SBK, Alvaro Bautista: "I'm dangerous in the opening laps. Bulega? He has no rivals"

Fourth at the finish line of SBK Race 1 in Assen, Bautista reiterates a well-known issue of his and doesn’t rule out total dominance by Bulega.

Four Ducatis in the top four positions of Saturday’s finishing order at the TT Circuit. The fourth was Alvaro Bautista’s, who delivered a solid Race 1 to collect 13 points: he has climbed to 40 in the standings and sits eighth. He would like to fight for podiums and wins, but the two-time Superbike world champion feels limited by the well-known minimum weight rule (HERE our interview), which forces him to race with 6-7 kilos of ballast. Also worth noting is that, since the new Panigale V4 R is slightly below the 168-kilo minimum weight, about 1.5 kilos must be added to comply with the regulations.

The Barni Spark Racing rider emphasizes that the start of the race isn’t easy for him, having extra weight to manage and not yet being at 100% with the feel of the new Ducati: "In the first laps I’m a dangerous rider - reports Speedweek - because the bike is too heavy and I can’t control it the way I want. I tried not to endanger anyone at the start and to hold my position. Many things have changed: the bike, the team, we haven’t done many tests, and my feeling with the bike isn’t the best."

In 2026 Bautista changed teams and is trying to adapt to the new Panigale V4 R. In Assen there was a step forward that makes him optimistic for the rest of the Superbike season: "We are slowly building a foundation - he explains - and I’m regaining confidence. I would have liked to start the season in the best possible way, but this is the situation. If I ever feel I don’t want to improve anymore, then I’ll stay home. As soon as I start having fun on track again and feeling good, the good results will come automatically."

At the TT Circuit the two-time SBK champion was also asked about the possibility that Nicolò Bulega, so far the winner of every 2026 race, could manage to win every race of the championship: "He can do it. At the moment there’s no rival who can keep up with him. If the weight rule were abolished, I’d have a better chance."

Bautista does not rule out that his former teammate could completely dominate this Superbike World Championship. He also reiterated that without the 6-7 kg ballast he is forced to carry, he would be more competitive, but the regulation will not be changed. The Spaniard tried, having colleagues sign a sort of petition at the end of the 2025 season. Everyone signed except Jonathan Rea, but it wasn’t enough: to amend the regulation, agreement among all manufacturers was required. It wasn’t there.