P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alvaro Bautista, who won 27 of 36 races en route to his second World Superbike crown, expects to struggle more in 2024.
Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista expressed his concern over the new WorldSBK minimum weight limit rule, which requires riders under 80kg to add ballast equal to 50% of the weight difference to their bikes. This means Bautista will have to add an extra 7kg to his bike on top of the 168kg minimum weight. He disagrees with this new rule, stating that being small and light has its disadvantages, such as difficulty in warming up tires and changing direction. Although Bautista understands the goal of balancing performance on track, he believes this is not the right way to achieve it. He anticipates struggling more and having to be more aggressive with his movements and requiring more braking distance. Bautista also commented on his rival, Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move from Yamaha to BMW, stating that it seemed like a good choice and expects him to compete for the title. He also mentioned his curiosity to see how his new teammate, and reigning WorldSSP champion, Bulega performs.
