IN
THE
WIND
P52
Bautista Takes Six From Six
So Far in WorldSBK
T
he astounding performances
put in over the first two rounds
of the 2019 WorldSBK Champion-
ship by former MotoGP rider Al-
varo Bautista and the all-new and
"kind of" ex-MotoGP (in its basic
engine design) Ducati Panigale
V4 R, has covered the top step of
every single WorldSBK podium
so far in 2019.
Bautista scored a new Super-
pole record, and a new lap record
in race one, as he decimated the
hopes of the best of his rivals on
the long straights and many hard
corner-exits at Buriram.
In the first full distance Chang
race, Jonathan Rea (Monster
Energy Kawasaki) was determined
to not let Bautista do his now usual
disappearing act, and the two of
them clashed after Rea took the
inside line at turn three on lap one.
Bautista was left with rubber on his
right leg, and a feeling of anger, as
he nearly crashed. It looked like
racing coming together for most,
with both riders arriving on the
same line at the same time, and
Bautista losing time as he dropped
back behind Alex Lowes.
Rea's early push was to no
avail, however, as after half race
distance, and after a new lap re-
cord from Bautista, he started to
drop back. Bautista finally won by
eight seconds as Rea rolled off in
the final laps.
It set up Sunday beautifully with
a nice rivalry developing between
the leading Ducati and Kawasaki
riders.
In the first race, Lowes (Pata Ya-
maha) was a third star, and indeed
he would go on to be a more than
the occasional shadow for Rea to
have to shake off on Sunday, too.
The short Tissot-Superpole
race, usually over 10 laps on Sun-
day morning, was finally classified
after six laps when local Kawa-
Alvaro Bautista (19) had a short battle with Jonathan
Rea (1) in race one, but that was it. Bautista won all three
races in Thailand relatively easily. PHOTOS: GOLD & GOOSE
