Alvaro Bautista says WorldSBK may have three-way victory fights in 2025 with out its mixed minimal weight rule.
The rule was launched for the 2024 World Superbike season after Bautista gained 27 of 36 races in 2023 in a dominant run to the title.
Since then, Bautista has solely gained 4 races, the newest coming in Aragon Race 2 final yr.
The Spanish rider has turn out to be extra outspoken in his opposition to the rule, branding it “discrimination” in a social media publish after the Emilia-Romagna Spherical in June.
At Donington, Bautista, who struggled to be within the top-10 throughout apply however was in a position to end on the rostrum in third, carefully behind his manufacturing facility Ducati teammate Nicolo Bulega and three seconds from the winner Toprak Razgatlioglu, stated that, with out the rule, there might be three riders combating for victory as an alternative of two.
“The issue is if you penalise solely a rider, not the bike, the rider,” Alvaro Bautista stated after Race 2 at Donington.
“That is the large drawback.
“I believe in the event that they eliminated this silly rule – as a result of there isn’t a sense with this rule – perhaps now we will see, as an alternative of two riders combating for victory, three.”
He added that his success up to now got here not due to his gentle weight however due to his late race tempo on used tyres.
“Up to now, I had quite a lot of issues within the first laps – if you happen to noticed all my races earlier than, within the first laps I by no means simply go straight and escape.
“Possibly two or three locations that perhaps I used to be too robust, however within the regular races I used to be simply combating within the first laps.
“Then, after mid-race, I began to make a giant distinction – for every thing, for power of my physique, for the tyre consumption, for every thing; as a result of, additionally in that second, the bike was coming lighter after a couple of laps, so for me it’s a lot simpler to trip the bike.
“You’ve gotten two sorts of power within the nook: [downward] power, and aspect power. Now, I’ve extra issues as a result of the aspect power is stronger than the [downward] power, for me, and particularly in these sorts of corners, you are feeling much more.”
Alvaro Bautista explains tyre technique
Bautista adopted this sample in Race 2 at Donington, falling again from Bulega by round three seconds within the opening a part of the race earlier than catching him once more by the tip.
Bulega himself stated this was right down to tyre selection, as a result of the place he had the SCX rear tyre, Bautista had the harder-compound SC0.
Bautista took a defensive stance on this, saying that it’s not attainable for him to be aggressive with the SCX as a result of he can’t push on a full tank, so he wants a tyre that may nonetheless have grip on the finish when the bike is lighter.
“After mid-race, I used to be in a position to match the identical tempo as each of them [Bulega and Razgatlioglu].
“Okay, you say as a result of [I] use SC0 they usually used SCX, however [they] have the benefit at the start with the SCX.
“It relies on your technique.
“On the finish, with the SCX, I can not push extra as a result of I rely quite a bit on the bike, so I can not use as a result of the bike, [either] with the SCX or SC0, pushes me out.
“So, I want simply to, at the least when the bike is coming a bit lighter, to have some tyre.
“For that, I had to decide on the SC0, I used to be compelled to make use of this tyre, not as a result of it was extra performant, no, I selected it as a result of I can not use the efficiency at the start as a result of the bike doesn’t enable me.
“I’ve to play with my playing cards.
“All people has playing cards and it’s a must to play your greatest playing cards, so that is my card.”
He added: “I believe it might be a good suggestion to only depart all of the riders to be in the identical circumstances to trip, and rely [on] the power of every rider.”
