Rea’s ‘speed isn’t there like Alvaro’s’ - Dovizioso, Bautista ready to ‘suffer’

After taking his second WorldSBK double of the season at Misano, Bautista has begun to pull clear from the likes of Rea and reigning world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu. 

The Aruba.it Ducati rider, who has the most victories of any rider so far this season (6), leads his 2019 rival by 36 points, while the Spaniard’s lead over Razgatlioglu is a whopping 79 points.

Despite achieving success in the form of wins and poles, Rea and Razgatlioglu have also endured difficult weekends so far in 2022, something that can’t really be said about Bautista. 

Not only is the former MotoGP man the lone rider to have secured a podium in every race, but he’s also the only rider to have won at least one race in each of the opening four rounds.

In the process of doing so, Bautista has looked like a more complete rider than that of 2019, and one who is seemingly achieving his stunning success without pushing to the limit. 

Still, Bautista knows he will ‘suffer’ at some stage and that it’s how he responds that will tell the tale of his season: "We have to be prepared when it’s our turn to suffer! We have to keep calm and be strong in that moment. When everything is going good, everything comes easier. 

"When things are difficult, it’s when you can see if the rider is a good rider. For example, with Toprak, he was struggling but he kept going and he won. 

"This is the difference between a good rider and a champion [calibre] rider. [Luigi] Dall’Igna [Ducati Corse General Manager] knows me very well from almost back in 125cc, and I won in the past with his bike. 

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"At the moment, Dall’Igna is very, very happy and he knows very well our potential and he’s so happy."

Bautista in a great position to win Ducati’s first WorldSBK title since 2011 according to Andrea Dovizioso?

While it was also the case in 2019 during the early stages, Bautista once again looks rock-solid as he aims to bring Ducati their 13th WorldSBK title. 

Based on pure speed, Bautista has looked best of the title contenders which is why current RNF Yamaha rider Dovizioso doesn’t believe Rea can consistently challenge the Spaniard.

However, the Superbike great has a ‘champion’s mentality’ which already helped him overcome Bautista in 2019 and therefore could hold importance during the final races, claimed the Italian.

"Alvaro is very competitive, I know him very well and for sure he’s fast but it’s not only that," Dovizioso told WorldSBK.com. 

"He’s good at managing races and he’s very light, so his acceleration is unbelievably good. He normally doesn’t use the rear tyre a lot so he has a lot of tyre at the end of the race.

"He will be very tough for the competitors to beat for sure. Jonny is so good and it’s nice to see his effort! He’s trying everything! 

"His speed isn’t there like Alvaro’s, but it means that he has a Championship mentality, which is really good for him. I think it will be very nice until the end of the season."