Bautista: I think it will be a fun season
Spanish MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista has shared his thoughts on the Ducati GP16 he will ride in the 2017 season in an interview published on his Aspar team’s website.
Bautista, who returns to the team he won the 2006 125cc World Championship with this year, has been in the premier class since 2010, making his debut with the factory Suzuki team before moving to Gresini Honda in 2012.
The Spaniard remained with the Italian outfit when they switched to Aprilia machinery in 2015, aiding the Noale factory in the development of their RS-GP. He managed a best of seventh on the Aprilia last season at the Japanese and Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Aspar rider praised the GP16’s engine as well as its electronics and liked the overall balance of the bike, though found it hard to directly compare it to previous machinery.
“The first time I rode the Ducati GP16, it felt easy to handle, in inverted commas, compared to other MotoGP bikes I have ridden,” he said. “I really like the character of the engine, it is very smooth. I also really like the electronics. I think it is a bike with a lot of potential.
“It is hard to compare with other bikes because my references have changed over the years as I have gathered experience. On the Suzuki I learnt a lot about MotoGP but it had a different character. I think the Honda is the most similar but the Ducati chassis handles better and it is lighter; I like it more. For me, of all of the bikes I have ridden, I think the Ducati is well balanced.”
Looking ahead to the season, Bautista reckons that fighting for the top five on a regular basis isn’t a far fetched idea, though admits that it will be a difficult task to accomplish.
“I think it will be a fun season, with so many rider changes; especially at the start as riders get used to their bikes, encounter problems, get over them… then there are the tyres, which were decisive last year,” the Spaniard said.
“If we can get the most out of what we have there is no reason why we won’t be up there fighting. To be fighting in the top five would be a good result. It will be difficult but I think it can be a realistic objective.”
Bautista, as well as new teammate Karel Abraham, will be back in action on their Ducatis on January 30 at the Sepang International Circuit for the first pre-season test of 2017.