Chaz Davies Highlights Alvaro Bautista’s Ability to Consistently Harness the Full Potential of His WorldSBK Machine.
Alvaro Bautista heads back to a familiar territory this weekend at Catalunya, a track where he has clinched victory in the last six WorldSBK races.
However, the recent outing at Phillip Island, another historically strong circuit for Bautista, proved to be a challenge last month.
The new minimum rider/bike weight limit rule has posed significant challenges for Bautista, contributing to his slow start in 2024.
However, Bautista’s former teammate Chaz Davies is optimistic about the Spaniard’s upcoming performances.
Reflecting on the changes in Bautista from their time together in 2019, Davies shared with GPOne, “He has evolved considerably since then. Following two challenging years at Honda, he decided to alter his approach, perhaps pushing the limits of the Pirelli tires a bit.”
“Alvaro aimed to maximize the potential of his package and achieve the best results possible. The synergy between him and Aruba Ducati is truly remarkable.”
“Alvaro possesses incredible talent, and his partnership with the Panigale V4 R highlights his strengths,” Davies continued. “While discussions often revolve around the bike, the new rule seems tailor-made for someone like Alvaro.”
“However, in the end, he’s the sole rider who consistently extracts every ounce of potential from the package, a feat he’s achieved over the years. We must acknowledge him for that.”
Once a competitor against Bautista, Davies now serves as a rider coach for the two-time world champion and his teammate Nicolo Bulega.
Another longstanding rival for Davies in his WorldSBK tenure was Jonathan Rea, who faced one of his toughest weekends in the championship at Phillip Island.
Sharing his thoughts on Rea’s challenging season opener, Davies expressed his surprise, saying, “Given the level, I never expected Phillip Island to turn out so disastrously for him.”
“It was an incredibly tough round, and I was relieved to see him walk away from his crashes unharmed.”
“Johnny seemed to be in good form during the tests, consistently in the top five, even though he didn’t do anything extraordinary.”
“He probably still needs time to gel with the Yamaha, as the weekend at Phillip Island proved to be quite the challenge.”
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