The last meeting before the summer break of the WSBK championship at Laguna Seca was a new nightmare for Álvaro Bautista. The Ducati official thus did not see the finish of the three races, and he left this field of desolation with the ligaments of a left shoulder at these points affected that they were the cause of his abandonment in the last round. Bautista now regrets 81 points behind Jonathan Rea ready to win his fifth world crown…
To fully understand the astonishing turnaround in this category where he won 11 races at the start of the season, Alvaro Bautista clearly explains his situation: from a mathematical point of view it is not over, but it is also true that Rea can still finish second even if I win all the remaining races. The championship is no longer in my hands. I can only win as many races as possible, but I'm not thinking about the title anymore ».
Play the wise grocers and simply finish second? Jonathan Rhea answers : " certainly not. There is no strategy. But I haven't thought about it yet. As the Ducati is so fast, I need a lead for the last races, as I always said. I expected to be fast at Laguna. Nevertheless, I am positively surprised by our pace ».
On the other hand, for the Ducati rider, the situation is all the more worrying because it is not understood. So much so that we even rely on superstition. But with no more success! : “ To try to get rid of bad luck, I cut my hair to zero. Maybe it was that blonde dye that brought me bad luck. I tried, but it didn't work. Nothing, bad luck doesn't go away “, commented Bautista who experienced a series of five consecutive falls. Including one following a shock with Toprak Razgatlioglu which damaged his left shoulder...
An injury which is the cause of his throwing in the towel at the start of the last race: “ more than the pain, I had no strength and I preferred to stop immediately before doing any further damage. Even in the straight I couldn't keep the bike, I felt like I had more power in my hands than a MotoGP. I still don't know if there is something broken in the left shoulder ligaments ».
Suffice it to say that, for the teammate of a Davies who regained victory after more than fifteen months of famine, this summer break comes at the right time: “ the most important thing is to recover physically, turn off the brain and go on vacation. We will then regain confidence in our motorcycle. Of course we can still improve it, but the only difference between now and the start of the championship is that I won the first time and now I fall ».
He finishes : " It's not a problem with my head because I'm always fast. In race 1 I felt calm. The only fall I considered “normal” was Donington in the wet. In this case, it can happen... But for the others, I have no explanation. I only fell in the race. And it's strange because in the tests I even attack more, to find the limit. I certainly didn't expect to end the first part of this season this way. I have no explanation for what is happening to me. It's hard to understand ". And what's more, nothing has been signed yet for 2020...
