After finishing fifth on the WorldSBK timesheet and being the second placed Ducati rider behind the all-conquering Bautista on Friday at Motorland Aragon, Eugene Laverty explained how correct tyre pressures and a Ducati engineer have made his Panigale V4R usable package – despite a horrid Thailand in terms of race results last time out.

“In Thailand we had this pace as well, but we just did not show it,” explained Laverty, who also had a scary brake – or lack of brake – problem to deal with in Asia. “I had to jump off.”

But from the very beginning of his relationship with what is plainly an awesome new Ducati for all once it is set-up well of course, there was a problem for Laverty to deal with – hidden in its nature but obvious in effect.

“Australia was something completely different because we only understood in the races that we had a big error with tyre pressure and tyre warmer combination,” said Laverty. “In terms of percentage it was 25 per cent more than the limit.

“It was all through testing and Phillip Island, so really I was riding on rock. Whenever we do the pressure we do it according to a temperature. If that temperature reading is not correct you are in the clouds.

“That is where we were. There was a number it was saying but that number was not correct. Sometimes these things can happen and we have eradicated it now.

So when we had the correct tyre pressure in the first practice session in Thailand, it was like a dream. I rode the Ducati for the first time in Thailand.”

There have been changes inside the GoEleven team since Thailand, including a new engineer from Ducati. “There has been some changes inside the team but it is nice we have got some good support from Ducati,” said Laverty. “I am lucky because I have got friends at the top of Ducati.

“It is nice to have a good relationship with them because it is a big factory and it is number one in the world, in MotoGP and Superbike, so it is nice that I can pick up the phone and send a WhatsApp. Nice to have that close relationship.”

Unlike the factory team, GoEleven has its official suspension back and development from Bitubo. Laverty always liked their front fork, but the rear shock’s performance was of course masked by the too high rear tyre pressures in each session, testing and race.

“To be honest the tyre pressure thing threw us off a little bit but still we were working in the right direction with the rear shock,” said the multiple WorldSBK race winner. “We had a tyre pressure that was through the roof, but we were still making it better.

That is where we need to still improve, honestly, because the front feels unbelievable but you can see maybe on the last exit, I had started to lose a few tenths. Just after three or four laps so I just want to improve that rear grip for race distance.

“I think I was the first guy to try the new Bitubo shock when I tried it in Jerez, and Bradley Ray in BSB. It was completely new and we were working in a direction, and we are still working in that way with the hydraulic.

“The fork immediately I tried it I said, “Wow, this works.” We just need to fine-tune it and that is still what we are working on. The tyre pressure thing threw us off so we are only getting to work properly now. We did not get race distance in Thailand and we desperately need to do race distance to see where we are.”

With some saying that running the Bitubo suspension, when the factory team runs Öhlins and the Barni Ducati team runs Showa, is much more complicated a path than using the same suspension as the others.

“If you are riding on the Ducati and you do not have the top, top factory one then it is going to be difficult to beat guys like Chaz and Alvaro.

It may seem like a gamble from the outside to go with Bitubo, but it is something different from our factory support there, and it gives me the opportunity to develop something that could be even better than what the factory guys have. That is exciting because there is potential in that.”

With the same bike as Bautista, and now some major problems solved, maybe a proven winning talent like Laverty is one of the very riders who has a good opportunity to fight with Bautista this year. He agrees.

“Sure, I was able to see in Thailand that our data was really comparable,” stated Laverty. “We could see where the differences were and there were some things I was doing better than him and some things he was doing better than me, so I am confident, when I looked at that that I could fight with him.

“I just need to understand why my engine is not quite as fast. In Thailand I was losing three quarters of a second to Alvaro just in a straight line. That is impossible to gain back.”