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As if the race 1 crash wasn't enough, Rea winning the race as a result, it also cost Alvaro Bautista the championship leadership. For the first time this season the Aruba rider no longer leads the way, the Kawasaki Cannibal having now moved ahead of him in the standings.
“I was lucky because I could have hurt myself in the crash - started Alvaro - this is racing and crashes can happen. Conditions were dangerous in race 1, also because the track was slippery. I didn't have the confidence I wanted, it was like riding on ice. We made some change after this morning but they weren't really useful. A pity, because I was quite competitive over the flying lap but in the race I suffered and ended up on the ground”.
Alvaro is not throwing in the towel though.
“The important thing is that we know why we crashed. I crashed at Jerez and Misano because of mistakes I made, but my pace was good. This weekend I had some technical difficulties. As I've said, it's part of racing and we need to try and improve".
#19 goes into more detail.
“unfortunately I wasn't sorted with the bike set-up or balance. I was confident but conditions were complicated”.
And Rea has now taken the lead.
“As I've said from the start, I didn't expect to be so strong in the first part of the season. This is my first experience in SBK and so I have a lot to learn. The bike has a great engine, but that's not enough to win. The other Ducatis are suffering. The aim is not to win the title in my first year, also because that was never a request. I'm not worried about what happened in race 1. Rea is leading the championship but the season is still long and I'll do my best to catch up”.
His final comment regards Petrucci's contract renewal.
“I might even stay home in 2020 (he jokes). We'll see what happens, but nothing is official as yet. Personally I'd prefer to resolve the situation before the summer break”.
