Superbike World Champion Álvaro Bautista finished the first race of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island (Australia) in fifth place.
Starting from pole position, Bautista was initially part of the leading group, but after switching to dry tires he was no longer able to keep up with the other front runners and finished fifth, 19.4 seconds behind.
Bautista primarily blamed his low weight for poor performance on a drying track. “It’s a disadvantage to be a light rider. But nobody sees it,” says the Spaniard, who is less able to put a load on the front and rear wheels because of his stature. This makes it difficult for Bautista to keep the tires at temperature in difficult conditions.
“It was a new experience for everyone, for me and also for the team. At the beginning it was strange when we drove in the wet. I had a worse feeling than in morning practice,” he compared the start of the race with that rainy FT3.
Álvaro Bautista struggles with setup and tyres
“I had difficulty getting the rear tire up to temperature. That’s why I struggled, even when I was riding in the front group. I have seen the path dry out step by step. But I wanted to make sure there was at least one dry line before the change. I made the switch but the rain set-up didn’t work well with the slick tyres. I didn’t have a lot of confidence” said Bautista.
“I couldn’t brake hard because the bike was very unstable. But the rear was also problematic”, explains the Ducati rider. “It was like riding on ice. The feedback wasn’t good. Five or six laps before the end of the race, I felt a problem with the rear.”
“It’s a big disadvantage to be light because I can’t transfer so much weight in those conditions. I depend too much on the bike set-up. If the set-up is good, then I can push. It was in Superpole that was the case, I did a great lap time on the SC0 tyres,” says Bautista.
Ducati also celebrates the hat-trick in the Superbike World Championship
“But if the set-up isn’t right then it’s very difficult for me because the bike doesn’t want to give way,” explains the Superbike World Champion. “I can’t do that much because I can’t transfer that much weight to the front or rear. This is a disadvantage compared to other riders.”
“At least we’ve collected some data, if there were to be another race like this” Bautista tries to see the positive. For employer Ducati, the eleven points for Bautista’s fifth place were important in guaranteeing a preliminary decision for the manufacturers. And Ducati also secured the title early for the teams.
“We won two more titles: the constructors’ title with Ducati and the teams’ title. This year Ducati has won three times in MotoGP and in the Superbike World Championship. They have won everything. I am proud to be part of this team,” comments Bautista.
