The Ducati Spaniard at Mandalika achieved his fourth consecutive triumph with pace, speed and extraordinary mental security. His superiority, with his rivals lingered, seems almost obvious
March 04
– Milan
4394 km and 20 degrees of temperature divide the Australian circuit of Phillip Island from that of the island of Lombok, in Indonesia, both “technical” tracks even if the Mandalika is slower and with little rubberized and dirty asphalt. But on the track the music of the Superbike World Championship 2023 it does not change. For the fourth time in a row Alvaro Bautista he dominates unchallenged on his Ducati-missile. After the Australian trio in the 2023 world championship opening last week, Bau-Bau made a void in Race 1 on the Lombok circuit, mortgaging tomorrow’s Super Pole Race and Race 2. Alvaro has the situation in hand, he drives in apparent relaxation and seems to play ‘cat and mouse’: the first four races of 2023 without a fault, all dominated by the head and when needed here is the brilliant touch like the great overtaking on Jonathan Rea at Phillip Island and here the unequivocal extension after a few laps. Once again today in Mandalika in Race 1, Ducati’s number one did what he wanted.
spanish hare
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Doesn’t it push? Of course it pushes. But in its own way: what is needed to take the lead and keep the opponents behind, without paying too much attention to names, so much, as today between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli (but also valid for the others further back), they give each other orbs between them leaving the Spanish hare “quiet”. It is a scene that repeats itself and one can also see that the stopwatch sanctions as a sentence for the opponents. Bautista has a pace on the low 33 and two laps from the end, just to make people understand the current climate, calmly prints a 1’32.947 when his pursuer Razgatlioglu has to settle for a 33.7-33.5 (already hanged…) otherwise goodbye tyres, goodbye podium. The Yamahas are strong on the fast track, but they pay the price for having to use the harder tyres. On the Ducati of the Spanish world champion (the same goes for Rinaldi’s and also for the Hondas) a soft SCX was chosen at the rear, which – as regards the two official Bolognese bikes – allows fabulous times even after the halfway point, right up to the finish line. All the others didn’t risk it, opting for the SCO, a safer but slower tyre. A throw on the ears to Michael Rinaldi who threw himself away, entering the corner after the start, hitting the rear wheel of Axel Bassani, who fortunately remained standing. A blow to the head for the rider from Rimini who after the visit to the medical center said: “The checks show there are no problems, even if my head hurts. Sunday morning another visit and I hope everything is ok to get back on track and do what I didn’t do today. I could have been in the match, double regret”. It could happen, but it better not happen, especially when you put everyone behind on Friday, you’re on a fabulous Ducati equal to that of the winner, teammate Bautista, and you can use soft tires that are the coup de grace for opponents. For Ducati it’s a one-two thrown away, but Rinaldi immediately had the opportunity to make up for it in Sunday’s two races.
rea in trouble
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And Rea, where is Rea? Today the multiple Northern Irish champion has never been in the game. Jonathan flounders and makes mistakes, nervous like a beginner, he no longer knows how to manage a Kawasaki which, by dint of trying to improve in power and top speed, goes slower than before and “no longer turns”, lacking traction. It is to be hoped that it is (only) a hiccup. We will see. Said of the first three and Rea, a bravo goes to Axel Bassani and also to Danilo Petrucci, for the first time in the upper area in his new adventure in Sbk. The Superbike world championship is only just beginning, but the wind is this: on the eve of a 2023 World SBK championship, a copy of that of the previous season, with Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea at war with each other. Instead, Ducati is now dominated, with an even smaller number of contenders for the title: either there’s a turning point immediately or Bautista can want to go undisturbed, with the others battling it out to become the first “of the others”.
March 04, 2023 – 11:49 am
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