ENOUGH FOR THE CROWN?
The 2019 World Superbike championship looks, after just four rounds, to be incredibly sewn up. The diminutive Spanish figure of Alvaro Bautista has won every race that’s been run so far this year. Even with a questionable 250 rev cap enforced at the last Assen round, it made little to no difference on a bike that revs to almost 16,500. The cheerful chap that is Bautista has so far been unchallenged at the front and has won on numerous occasions by more than 10 seconds. But do I think that this will be the case for the rest of 2019?
Jonathan Rea, reigning champion and previous dominator of the Superbike class, has been playing second fiddle to the red-missile-riding Bautista. Although riding faster than he ever has done, he is still finishing second and sometimes totally out of sight of the win. But coming now to tracks such as Imola, Donington and Portimao, tracks that Alvaro isn’t quite so familiar with, can only boost Jonathan’s confidence. If he carries on the consistency he’s had so far and couples it with the increased pace he’s on this year, I believe that at these tracks he can get closer, hopefully challenge and put Bautista in a situation that he hasn’t faced so far this year. An actual race. A race where pressure can be applied and possibly force a mistake.
The other factory Ducati rider is Chaz Davies and after a disappointing start to the season he’s starting to get his mojo back. With two podiums at Aragon and a couple of decent finishes at Assen, it looks like he could be there or thereabouts. Again, heading to a track like Imola, where he has had such great results in the past, can only boost his confidence and put him back at the sharp end every weekend, although taking it to Bautista week in, week out? Not sure about that.
The brace of Yamaha riders look to have got their stuff sorted for 2019. Alex Lowes sits currently at third in the championship and so far has been right up there with the Kawasakis. He’s developed into a real title challenger in my eyes and without Bautista over the hill and far away, that’s exactly what he would be. I would say he is one of only two riders that can push Rea for what is, at the moment, second. The other rider that I think has the minerals is Lowes’s team mate, Michael Van Der Mark. Whether it was the home fans cheering him on or not, two podiums at Assen and beating Rea in a last-lap thriller in race two was a real show of where the Yamaha is right now. I think that the extra two riders on R1s in the championship have really helped develop the bike into a race winner, and with a bit of luck on their side they have just as much chance of challenging Bautista as the green machines at some tracks.
So my predictions for the rest of the year. Although they will get close and hopefully beat him at some point, I think that Bautista has done enough already to take the crown. I believe that Jonathan will trump him at certain circuits but I really do pray that he runs the Spaniard close for the title, as if Bautista runs off at the front unchallenged it will not help World Superbikes whatsoever.
I think that Alex Lowes will finish the year in third position. Fingers crossed all the planets align and we get to see him on the top step also at some point. His teammate will run him close though and I’m saying VDM for fourth.
Well there are my predictions... they will most probably be wrong and, to be honest, I hope they are. After all, this is motorcycle racing...