Jonathan Rea returned to rivalry for podiums at Estoril World SBK, however his battle with Alvaro Bautista was a “demoralizing” expertise for the Pata Yamaha rider.
Since Bautista moved from MotoGP to World Superbike in 2019, straight-line pace has been one in all his greatest weapons in opposition to his rivals.
It could be unfair to label the at all times tire-friendly Bautista as a one-dimensional rider who depends on straight-line efficiency to get outcomes, however even when competing in opposition to different Ducati riders, and regardless of gaining weight beneath the efficiency stability rules launched at the start of 2024, the Spanish rider nonetheless usually exhibits a substantial benefit in straight-line pace over his rivals.
This was notably evident at Estoril, which featured the longest straight line from begin to end of the season.
Bautista had run out of the lengthy last nook and on the straight, however was caught up once more on the narrower sections of the observe in sectors two and three, a minimum of within the early laps of the race.
This places Rea on his Yamaha R1 at an obstacle by way of straight-line pace in opposition to nearly each automobile on the grid, however it’s even worse for Ducati, and much more so in opposition to the light-weight Ducati of Bautista.
As quick as he was within the twisty sections of the Estoril structure throughout the opening lap of all three races in Portugal final weekend (October 10-12), Rea couldn’t discover a well beyond Bautista and was unable to forestall the Spanish rider from preventing again within the straights.
Bautista’s benefit from the ultimate nook to Flip 1 was such that Rea stated he felt “demoralized.”
“The best place to overhaul is the straight,” Jonathan Rea instructed WorldSBK.com after Race 2 of Estoril.
“Sadly, we did not have that luxurious.
“Actually, I used to be depressed using behind him within the Tremendous Pole race. He had a bonus from the exit of the final nook to Flip 1, so I spent two sectors attempting to make up for it, after which within the third sector he was beneath my toes. All I may do was exit the final nook and get there and attempt to get into some sort of slipstream.
“In fact I am not the smallest rider and I am not probably the most aerodynamically environment friendly, however I can not lose that a lot time. So it is tough.”
“I perceive his mind-set, however it’s very tough to struggle in opposition to him.”
Race 2 setup misdirection
Rey fell behind in all three races at Estoril, most noticeably in race two.
The Northern Irishman stated this was resulting from a change to his set-up for the ultimate race, which resulted in much less rear traction.
“For the lengthy races, we made small adjustments to the bike and tried to seek out somewhat extra grip and make the bike extra mild,” he explains.
“However successfully it was an obstacle for us. We actually struggled with rear traction all through the race.
“So at the start of the race I felt okay, however the second the rear tire first fell off, I actually felt like a sitting duck and it was time to take the bike residence.”
“We had some issues with our setup and the course we took was simply fallacious, however now we have to make these adjustments to get higher.
“So we’ll be taught from that and go into Jerez with feeling of preventing throughout the high 5 and end the 12 months robust.”
Ray additionally stated that he thought there was a technical downside at one level throughout the race, however it was not mirrored within the information.
“There was a time throughout the race after I felt one thing wasn’t proper with the engine and thought there may be a technical downside, so I spent a number of laps searching for smoke or warnings,” he stated.
“However it should have been my creativeness. I checked the information and there was nothing fallacious with that.”
‘Annoyed’ by Tremendous Pole race crash
The setup adjustments for Race 2 had been made following a crash within the Tremendous Pole race.
The match was “irritating” for Rea, who felt he had an opportunity to get end result.
“To be sincere, I used to be annoyed (with the crash within the Tremendous Pole race) as a result of I had good observe place,” Ray stated.
“When Roca (Andrea Locatelli) acquired out, I did not wish to get too concerned as a result of I had his third place in thoughts in my championship targets. I believed he would have extra tempo than Alvaro (Bautista).”
“However after a number of laps, it seemed like he wasn’t entering into the within street very nicely. So the bike felt good, so I believed, ‘Okay, I want to offer it a attempt.’
“We had been actually robust in sectors two and three, so I believed we had an opportunity if we may get there on the final lap.
“However I went down in Flip 7 and simply went somewhat over the restrict. It was a number of levels greater than the earlier lap, and that is the margin we’re speaking about.”
