About Jesus Sanchez Santos / Motosan.es
Just after his big debut in the SBK World Championship, with his three victories, we were able to interview Alvaro Bautista for Motosan.es.
The Talavera de la Reina man is happy with what he achieved at Phillip Island, but is keeping his feet on the ground for what remains of the championship.
Hello Álvaro, first of all, congratulations for what you accomplished this weekend. You delighted the Spanish fans throughout the weekend by doing something historic, starting with three wins in a single weekend.
“Thank you very much for the congratulations.”
How was the adaptation to having three races in the same weekend?
“The truth is that three races are very different from one, especially because you can't follow the routine like a normal MotoGP weekend. Here you have to be on a roller coaster all day. Friday is normal, but on Saturday you have to think about the superpole first, concentrate on a fast lap, but then you have to continue to concentrate on changing the settings and thinking about the race. For the moment, in Australia, I have done very well. Sunday is more complicated, it’s two races. The first race must be very explosive. You finish and you can't celebrate, you can't get out of your concentration. You kind of stay like, yeah, you won the race but you can't relax because of the second race. It's a little different, but I felt very comfortable”.
Do you think this resounding victory is circumstantial because it suits you and your bike perfectly, or can it be repeated on other circuits to go for the title? It’s time to tell me about the philosophy of “Cholo” Simeone….
“As Cholo Simeone says, match after match, race after race (laughs). I think Australia is a very special circuit, I know that. We worked well, apart from the usual references, and the Ducatis won leaves victories from other years. The feeling I got with the bike is the best I've gotten so far. It is clear that on all tracks it will not be that good. So we have to adapt and try to find that good feeling on each circuit to be as competitive as possible. I don't know if I will be competitive on other tracks because everything is very new to me. Even if you think it's a joke, you're going to have to go for it… Race after race”.
Is a solid success in SBK more valuable than a podium in MotoGP? Where do your good memories from this weekend come in?
“Let’s see, it’s a world championship and the best in the world are racing. It's different from MotoGP, the bikes are different, the rules are different, the tires are different, so you can't compare. For me, winning here is worth more than a podium there. It's clear that a lot of people say that MotoGP is the best, but it's a world championship anyway, so it's just as important to win in Superbike as a race in MotoGP. It was a great weekend, where I managed to win three races, which no one else had. There is much more than just one race here, whether it’s Superbike or MotoGP.”
What are the differences that most caught your attention between the MotoGP paddock and the SBK paddock?
“The difference between the paddocks is quite big. The MotoGP paddock is much more serious, with more mystery, jealousy... I don't know. When I arrived in the 125cc World Championship, it was more natural, there were more friends. Everything changed, perhaps because of interests, and now I found the opposite. A very familiar paddock, where everyone is friends with everyone, where we speak to the mechanics of other teams with confidence. Alright. Alright. Then, for the public, it's a pass, because with the grandstand ticket you have access to the paddock and you can enjoy the drivers. Something that caught my eye is a scene called “Paddock Show”, where there are shows and parties throughout the weekend. There we have a press conference after the podium where everyone can come, and we answer people's questions. No championship has that, I encourage people to go see it because it’s like a privilege.”
In SBK, there are Pirelli tires and not Michelin tires. What differences did you find compared to the tires you had in MotoGP?
“The difference is quite clear, at the beginning we come from Michelin tires which are very rigid, very hard, which give a lot of stability. And when you discover the Pirellis, you feel that everything is moving, it's twisting, you feel the bike and its movements more, but when you integrate all that, it's a pleasure. In Australia, I don't know if it's because of the warmer conditions, but I enjoyed Superbike more than MotoGP. These tires gave me more security, more grip, I felt the limit more. It’s different, but when you have the feeling, you appreciate it.”
Apart from the tires, what cost you the most in terms of adaptation during your first contacts with the Ducati Panigale?
“A little bit of everything, understanding the category, the brakes, the bike which has less power so you have to ride it in a different way. It's not that it cost me, it just takes time. I did a lot of years in MotoGP and it's a more docile bike. When you take away your power, it’s always easier to adapt.”
What do you think of the rivalry you have just started with Jonathan Rea, on and off the track?
“I think Jonathan is the best rider in Superbike history, so at the moment just to get to his level is very difficult, and I think we have achieved it. The rivalry is healthy. Here in Superbike, what happens on the track stays on the track. Outside we spoke a few times, well, he congratulated me after the wins, I congratulated him after he took pole position. I think it's a healthy rivalry, let's hope it stays like that all year. We fight a lot on the track but outside everything remains normal”.
