rea said of the crash " ... during the last 20 minutes, and on my first flying lap I just lost the rear marginally and then it gripped again abruptly. It kicked me up and I landed on the bike again, then it sort of threw me over—that was fine, I landed fine, but the bike was cartwheeling and it landed on my foot."

CCTV footage of the crash was shown during the live telecast on WSBK.com. The blurry and distant footage illustrates the violence of the crash—and that Rea was very lucky to hobble away with just four breaks in his foot. The pile-driving Yamaha could have inflicted far more damage.

Yamaha rider Yasutomo Nagai was killed in a similar crash at Assen in September of 1995 when he fell on oil leaked on the track surface from a Ducati. Nagai's Yamaha Superbike landed on him. He died days later in a Holland hospital.