In view of the domination of jockey Alvaro Bautista over the thoroughbred Ducati Panigale V4R, the World Superbike has decided that in 2024 the weight of the rider will be taken into account in the minimum regulatory mass of a motorcycle. An approach which will lead to having to weigh down the machines of the lightest pilots. However, by following this path, the WSBK has opened up a cause and effect relationship which raises questions from a security point of view. Ducati is sounding the alarm and making those responsible face their responsibilities...
In 2024, a new provision in terms of regulations on minimum weight was validated. In this case, the shortcut of specifying a minimum weight for the rider-motorcycle combination was not taken at the risk of making the motorcycle more difficult to ride. On the other hand, as the average weight of this year's pilots was 80 kilograms, anyone below this threshold will have to add 50% of the difference to their motorcycle as additional weight. For example, if a pilot weighs 66 kg, the difference would be 14 kg, which means that an additional weight of 7 kg. For Alvaro Bautista, Ducati has done its calculations and will have to add 6,5 kg. During the Jerez tests, an experiment was undertaken. Which raised some concerns.
Public chat speedweek, we thus read the reaction of the technical director of the Maison rouge in the category that is Marco Zambenedetti : " we haven't got everything ready for this yet, we're talking about a good amount of ballast. This is why we opted for a middle path. We need to distribute the weight correctly and secure it securely. Our first idea was to place it where the center of gravity is, but that's not possible ».
He adds : " Alvaro Bautista thinks decelerating the bike becomes more difficult with the extra weight. We must work to prevent exactly that. We do our best to offer him the best possible configuration so that he can celebrate Christmas in complete relaxation. ».
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Alvaro Bautista: “ if I feel like the Ducati is more dangerous than necessary, I can stay at home »
Because there is a danger which is indicated: “ we looked at what energy was generated at certain braking points in Misano, Assen and Barcelona. Energy depends on motorcycle mass and speed – this is crucial in the event of a rider crash. Compared to Moto2, Supersport, MotoGP and MotoE, a Superbike produces the most energy if you add ten kilograms of ballast. Indeed, a Superbike is quite fast, faster than Moto2 or MotoE and heavier than a MotoGP machine. The MotoE motorcycle is heavier but much slower ».
A scenario which does not leave the now double World Champion in the specialty indifferent: “ I don't think it's wise to have a lot of extra weight on the bike. In case of an accident, more fall space is needed, but they decided to do it anyway. For now, I'm racing in 2024. But if I feel like the bike is more dangerous than it needs to be, I can stay home. I don't want to risk my life more than necessary ". We will not stop hearing about the subject in 2024...
