It's nothing to say that in 2019, Ducati has big ambitions. And if we doubted it, the sporting director of Ducati, Paolo ciabatti, announces the color. Let's be a red year! In MotoGP, the GP19 must be the winning synthesis of the latest Desmosedici. In Superbike, the new Panigale V4R will have to make the entry powder speak. In Grand Prix Dovizioso will sound the charge. In WSBK, Davies will have to take responsibility, unless he lets Bautista put the brakes on him…
It's like a clap of thunder that takes us out of the torpor of this winter break. An alarm sounded by Paolo Ciabatti on speedweek : " on paper, we have Honda and Marc Marquez in the MotoGP World Championship, and Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki in Superbike. For the latter category, Rea has a simpler life than Marquez. Indeed, Kawasaki focuses exclusively on the Superbike World Championship and Jonathan is an exceptional rider. They deserve to be at the top ».
However… " With our new bike we hope to reach the same level. We now have a 1cc four-cylinder machine and Chaz Davies has proven time and time again that he can beat Jonathan Rea. If he doesn't get injured and he has a motorcycle, he doesn't need to go over the limit all the time. We must not forget that the V000 engine was at the end of development ».
And then there is the arrival ofÁlvaro Bautista : " Alvaro has proven to be one of the fastest riders in MotoGP, although he has not shown his true potential throughout his career ", said Ciabatta. " But look what he showed at Phillip Island: he sat on Lorenzo's machine for the first time and immediately fought for the podium. We have a very strong team ».
For the Ducati manager, the situation is clear: “ there are no excuses this year, we want to win the Superbike World Championship as well as the MotoGP World Championship. For Superbike we see the Panigale V4R as the right tool, although we certainly need to make a lot of progress from the first year with this new bike. Still, the V4R is the right bike to challenge Kawasaki and Jonathan Rea ».
