The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is enjoying a well-deserved break in August, and before the French Round hosts the first event after the holidays, we caught up with Serafino Foti, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Team Manager, to look back at 2023 so far. Alvaro Bautista’s record-breaking first eight rounds, his potential teammate and much more, it’s been eventful for Ducati. The reigning Champion is currently first in the standings whilst teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi is seventh.
“ALVARO DID AN AMAZING JOB… RINALDI WAS UNLUCKY” – mixed fortunes
Bautista broke records at Most, the last round before the summer break, as he took his 18th win of the season. He stands alone after he beat Jonathan Rea and Doug Polen’s previous record of 17 victories in a single campaign, whilst he also hit the milestone of 50 wins in his WorldSBK career. The #1 heads into the summer break on top with a 74-point advantage over Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). On the other side of the box, Rinaldi sits seventh in the standings after an up-and-down campaign. The #21 has scored five podiums this season but also had four retirements to his name.
Summing up both riders’ seasons, Foti said: “Alvaro did an amazing job, he’s won 18 races and, this year, he reached 50 WorldSBK wins. This is amazing in two and a half years with Ducati. It’s incredible. We know our potential, and now it’s time to disconnect. I think, after the summer break, we will be stronger. To be honest, this year, Rinaldi was unlucky. Sometimes he was in front, sometimes he crashed, and he was also inconsistent. He has unbelievable potential. We’ve seen the data and he is so fast. He needs to disconnect. I hope, at the end of the season, he can fight for the podium in every race.”
“BULEGA COULD BE THE OPTION” – Rinaldi’s future hangs in the balance
Bautista’s future was secured at the Catalunya Round when he inked a one-year deal with the Bologna-based manufacturer to race in red next season. However, the name of his teammate is still unknown. Several riders, including Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) have expressed an interest in joining a factory team for 2024, while Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) has tested the V4 R on several occasions. Team Principal Stefano Cecconi said it “makes sense” to see Bulega in WorldSBK next year.
Whilst not giving much away, Foti explained when a decision could be made by, and name-dropped one rider in his answer. He said: “We have some options, but Bulega could be the option at the moment. We haven’t made any decision yet and I think we won’t announce our 2024 line-up until Magny-Cours.”
“WE WILL BE STRONGER THAN THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON” – Foti sends warning to rivals
At the end of August, several teams will head to MotorLand Aragon for a two-day test just over a week before competitive action resumes at Magny-Cours. It will be a chance for everyone to get back in form after the August break while it will also be an opportunity for teams to work on and refine their packages for the final four rounds of the season.
Giving a preview of the test, Foti commented: “We reserved the track because it’s our track. Some other teams are coming. We need to work on the setup of the bike, because after the rpm was reduced, we need to adjust some things. We’ll work on this. As I said, we will be stronger than at the beginning of the season.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com