Joined
·
2,045 Posts
Another race down and another win for Bautista. The clash with Rea in the early laps nearly put him on the deck instead of the podium.
That said, his pace to bridge the gap back to Rea after that was breathtaking. He set (I think) 3 new lap records in pursuit. Once he got past, that was it.
The announcers continually talked about Johnny Rea's consistency but not really about Bautista's. I don't understand that one. Bautista is possibly even more consistent. He was hammering out 1:32s for a number of laps before dropping back into the low 1:33s. He was the only one in the low 1:33s when he did.
I'll be the first to admit, at first I didn't understand Ducati's choice when they hired Bautista for WSBK. However, it's proven an inspired one.
After I thought about it for a little bit, it occurred to me that:
A) Bautista already had a few years on the Ducati GP V4
B) He's pretty consistent in top 10 finishes aboard said bike
C) He managed those finishes in the company of riders like Rossi, Marquez, Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa (aboard a number of different bikes)
Putting him aboard a V4 for WSBK, he'd probably take less time to adapt due to the similarity to the GP V4. (citing interview with Gigi on the similarity) I'd have to think that is at least partially a factor in the success Bautista has so far achieved.
Looking at where all the other Ducati riders finished, Rinaldi was the next highest in 8th, with both Davies and Laverty winding up on the deck. Davies at least managed to remount and get back up to 15th by the end.
Still, there's such a breadth of difference in where they finished one cannot put Bautista's success down to the bike alone. I also think he proved he can duke it out with the best of them after the contact with Rea in the early laps.
Looking forward to see what kind of fisticuffs will go down in the Superpole race tomorrow. Rea said he could ride at and over the limit for 10 laps so he felt he could compete pretty well for that race.....sean
That said, his pace to bridge the gap back to Rea after that was breathtaking. He set (I think) 3 new lap records in pursuit. Once he got past, that was it.
The announcers continually talked about Johnny Rea's consistency but not really about Bautista's. I don't understand that one. Bautista is possibly even more consistent. He was hammering out 1:32s for a number of laps before dropping back into the low 1:33s. He was the only one in the low 1:33s when he did.
I'll be the first to admit, at first I didn't understand Ducati's choice when they hired Bautista for WSBK. However, it's proven an inspired one.
After I thought about it for a little bit, it occurred to me that:
A) Bautista already had a few years on the Ducati GP V4
B) He's pretty consistent in top 10 finishes aboard said bike
C) He managed those finishes in the company of riders like Rossi, Marquez, Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa (aboard a number of different bikes)
Putting him aboard a V4 for WSBK, he'd probably take less time to adapt due to the similarity to the GP V4. (citing interview with Gigi on the similarity) I'd have to think that is at least partially a factor in the success Bautista has so far achieved.
Looking at where all the other Ducati riders finished, Rinaldi was the next highest in 8th, with both Davies and Laverty winding up on the deck. Davies at least managed to remount and get back up to 15th by the end.
Still, there's such a breadth of difference in where they finished one cannot put Bautista's success down to the bike alone. I also think he proved he can duke it out with the best of them after the contact with Rea in the early laps.
Looking forward to see what kind of fisticuffs will go down in the Superpole race tomorrow. Rea said he could ride at and over the limit for 10 laps so he felt he could compete pretty well for that race.....sean