Are you happy now that a Yamaha has been given to Quartararo and Avintia's Ducati is going to your former teammate Abraham, whom you always overtook on the track?
“Let's see, I'm neither happy nor unhappy, it's the circumstances. When you're in MotoGP, you don't have eyes for more, you can't see beyond, you just want to try to stay there. Then, from another point of view, I have something here that I wasn't going to have yet this year, with an official bike, an official factory, a team that works for me, a bike that I can develop at my taste. It's also a good opportunity to have fun, to work, to ride the way I want and at the moment, that's what I'm doing”.
Last year, you were clearly harmed by the deregulation of the transfer market, which was practically closed from the start of the season: should we open a window after the summer to be able to sign contracts? In other sports like football this works well.
“It's getting earlier and earlier, and that's not good for either the drivers or the teams, because in sport it's almost always the last result that matters the most. So when contracts are renewed, what matters is what happens at that moment. Then the season passes and you say to yourself 'I should have done that' or 'I should have waited' but that's the situation. I think there should be something to regulate that a little bit, even if you don't make it public, even if you sign a contract first and then say it in August. It’s complicated because then, secretly, everything would surely stay the same.”
Do you think that in MotoGP you never had the chance to have the right bike to fight for the title, as we saw at Phillip Island in 2018, in a race that impressed us so much?
“I feel like I didn't give 100% in this category, as we saw last year in Australia when I had the opportunity to work with the factory. It wasn't an easy weekend because I arrived at a complicated circuit, a bike and a team that I didn't know, and I had to start working. With a different bike than what I was used to, I put in the work but in the end we were competitive. I think with this opportunity, but with more races or a whole championship, we could have done better. But when things don't happen, it's very easy to talk. I think I could have had a good opportunity to improve my results, but it is what it is”.
Do you think you are responsible for the increase in popularity of SBK in Spain? Fans have a lot of affection and admiration for you.
“Hopefully I will be the one responsible for the increase in the number of Superbike fans here in Spain. It's like always, when you don't have someone from your country to encourage, it's as if you follow a little less. I hope people like it, that they follow us because it's a very nice championship, with a great show every weekend with three races, that's what the spectator likes. If they have the opportunity to go to the circuit, they will hallucinate, you live there with the drivers. Hopefully we can increase the popularity here, and see if we can get them to not just follow MotoGP.”
Ducati wants the MotoGP and SBK crown, while your rivals, Kawasaki and Rea, prefer to focus on SBK without aspiring to try to be in MotoGP. Which policy seems most appropriate to you?
“They are different policies, Ducati has two open fronts with very competitive bikes, which is very complicated because you cannot be 100% involved in a single category. It's not like Kawasaki, whose all their efforts, money and development go towards Superbike. They prefer to use this category as a showcase because, ultimately, the bike people buy is the one that rides a Superbike. They use this as a real showcase of what they sell on the market. Ducati also gives a lot of importance to the motorcycle market, given that the Superbike championship is very important, but at the same time they want to benefit from the greater visibility of MotoGP and also want to be there to get noticed.”
What do you think riders like Marc Márquez or Valentino Rossi would do in SBK?
“I don’t know what Marquez, Rossi, Lorenzo or Pedrosa would do in Superbike. Let them try, because I don’t know… (laughs)”.
They say that the best riders in the world are in MotoGP because it's the premier category, but aren't you and Jonathan Rea missing?
“The best MotoGP riders, no…. Let's see, in MotoGP there are riders and in Superbike there are riders. They are different bikes, so you can't compare them. I've been in MotoGP and of course, with the equipment I had, the results were these. Now I am part of an official team and these are the results: winning races. So I understand that Superbike riders have nothing to envy of MotoGP riders.”
Is your goal to become SBK champion to be able to return to MotoGP with a competitive bike? Many in Spain are of the opinion that the official Ducati should be for you and not for Petrucci.
“My goal is to try to enjoy motorcycles, to have fun, and now I have the opportunity, like I said. Official bike, official team and, at the moment, in 2019, we are here and we have started very strong. We will now try to be as consistent as possible and see if we can maintain this level of competitiveness throughout the year. As I said last year, for the future we will gradually see what motivates me the most. When the time comes, I will do what motivates me the most because it is the most important thing to do things with enthusiasm. I had this motivation and fortunately Ducati trusted me, I really liked the project and that led me to choose it. We'll see what the future brings, which will be a very good opportunity, and then we'll see what I have or what I don't have. To go to the official MotoGP Ducatis, as we said, the market will close soon and that's how it is. There is no going back…”.
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