Alvaro Bautista is back to his first love in WSBK after a period of two years spent at Honda which will be classified as disappointed hopes. Except on the bank account side. But at now 37 years old, the Spaniard said to himself that it would be a good idea to win a new world title, after that of the late 125 in 2006. At Ducati, we don't hold grudges and we have reopened to him the doors are all the bigger as its morphology is a plus in the development of a Panigale V4R that he found. Apparently happily...
Alvaro Bautista had the opportunity to ride the Ducati before the end of last year, but his contract Honda still valid forced him to remain silent. Here we are with the month of January 2022 now well underway and the Spaniard can now talk about his reunion with a bike that allowed him, in 2019, a sensational entry into Superbike. 24 podiums, 16 victories, including 11 first in the calendar had been conquered, but it was not enough to beat Jonathan Rhea and his Kawasaki.
At Honda, during the last two well-paid seasons three third places and the 9th and 10th places in the world championship were a feast. In the manufacturers' championship in 2021, Honda was even last among five competing brands.
Public chat speedweek, Baptist thus comments on his return to Ducati : " before the test, I was a bit scared. After two years on a completely different bike, I didn't know how I would feel on the Panigale. The first day I had to wait until noon because it had rained the day before. I became more and more nervous and eventually ran with wet tires. I just wanted to see what the track looked like. But after just two turns I had a completely different feeling from the bike compared to the last two years ».
Alvaro Bautista: “ the base from two years ago has been improved«
« It was a different world. My sitting position and the way you take a curve are completely different. I immediately felt very comfortable and was able to ride as usual. My first impression was more than excellent ". He adds : " of course, they still have my data from 2019, but we preferred to ignore it. I would say I didn't notice much difference ».
« I think the bike is more balanced today " finished Baptist. “ Two years ago, the bike had very positive characteristics, but also very negative ones. The fact now is that the advantages have been retained and the disadvantages have been dealt with. The bike is now easier to ride and no longer has any weak points. The base from two years ago has been improved ". This will please the people of Borgo Panigale and attract the attention of Toprak Razgatlioglu, the title holder, who does not expect a future campaign limited to a duel with Jonathan Rea.
