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greatest Superbike rider of all<br />
time but he won’t count out his<br />
rivals in 2019. At races where<br />
Rea isn’t quite able to perform<br />
to the maximum, he might<br />
suddenly find himself behind<br />
a host of bikes and fighting for<br />
fifth rather than the safe podiums<br />
that we’ve seen in recent<br />
years, on his rare off-days.<br />
This could be the year where<br />
the drive for five ends in disappointment<br />
for Rea.<br />
DO NEW FORTUNES<br />
GO ALONG WITH<br />
A NEW BIKE FOR<br />
DUCATI?<br />
Ducati have put their flag on<br />
the mast. The Panigale V4 R<br />
has to win the title. The Italian<br />
manufacturer has changed<br />
tact, broken from their tradition<br />
of a twin-cylinder machine<br />
and fallen into line.<br />
Ducati has said that: “we<br />
aren’t committed to an engine<br />
format, a trellis frame or<br />
anything other than winning.<br />
We’ve made these changes to<br />
make sure that Ducati can win<br />
again.”<br />
“FIGHTING A TITLE BAT-<br />
TLE IS HARD ENOUGH BUT<br />
FIGHTING IT OUT OVER<br />
MULTIPLE FRONTS IS EVEN<br />
MORE DIFFICULT. REA IS<br />
GOING TO HAVE TO GO<br />
THROUGH A WALL OF OPPO-<br />
SITION THIS SEASON.”<br />
No pressure on Davies and<br />
Bautista in that case.<br />
The Spaniard comes with lots<br />
of hype. He is expected to<br />
win and win regularly. Ducati<br />
replaced Marco Melandri because<br />
podiums at every other<br />
race wasn’t enough. They<br />
wanted more. Now arguably<br />
the biggest question entering<br />
the 2019 season is whether<br />
Bautista can get the job done.<br />
He’ll go to Phillip Island having<br />
endured a difficult transition<br />
to WorldSBK. Ducati has<br />
their new bike and are still<br />
learning to understand it. Bautista<br />
is learning how to feel<br />
the Pirelli tyres and a Superbike.<br />
It’s a big shift and one<br />
that many riders have struggled<br />
with in the past. Can the<br />
Spaniard be different and join<br />
Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa<br />
as MotoGP castoffs who won a<br />
title in WorldSBK? It remains<br />
to be seen but Phillip Island is<br />
the best place in the world to<br />
start because with two days of<br />
testing in advance he can get<br />
up to speed, have his bike settings<br />
in the ball park and race<br />
at a track he knows and loves.<br />
‘PI’ is a track tailor made for<br />
almost every rider on the grid.<br />
If there’s a rider who doesn’t<br />
like Phillip Island, I’ve yet to<br />
meet him. Bautista fought for<br />
the MotoGP podium in Australia<br />
last October and now he<br />
starts his SBK career here.<br />
BMW AND HONDA:<br />
THEIR CHANCES IN<br />
2019?<br />
After more than 15 years<br />
Honda Racing Corporation is<br />
back in WorldSBK. The last<br />
time there was a full factory<br />
effort from HRC in WorldSBK,<br />
ESSENTIAL WorldSBK Qs
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