Defending champion Alvaro Bautista experienced an almost perfect start to the 2023 WSBK season with his Ducati Panigale V4R. Eleven wins from twelve races are an impressive result after the first third of the season. Most recently, Bautista playfully drove to three victories in front of the home fans in Barcelona. Even before the weekend it was clear to his challengers that second places would be the best-case scenario.
Record champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) shook his head when asked ahead of the weekend if he can fight for wins. And Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) was also aware that he had no chance against Alvaro Bautista on the Ducati.
“It’s difficult when you know beforehand that you can’t win,” commented Kawasaki team manager Guim Roda in an exclusive interview with ‘Motorsport-Total.com’. Kawasaki dominated the Superbike World Championship for many years, but lost touch last year.
“We have to make sure that there is good competition,” Guim Roda clarifies with a view to the sustainability of the series. “We have to fight at the top and try to win. I don’t think there’s any risk of a manufacturer retiring right now, but we’re talking about finding a good balance to have a chance of winning at the weekends. “
“Kawasaki does racing to increase the value of the brand. You want to be competitive with your own products and put on a great show. Kawasaki invests a lot in this championship. Of course, the sponsors also put a lot of money into the project,” remarks the Kawasaki team manager.
Are Yamaha and Kawasaki questioning their participation in the WSBK?
Five manufacturers are currently represented with works teams in the Superbike World Championship. But that could change if one manufacturer continues to dominate. Even during Kawasaki’s 2015-2020 dominance, as Jonathan Rea secured six straight titles, other manufacturers were able to win races. Bautista is currently so dominant that the opponents are dependent on mistakes made by the Spaniards in order to win races.
We asked Yamaha team manager Paul Denning how he assesses the situation. Is there a risk of losing one or more manufacturers? “In the short term, I don’t think there is a risk,” the Brit muses.
“But there are intensive discussions within the manufacturers’ association MSMA and together with the FIM to ensure the growth of the championship. However, we could come to a point where Kawasaki and Yamaha question their participation because they can no longer be competitive,” warns Denning in an exclusive interview with ‘Motorsport-Total.com’.
New price cap: Ducati has “used political power”
Ducati followed up with a new homologation model in winter. It was the first update since the V4 Superbike made its debut in the 2019 season. In order for the 2023 Ducati to participate, the price cap for a new bike was raised from €40,000 to €45,000.
“Ducati made a proposal to increase the maximum selling price without the consent of the other manufacturers. They used their political power to push the proposal through to the FIM and Dorna,” notes Paul Denning, adding: “That still leaves them farther away than it was before.”
“It’s not about Ducati being smarter than the other manufacturers. You can’t compare Ducati to the other manufacturers. It’s kind of an elite manufacturer. They build a bike for 50,000 euros and we have a bike for 20,000 euros. Exactly taken it’s amazing how small the difference is,” notes the Yamaha representative.
Are Alvaro Bautista’s achievements under-appreciated?
“The bike has been improved more than we expected,” says Paul Denning of Ducati’s progress. “Alvaro rode at a very high level last year. You can see very well that the bike has better power output and accelerates even better.”
“I almost feel sorry for him because he doesn’t get the respect he deserves as it seems he has very different tools at his disposal than his opponents,” comments Paul Denning, who has competed in MotoGP in the past project by Suzuki collaborated with Bautista.
Isn’t the balance right in the Superbike World Championship?
With eleven wins from twelve races, Bautista indicated that the Ducati Panigale V4R is the best bike in the field. Yamaha’s Paul Denning confirms this impression: “In the second race at Phillip Island, four Ducatis made it into the top 5. With all due respect, there were riders who don’t normally ride in this region, like Philipp Öttl. The bike clearly has one made a step.”
“In this championship based on production bikes, where there has always been a balance between the different bike concepts, there is too much of a difference between a €20,000 bike, like the Yamaha R1, and a bike that costs almost €50,000, like “It’s the case with the Ducati. The rules are very limited when it comes to engine tuning. There’s little room for change,” says the Yamaha manager, explaining the problem.
How can the WSBK managers solve the problem?
The question arises as to how the Superbike World Championship can be made more balanced again. Should Ducati be slowed down or should the other manufacturers be given more freedom? “Probably both,” suggests Paul Denning.
The Yamaha manager is not particularly enthusiastic about the adjustment of the maximum speeds. “Reducing the revs penalizes all Ducati riders, which isn’t entirely fair,” he notes.
A balance adjustment was announced at the WSBK event in Barcelona. Ducati had to reduce the maximum speed by 250 rpm. But that had little effect on the sporting events. Bautista also drove to three sovereign victories with the limitation.
“Originally, a combined weight limit was discussed,” says Paul Denning, another possibility. “That wouldn’t have thrown back drivers like Danilo Petrucci, who is also piloting a Ducati this year. But that’s off the table.”
Why it’s impossible for the Japanese to copy Ducati
Instead of putting obstacles in the way of Ducati or Bautista, the Japanese manufacturers could also simply copy what Ducati does: build a production superbike radically developed for racing, with which the WSBK teams have more leeway.
“The fan will say that Yamaha should simply build a special homologation bike. But the business model of Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki is different,” notes Paul Denning and explains: “These manufacturers have completely different requirements for the number of motorcycles to be sold before funds are released for research and development, so this seemingly simple solution is not that easy to implement.”
Yamaha rider Remy Gardner was able to experience for himself how strong the Ducati riders are at the past four WSBK events. The former MotoGP rider has not been a threat to World Champion Alvaro Bautista so far.
“Ducati has built an impressive motorcycle. They have to be commended for that,” Gardner commented to Motorsport-Total.com. “They have significantly more power than the rest of the field. But that’s racing.”
“They put a lot of money into development and ended up building a fantastic bike. Now it’s up to us to make improvements,” notes the Australian, who is contesting his debut season in the Superbike World Championship in 2023.