Dall’Igna: 'Growing level in WorldSBK doesn’t scare us', relying on Bautista
Do Ducati's hopes of winning the 2022 WorldSBK championship rest solely on Alvaro Bautista's shoulders?
Ducati have not won a WorldSBK championship since 2011 when Carlos Checa claimed the title, however, one of their best seasons ever from a statistical point of view was set by former MotoGP rider Bautista in 2019.
Winner of 16 races - one less than eventual champion Jonathan Rea - including the first 11, Bautista returns to a familiar team, and perhaps more importantly a very familiar bike.
Bautista and team-mate Michael Rinaldi will be aboard a revised 2022-spec Panigale V4-R machine, a bike very similar to last season’s package which saw Scott Redding challenge Rea and current champion Toprak Razgatlioglu for much of the year.
With Bautista and Ducati’s experience, both together and apart, many expect a title challenge despite WorldSBK getting more and more competitive every year.
During the Aruba.it Ducati team’s official 2022 launch, Ducati Corse General Manager, Luigi Dall’Igna, acknowledged as much, although ‘this doesn’t scare us’.
"The level of WorldSBK is growing every year, as well as the competition," added Dall’Igna.
"Obviously, this doesn't scare us, and on the contrary, it pushes us to give more and more, work more carefully and focus on every single detail.
"In the 2021 World Championship, our team was the only one to have won at least one race with both riders, and this confirms the potential of the Panigale V4R.
"To achieve our most important goal, we rely on Alvaro Bautista's return - who needs no introduction - and Michael Rinaldi's desire to impress.
"In addition, in the 2022 season, we will also be competing in the World Supersport Championship with the Panigale V2.
"It's a fascinating challenge that underlines Ducati's deep commitment to the world of production-based racing."
Bautista has already looked quick during pre-season testing after he joined Razgatlioglu and Rea as the lone riders to break the Official Portimao lap record during a two-day test last month.
