Gordon Ritchie WorldSBK Blog: Are We Done Already?

Submitted by Gordon Ritchie on

We have never seen anything quite like the arrival of Alvaro Bautista and his big red rocket of a Ducati Panigale V4R in WorldSBK history. Well, we kinda have, in the form of Doug Polen on that year’s ballistic desmo missile back in 1991. Just not quite as dominantly in only two rounds, as Polen won five from six, after a retirement in race two at Donington.

Whatever the comparison, ex-GP runner Bautista has entered WorldSBK at Star Trek levels of spacetime continuums by winning the first six races of the 2019 season, his first ever races in WorldSBK. The fact that there are three races per meeting now, not two, only slightly detracts from the glorious arrival of the new class act - stage left, right and centre.

Really, can you pick holes in the fabric of Ducati’s Alvaro effort so far?

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Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 95: Steve And Gordo Talk WorldSBK In Thailand

Submitted by David Emmett on

With the latest round of WorldSBK behind us, it's time for another review of the Superbike series with WorldSBK commentator Steve English and the world's leading superbike guru Gordon Ritchie.

Steve and Gordo sat down on Sunday morning before the sprint race in Thailand to discuss the events of Saturday, and look ahead to the races on Sunday. It was, as ever, an enlightening conversation, covering a vast range of subjects around the WorldSBK paddock.

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Tom's Tech Treasures: Analyzing MotoGP Tech Updates At Qatar, Part 1

Submitted by David Emmett on

Thomas Morsellino is a French freelance journalist and photographer, with keen eye for the technical details of MotoGP bikes. You may have seen some of his work on Twitter, where he runs the @Off_Bikes account. Peter Bom is a world championship winning former crew chief, with a deep and abiding knowledge of every aspect of motorcycle racing. Peter has worked with such riders as Cal Crutchlow, Danny Kent, and Stefan Bradl. After every race, MotoMatters.com will be publishing a selection of Tom's photos of MotoGP bikes, together with extensive technical explanations of the details by Peter Bom. MotoMatters.com subscribers will get access to the full resolution photos, which they can download and study in detail, and all of Peter's technical explanations of the photos. Readers who do not support the site will be limited to the 800x600 resolution photos, and an explanation of two photos.


New Honda fairing (Crutchlow’s RC213V)
Peter Bom: With all the extra horsepower which Honda has this year, together with a different chassis (to take some of the load from the front tire), it would make sense that there could be another aero update as well. As a side note, Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall'Igna has hinted at protesting this particular fairing design.


Ducati GP19 front disc cover

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2019 Buriram World Superbike Race Two Result: Invisible Attrition

Submitted by Jared Earle on

One disadvantage of racing three times in a single weekend is the attrition that this can bring, and race two at the Chang circuit would start short of three riders, with Eugene Laverty not starting due to a crash on Saturday and both of this morning's crashers, Leon Camier and Thitipong Warokorn, not being able to join in. The twenty lap race would have sixteen starters in the Thai heat.

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2019 Buriram World Superbike Superpole Race Result: New Red Flag Procedure

Submitted by Jared Earle on

The Tissot Superpole race would determine the grid for race two and offered points for the top nine. Eugene Laverty was unable to make the start as his team was still rebuilding his bike from yesterday's brake failure that meant Laverty had to bail off and watch his Ducati hit the air fence and try to achieve orbit. 

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Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 94: The Controversy At Qatar

Submitted by David Emmett on

In latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Neil Morrison and David Emmett get together to discuss the opening MotoGP round at Qatar, and the controversy which engulfed the race, despite it being a thoroughly thrilling episode.

We naturally have to kick off with the dispute which erupted after the race over Ducati's aerodynamic parts. We take a deep dive into how the controversy developed, tracing it back from the first complaints, through the Qatar test, and on to the Qatar race. We discuss what the rules say, whether Ducati's parts are legal or not, and where the appeal submitted by four rival factories goes from here.

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