Alvaro Bautista once again had a WSBK weekend far from his expectations as an official Honda rider, but he managed to avoid complete disaster by placing fifth at the end of the second race. Otherwise, he was unable to see the checkered flag on previous occasions at Assen, ending his performance prematurely in the gravel trap. He thus shows that, despite the rumors announcing his return to Ducati, he is not sparing his efforts on the CBR triple R.
The second season of Honda in WSBK is at least as complicated as its first, and the last round to Assen confirmed that the leading manufacturer would not find this year with its CBR triple R any consolation for the poor overall results of its RC213V in MotoGP. However, if there is one thing that cannot be blamed on Alvaro Bautista is that despite numerous setbacks and several falls he does not give up and risks his health for a good result.
The Assen meeting was a good example of this: starting from 10th place, his quest for a first place in the first race on Saturday and in the Superpole race ended with a fall in the gravel trap. But during the last game, the pilot of 36 years old crossed the finish line in fifth position, just one second behind Chaz Davies on his Ducati, fourth.
« I'm still a little upset because the first race and the Superpole race could have gone like the second race " Bautista said on speedweek. " My pace was just as good and I was in the top six. 5th place is actually not what we imagined, but it was better than another fall ».
Bautista: “I first had to regain my confidence”
« In the last race it was important not to fall and to go to the end » admits the Spaniard. “ First I had to regain my confidence. My start was good, but I held back a little in the first laps, also to understand the conditions ».
The pilot Honda precise : " only then did I record my pace without going over the limit. Because every time I give a little more, I fall. So in the second race I rode easily and safely. It's just the situation, I have to deal with it. I was even happier that we finally made it into the top 5. I had lost time behind Rinaldi, I thought I could catch Davies too. 5th place was a good end to the weekend » concludes Baptist who, with this result in the Netherlands, achieved his best performance since he was on the Honda.
