Bautista's speed with the Panigale was a source of frustration for Jonathan Rea, who hopes to suffer less with the R1.
About Matteo Bellan de Motoracing
Project Kawasaki no longer convince him and Jonathan Rhea took advantage of the space left free by Toprak Razgatlioglu to sign at Yamaha . A difficult choice, because he had a contract valid until 2024 and leaving Akashi's house is not something he did lightly. But he considered what was best for his career, to return to winning more regularly after a year in which he won just one race. Only time will tell if the choice of R1 was the right one.
Also in 2024, Ducati will start as favorite with the defending champion Alvaro Bautista, who will have to race with kilos of “ballast” due to the new regulations on the weight limit of motorcycles. It will be interesting to see if the Spaniard will be affected by this or if he will be able to exploit his Panigale V4 R as always.
Interviewed by Bikesportnews, Sale admitted that being overwhelmed by Baptist in the straight is not something he experienced particularly well: “ when this happens, It’s very frustrating and demoralizing.. When the throttle is at 100% you can't tell the difference but the bike does ».
Jonathan Rea: “ congratulations to Ducati, they have done a great job making a phenomenal motorcycle »
The six-time SBK world champion recognizes the merits of Ducati for having worked better than the competition, particularly Japanese: “ when you race a 44 euro bike versus one that costs 000, there is a huge difference in the components. But I don't think it's unfair. Congratulations to Ducati, they did a great job. It is difficult to respect the spirit of the regulations when other manufacturers do not have this philosophy. In competitions, it's hard to keep things fun and fair. It's not easy for the organizers to please everyone, but it's thanks to Ducati for making a phenomenal motorcycle ».
The Borgo Panigale manufacturer is the one that has invested the most and most effectively, reaching the top both in MotoGP and Superbike and also in Supersport. The competitors were not up to the task and found themselves forced to intervene technically or request changes to the regulations.
