The Superbikes World Championship introduced some changes this year in the rules, with one standing out clearly that directly affects… Álvaro Bautista. The two-time (consecutive) world champion spoke again on the subject and reaffirmed his idea that, for him, it is an unfair rule.
In conversation with Sport.es and quoted by Motosan, the 39-year-old rider talked about the topic and how this change to the regulations happened due to ‘complaints’ from the competition: ‘The rule was created due to complaints from all the riders on the grid, who are bigger, but I don’t think it’s fair. There are two or three riders on the grid who need to gain more weight, and I’m the one who has to gain more weight,’ he began by saying, before explaining how this directly affects him:
– With these bikes, with so much weight and power, being small and light, I have more disadvantages. I weigh 67 kg and between the suit and the ballast it’s 13 kilos. I gained weight and, honestly, to be at my best, I don’t need it.
It should be noted that the minimum weight was set at 80 kg, with riders who are below that reference weight having to add 0.5 kg for each kilo below, up to a maximum of 10 kg.
