The Ducati rider finally paid for his lack of experience in the World Superbike category against Jonathan Rea, but he feels ready to lead the battle against Kawasaki again next year.
The first season of Alvaro Bautista ended with a place as vice-world champion, which represents an excellent result for a beginner. The Spaniard himself admits that he never imagined having such a first year. However, there was still disappointment after an extraordinary start to the season where he scored 11 consecutive victories, leaving only the crumbs to Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki, who have nevertheless been ultra-dominators of the category for four years.
And then, the balance of power was reversed with a first jolt at Imola, before really changing from Misano. From then on, the Borgo Panigale representative had a string of blank results when Rea almost always got on the podium and often on the highest step. Looking back, Bautista sees his and his team's lack of experience with the all-new Ducati as a big factor.
“Kawasaki may have started the 2019 Championship by underestimating the competition, but they reacted very quickly and in the best possible way”, he commented during the EICMA Show in Milan to Motosan. “From Misano until the end, all the Kawasaki riders improved, it's obvious that they found something that helped their riders greatly, and not just Rea. Kawasaki have the advantage of having a lot of Superbike experience and knowing their bike inside out, which allows them to always get the most out of it. Experience is a fundamental factor: winning a race is easy, winning the championship is much more difficult. »
The new adventure that awaits him next year will not make his task easier from this point of view, since he will join Honda which will only be in its second season as official constructor of its own team. It will then take time to gain the necessary experience, but one thing is certain, number 19 is always hungry for victory: “If I felt I couldn’t beat Jonathan Rea, I would be at home. I run because I want to win. »
