The super boot of Ducati
In the major international two-wheel categories, the Ducati is experiencing a golden age in terms of successes and continuity. While in MotoGP won the first two races of the 2023 season, first with Francesco Bagnaia and then with Marco Bezzecchi (the latter not part of the official Borgo Panigale team), in Superbike we have so far witnessed the absolute domination of Alvaro Bautista. The Spaniard, reigning world champion after the triumphs achieved in 2022, is reconfirming himself at even higher levels than last year, as demonstrated by the five victories in the first six races held between Phillip Island and Mandalika.
Expectations confirmed
In this way, Bautista is therefore firmly in the lead of the world championship, while Bezzecchi leads the MotoGP standings, followed however by three other riders all powered by the Desmosedici engine: Bagnaia, Zarco and Alex Marquez. Remaining in the category of motorcycles derived from series production, Ducati already had a climate of optimism before the start of the championship, as confirmed by the words of Louis Dall’IgnaGeneral Manager of Ducati Corse in an interview reported by speedweek. com: “I was convinced that we could do very well”.
An all-Spanish comparison
In the same statements, the manager of the Bolognese company then focused on Bautista’s characteristics, comparing them with those of his compatriot: “I’ve known Alvaro forever, ever since he won the 125 World Championship – he added – I know his qualities and, in my opinion, as a driver is comparable to Jorge Lorenzo. Even him he hasn’t won enough for what his talent is“. Also a Ducati rider in MotoGP in 2017 and 2018, Lorenzo was never able to fight for the world title in those years, however he took three victories with the Italian team, all in 2018. Only last season, with the success of Bagnaia, the Piedmontese managed to break a fast of world championship successes that Ducati had been missing since 2007the season in which Casey Stoner gave the first riders’ title to Ducati.
Bautista’s goals
Even less fortunate was Bautista’s experience in the premier class riding a Ducati, again in the same years as Lorenzo, so much so that he moved to Superbike in 2019. In this series, the Spaniard won the aforementioned 2022 title, replicating the success achieved eleven years earlier by another Spaniard like Carlos Checa. Judging by the start of this world championship, Bautista seems to be the number 1 candidate to finish ahead of everyone at the end of this championship as well: “Everyone can improve, and me I’m mainly working on my mindset and how to keep my concentration high – explained the Iberian pilot – I don’t know what the other riders have been working on over the winter, but that’s not my problem. I look at myself and try to be a better rider than last season. I’m doing fine now, but still i made some mistakes. Some were obvious, some weren’t, but I know what I did wrong. I want to improve in the areas where I stumbled. In any case, the most important thing is always the feeling with the bike”.
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