Ten years after the last world championship, Ducati came close to the feat with Scott Redding, who in 2021 really looked like he could fight with Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu for the Superbike title. A few mistakes too many and a pinch of inconstancy cost the British in the world fight, who faced the second and final season with the Borgo Panigale Red. From 2022, the four-cylinder will be entrusted again to Alvaro Bautista, also the author of an almost successful feat in 2019.
The Spaniard returns to Ducati after having made his debut in the production derivatives just three years earlier, racking up eleven wins in the first part of the year before finally collapsing and once again handing the title into the hands of Jonathan Rea. At the end of 2019, Bautista had left Ducati and embraced the Honda project, but the 2022 season will be another story. The rider from Talavera de la Reina will get on the Panigale V4R with a different awareness and expectations are high also in the Ducati House, also in light of what was collected in 2021.
The season that ended just over a month ago in fact tells of a Ducati in great growth, with Redding fighting for the world championship until the end and a less effective Michael Ruben Rinaldi, but the author of a splendid double win on his home track, at Misano. Serafino Foti, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Manager, reflects on 2021: “It has been a positive season, because we have won many races with both riders. So we are happy, even if the goal was different, because the goal is always to win the championship. Now is the time to turn the page and think about next year. We have a lot of work to do during the winter and we can’t wait for next season ”.
Scott Redding, Aruba.It Racing – Ducati
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“At times our performances have been characterized by a few ups and downs. This is one of the critical points on which we must work for the future ”, continues Foti referring to the inconstancy shown during the year. “We need to find a basic setup that works well in every race. This is our goal and of course we have to work in all areas; electronics, chassis and other areas of the bike. If we fight to be consistent, we can certainly be fast next year ”.
Scott Redding left to go to BMW, but Michael Ruben Rinaldi remains the point of continuity of the team. In 2022, the rider from Romagna will be in his second year with the official team colors and the goal is to improve compared to last year, in which he struggled especially in the last part of the season, as Foti recalls: “As for Michael , the balance of the season is positive because he won races and finished the championship in the top 5. It’s not bad. Obviously we expect more for next year. We have to work on some critical points, for example in terms of consistency. If we improve this aspect, I think he can fight for the podium in every race ”.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Aruba.It Racing – Ducati
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Alongside Rinaldi will be Alvaro Bautista, a welcome return for Ducati after a double-sided season. The successes of the beginning of 2019 mixed with the collapse from mid-season, leading the Spaniard to leave Borgo Panigale. The veteran, however, returns to the saddle of the four-cylinder, under the watchful eyes of fans and Ducati itself, which places a lot of trust in the rider: “Obviously we have good memories with Alvaro, because we won 16 races together, we can’t forget that. We strongly believe in him and also strongly believe in the package. This is the combination of motorcycle and rider. We will have a good advantage with Alvaro, because he is small, he is lighter and we will certainly do our best to make our dream come true and achieve our goal. We want to welcome Alvaro back, we are really excited to start this challenge and we can’t wait to see him back on the bike ”.
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