Superbike, Guim Roda, Kawasaki: “we were intoxicated by our successes and we woke up with a hangover”

Kawasaki falls from its Superbike pedestal, knocked down by a Ducati V4 R particularly well carried out by Alvaro Bautista which reduced World Champion Jonathan Rea to the role of assertor. A fall all the more painful as it is likely to continue until the end of the season. To respond, you need a new motorcycle which will only come, at best, in 2020. Guim Roda, Kawasaki team principal, explains…

so Alvaro Bautista that this Panigale V4 R did not appear by surprise in the category. Their arrival was announced. As a result, we can wonder if Kawasaki did not suffer from a lack of anticipation due to too much self-confidence. A theory that cannot be denied Guim Roda... " we had to ask Johnny Rea to compensate for the disadvantages of our motorcycle. He can do this for a few laps, but over the entire race distance it is impossible to continue to exceed the limit “, he declares on Radio Marca. “ Ducati brought a good bike, but without Bautista the situation would be the same as before: he raised the level and we have to accept it ».

Kawasaki has announced its desire to develop a new Superbike, more extreme. In the short or medium term, however, due to regulations, no response to the Ducati Panigale V4 R is possible. “ The team is totally committed and in Japan, the technicians are doing their best,” assures Roda. “However, the situation is not easy to reverse. We need something radical, but the regulations don't give us much leeway. Kawasaki is thinking about something big, but we're talking about the next few years ».

Stem admits that the success of recent years, marked by five world titles in six years, has blunted Kawasaki. “ We have gained so much in recent years that there was a risk of losing our motivation. We were intoxicated by our successes », recognizes a Stem with a hangover. “ Now it's the opposite: we must stay focused to master a difficult situation ».