A Bautista exclusive: I’ll reveal all about brakes, braking and phenomenal brakers

8/22/2023

 Alvaro Bautista dominates the World Superbike Championship. He answered 10 questions for us about his braking style, technical preferences, switching from carbon to steel, and much more.

Before heading to Misano for the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship, Alvaro Bautista visited Brembo Racing, the department where all the brake components for racing, cars (F1, Endurance, Rally, Rally-raid) and motorcycles (for asphalt and off-road) are made by Brembo.

 

We seized the opportunity to ask him some questions about his riding style, preferences and how his braking has evolved.

We would like to remind everyone that the Spaniard has won two World Championships, the first in 2006 in the 125 class with Aprilia and the second in 2022 in the Superbike class with the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team's Panigale V4R.

Bautista was also runner-up in 2008 in the 250 class with Aprilia and in 2019 in the Superbike class with Ducati.

He also raced in MotoGP from 2010 to 2018 and even if he didn’t have top-notch bikes, managed to get on the podium 3 times, started in pole position once, and set the fastest lap of the race.


For all these reasons, Alvaro is considered by many to be a complete rider as well as a wonderful person as the Brembo Racing employees who approached him during his visit and asked him for autographs and selfies would see.

Let’s begin with the 10 questions.

 

Alvaro, what goes through your mind when you brake?“When I’m braking, I don’t think about the brakes at all, which means that you trust them and that they work 100%. You know that when you use the brakes, they work perfectly and always in the same way and you can concentrate on the race. The fact that you always have this same feel is very important because it is one less worry.”

What is the most important thing a brake system must guarantee?
“It’s hard to say just one because it must guarantee many. Performance is definitely vital to stopping the bike, but what I always look for is consistency. I like to have the same length of brake lever. I also like to have the same feel so that I know how I have to stop the bike.”

 





In the World Superbike Championship you switch from traditional racing for twenty laps to the Superpole Race for ten laps. Does anything change in the way you use the brakes?
“At brake configuration level, there’s not much difference, just that in the Superpole Race you can obviously brake harder because there are few laps and you don’t consume the tires so much. You can be more aggressive when you brake because since you use less fuel, the bike is lighter, and you can brake later. Usually in the Superpole Race the brake temperature is higher because you are more aggressive.”



What is your favorite braking moment in the World Championship?
“It’s hard to choose just one. One very difficult one is turn 4 at Phillip Island (Australia) because you tackle the previous turn to the left at over 230 km/h (142.9 mph) in fifth gear. When you brake, you have to shift down four gears and change direction at the same time because turn 4 is a hairpin to the right. You have to be careful because you can't be very aggressive during the first part, you have to be very gentle and when you change direction and straighten up, you can apply more pressure.”


 

Do you remember what braking was like the first time with Superbike after years in MotoGP?
“It wasn’t a problem because in MotoGP I was used to steel brake discs which were used on wet surfaces and my very last race in MotoGP was at Valencia 2018 in the rain. In fact I was very surprised because in MotoGP when the asphalt began to dry out, you were a bit pushed. In Superbike, on the other hand, where steel is normal, even if the motorbike is very heavy, the performance is very good and, above all, very consistent on the various laps.”

Can you explain the difference in braking between MotoGP and Superbike?
”There is a big difference because with carbon you have to get used to it. In the first part of braking the bike doesn’t stop at all because carbon needs a certain temperature to work. Then the opposite occurs because as you approach the corner, the discs and pads heat up, the motorbike brakes more and more and you have to keep a close eye on the brake lever. You have to know how to handle the moment. With Superbike it’s easier to control, you feel it more from the start, control it immediately, and it is also easier to adjust the braking because the brake feel is the same from the first part of braking to the last.”

If you were to ride a MotoGP again, would it be hard to readjust to the carbon?
“I don’t think so, I still have some recollection and I think that after two or three laps, I wouldn’t have any problems. Sure, you have to be very careful the first times you brake because the bike doesn’t seem to brake and then all the power arrives.”

 


How has your way of braking changed in your 20-year long career?
“I have had to adapt. In the 125 category you don’t use the brakes much - you let the bike move more because there is not so much power. When I switched to 250, I had to brake more and use the brakes further into the turn. In MotoGP, on the other hand, I had to adapt to carbon brakes which really brake hard, you have to be very careful you don’t tip over. Then, with the Superbike class, I had to get used to steel brakes and discover how far the brakes go and how far engine braking goes. From two-stroke to four-stroke, technology and electronics have increased and I had to adapt.”

 




What’s your secret to braking?
“I don’t have one. I like to try and go all the way with the brake but clearly, it’s one thing to brake when the bike is in a straight line and another when you are coming into a corner. I like to brake very hard on the straight and then try and gradually reduce the pressure on the lever. I like to be very progressive (or to be precise, regressive, given the reduction in load - Ed.) during the final part of braking.”

 

Who do you think are the three best brakers ever?
“It’s hard to choose three because there have been lots of riders who are really good at braking. An braking move that has stuck in my mind was one by Schwantz over Rainey in 1991 in Hockenheim, it looked like he was going straight on but he managed to stop the bike. Then, even if it doesn’t seem that way, one of the many qualities that Valentino Rossi had was that he was a great braker. Finally, I’ll include someone that everyone is taking about recently, Toprak Razgatlioglu. His style of braking is spectacular with the rear wheel often in mid-air.”