Alvaro Bautista is now 37 years old and he said to himself that it was high time to add a second world title to his list of achievements, which would complete the one acquired in 2006 in the 125 Grand Prix. He therefore decided to return to the Ducati factory in a WSBK which has been his paddock since 2019, a first year where he was not far from achieving success with the Panigale V4R. But he missed the boat, joined Honda for a new project which ultimately did not mature quickly enough despite two consummate seasons. The Spaniard therefore returns to the starting point, with the experience of three campaigns which allows him to draw some conclusions, and in particular on the new World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu...
Toprak Razgatlioglu is at 25 years the new boss of a WSBK that he will only leave for MotoGP if very good conditions are offered to him by Yamaha . The idea of seeing the Turk in a Grand Prix is therefore current and Alvaro Bautista who took the opposite path analyzed what the protégé of Kenan Sofuoglu could demonstrate in Grand Prix.
As a basis for his demonstration, the Spaniard highlights what seems to be the R1 driver's trump card: his way of braking. On speedweek, he says : " Toprak looks more spectacular on TV than when you ride against him ". And he specifies: “ on the brakes, for example, we only see him, not his motorcycle. You think no one else brakes as late as him. But I braked that late. I'm not saying I'm the best. But I had to use the positive sides of the Honda to be fast. I had to change my driving style for this. A curve does not only consist of the braking zone. You brake, turn and go again ».
Alvaro Bautista: “ Razgatlioglu is not stronger than me in braking«
Baptist insists: “ on the braking itself, he was not stronger than me, but much more spectacular. With him, the rear wheel always goes up in the air, his bike moves a lot and he even sticks out his leg. But ultimately he's not at his limit, it's just his style. If he were more on the edge, he would fall more often ". An approach that takes it as far as Marc Marquez... " He never fell in races because of a mistake on his part. In Assen, Gerloff crashed him, in Barcelona it was the bike, he made no mistake. Is he still at the limit? No. Does he drive aggressively? Yes, very aggressive even. Marc Márquez always rode at the limit and often crashed as a result ».
But then, what could a Toprak Razgatlioglu MotoGP rider? Alvaro Baptist is optimistic about the result: “ the level of drivers is also very high in WSBK. In MotoGP there are maybe four or five absolute best riders. A top rider in the Superbike World Championship can also fight for the top 5 places in MotoGP », concludes the one who will begin his fourth year in the championship reserved for motorcycles from the series.
