Between Scott Redding and Ducati, the adventure ended in WSBK when the lights of the 2022 season in the category went out in Indonesia. The Panigale V4R will find next year an Alvaro Bautista with whom it made its debut in 2019. As for the Englishman, it is a new chapter with BMW that he will open. The two men turn the page before taking advantage of the winter break by already fitting into their new costume. Because unlike MotoGP, it still runs in Superbike…
And it's running so well that there will be big tests to Jerez, planned from December 15 to 17. Waiting, Redding as Baptist take their marks. An approach which especially applies to the Englishman who is embarking on a new adventure with BMW. Redding will carry out a test in Valencia with the road version of the German model, as it is possible to test without limit of days with the production machines.
Later, the December 8 and 9, we will finally see it in action also with the Superbike on the track ofEstoril. The Portuguese test will be Scott's first real test, then he heads to Jerez, where mid-month he will test with Kawasaki et Honda.
Redding will be replaced on the Panigale V4R by Baptist, for whom it is more of a reunion with Ducati. The Spaniard is already on vacation and he has done his first tests with a view to 2022 at Jerez. The two days completed led to very positive conclusions for the Spaniard who is coming out of two difficult years riding the Honda CBR 1000 RR-R Fireblade.
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Although #19 did not make any statements after the test for contractual reasons, nor did he wear the logos Ducati on his suit or on the Panigale with which he rode, since he is still a pilot Honda until December 31, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team assures that the sensations that Alvaro had throughout these two days of training were very positive, highlighting, among other things, the step forward that the bike has made compared to the Panigale he experienced in 2019.
Bautista returned to succeed where Redding failed
Marco Zambenedetti, technical coordinator Ducati SBK, spoke on the official portal WorldSBK.com about this escapade: “ It was important to ride here in Jerez at the end of the season to get his first feedback and take advantage of the whole winter to give Alvaro the first answers to everything he asked us. After two years at Honda, Álvaro has to return to his old ways. He asked us to do certain things, so we will have a lot of work to do this winter, but the first feedback is positive »
According to Zambenedetti, Baptist congratulated Ducati for the improvements the Italian manufacturer made to its Superbike machine during his absence: “ Álvaro had a good impression on the general behavior of the bike. There are things we need to improve, but he was grateful for the development we have done over the last two years based on the 2019 bike. We still need to complete the package with everything he asked of us ».
The technical director of the project Ducati in the Superbike World Championship affirms that the unit that Baptist tested in Jerez is still, essentially, a bike similar to the Panigale V4R with which the Spaniard was proclaimed vice-world champion: “ the basis of the bike remains the same, there are many areas in which we cannot improve too much due to the restrictions imposed by the regulations. This year we focused mainly on the balance of the whole bike, especially at the rear, which is the area where we have the greatest room for improvement ».
Among the requests that Baptist made to Ducati, there is that of improving the behavior of the motorcycle with the soft Pirelli tire, a compound with which Baptist gained a lot of confidence with the Honda : " there are things that Álvaro liked, in other areas he asked us different things. We also focused on the soft tire, because in the last two years it is something that has helped him a lot at Honda and he also wants to try it with the Ducati ».
The Panigale V4R will mark its fourth season in WorldSBK in 2022, and in Italy they are eager to see their latest creature win the World Superbike title, something they failed to achieve with Baptist during its first year or with Scott Redding in 2020 and 2021. This is why Zambenedetti declares, when asked about his objectives for 2022: “ we are not satisfied with the final result of this season. We will work hard throughout this winter to be ready and get to where we want to be ».
