WSBK: Promising Signs For Ducati At Jerez Test

This week the World Superbike teams descended on the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto for two days of testing before the winter break, and the Arubia.it Ducati team were eager to make strides with their new Ducati Panigale V4R.

Having missed the previous test due to grand prix racing commitments, new signing Alvaro Bautista spent the two days acclimatising to life on a Superbike. Once he had sorted out general first-day ‘teething’ problems such as seat height and lever sensitivity, the Spaniard quickly went to work on getting a base setup dialed into his Panigale V4R machine. He finished the test with a best time of 1’39”845s (fourth fastest overall).

That said, it was not all plain sailing for the 33-year old who suffered two heavy crashes on Tuesday, as he pushed the limits of his new machine. Fortunately he was not injured in either incident and returned to the track to continue testing.

However, it is the manner of Bautista’s feedback which is perhaps most telling – he likened the new Ducati as being like a 250cc bike in terms of handling, and spoke glowingly of smooth power transfer through the lower gears. If this is the case then, firstly, the Italian manufacturer may have finally built a racing machine which excels in the corners. Secondly, it is a serious warning shot from Bautista to the rest of the competition for 2019 as he was one of the standout riders in the old two-stroke category before moving up into MotoGP. The beaming smile on the Spaniard’s face across the two days said it all – he has already settled into superbike life.

On the other side of the garage, teammate Chaz Davies also spent the first day working on finding a base setting for his machine. However on day two, attention turned to testing out the new larger tyres which Pirelli will be supplying from 2019. The Welshman turned in competitive looking lap times across the test and on the whole was pleased with the progress the team is already making with the new bike.  

Davies was quick to make clear, after the chequered flag had fallen, that the team are not concerned with making headline lap times at this stage. Speaking on Tuesday evening the 31-year old said: “We’ve picked a really clear direction in setup. These two days – and the dry one in Aragon – we were just testing every part to see what works and what doesn’t. The bike has great potential and we have found a solid base already.”  

With the postseason tests now complete, Davies will have an operation on his shoulder as he continues his recovery from a series of injuries sustained mid-season. It is hoped by both rider and team that the surgery will not be complicated, and that he will be fully fit and able to mount a serious championship challenge in the new year.