Alvaro Bautista on WorldSBK rider-bike weight limit: ‘It’s more difficult in the fast corners’

A rider and bike weight limit will be implemented in WorldSBK this season which should help those with a bigger frame to compete in an easier fashion against the likes of Alvaro Bautista, who along with Ducati’s stunning top speed, can do significant damage on circuits with long straights.

Bautista, who is one of the lightest riders in WorldSBK, could suffer more than most from this rule change and speaking about the challenges he expects, the Spaniard admitted that fast corners could be a problem area in particular.

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“My biggest problem or the area we have to work on is the extra weight on the bike,” confirmed Bautista at the Ducati launch, in Italy. “With more weight on the bike, you feel it’s more difficult to ride it especially in the fast corners.

“With more inertia, the bike goes wide and it’s more difficult to close the corner. Also, for stopping under heavy braking, we struggle a lot.

“We will concentrate on this and try to be penalised as little as possible and try to be at the best possible performance.”

Bautista is set to test for the first time in 2024 during this week’s Jerez test, before a second outing is scheduled at Portimao.

It will also be the first time he’s on-track since suffering an injury that hampered his MotoGP wildcard at Sepang last November.

On his current level of fitness, Bautista added: “I feel much better from my injury. I spent many weeks trying to recover as much as possible. I feel good now.

“The last test I have to do is riding my bike and to check that there’s no problem riding the bike.

“I’m happy with my physical condition right now. Let’s see how it goes in the test.”