Ducati factory rider Alvaro Bautista travels to Most (Czech Republic) for the sixth event of the season with a 17-point lead in the championship. Most recently, Bautista lost some of his lead.
But it could have been a lot worse, as the World Championship leader injured his hand in the crash at Donington. He was only able to compete in the two races on Sunday with pain.
“Nothing is broken. I’m ready for the weekend,” Bautista gave the all-clear in an interview with ‘Motorsport-Total.com’. Last weekend Bautista drove at the World Ducati Week 2022 in Misano together with the other Ducati riders from the MotoGP, Superbike World Championship and Supersport World Championship.
In the Race of Champions, which MotoGP factory driver Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won in front of Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi, Alvaro Bautista only played a supporting role.
No risk at the “Ducati Race of Champions” in Misano
In qualifying, the Spaniard only finished 15th, making him the slowest of the 15 riders who rode the Ducati superbikes. Bautista finished the race in 18th position, behind five Supersport riders.
However, Bautista does not seem to care about the poor performance at WDW. “I just wanted to be there. I didn’t risk anything,” explains the overall leader of the Superbike World Championship, who wants to bring Ducati the first Superbike World Championship title since Carlos Checa in 2011 this year.
The success in Donington boosts self-confidence
With Donington, Bautista has already completed what is probably the most difficult stretch on the calendar. “On paper, Donington is the toughest track for me, but also for Ducati. We minimized the damage. After the crash on Saturday, we were able to save important points on Sunday,” he comments.
In the second race, Alvaro Bautista even beat local hero Jonathan Rea and made up five points. “I didn’t expect to finish second before the weekend. We were stronger than expected. I’m happy that we were so competitive even on this difficult track. I felt really good compared to three years ago,” he says happily Ducati pilot.
Can Bautista build on Redding’s successes from 2021 in Most?
It will be interesting to see how powerful the Bautista/Ducati combination will be in Most at the weekend. “It will be the first time that I drive the Ducati Panigale V4R on this circuit,” said the Spaniard.
“That’s why it will be important to take the right path early on when it comes to the set-up. We also have to deal with the different tire options at the same time. But after the good race on Sunday in Donington we have a lot of confidence,” explains Bautista.
Predecessor Scott Redding proved in the 2021 season that the Ducati Panigale V4R works well at the Autodrom in Most. Redding fought for victory in the three races and prevailed in the second main race.