In 2019 he arrived in Superbike, beating the competition and undermining Jonathan Rea’s dominance: Alvaro Bautista seemed to have created a special combination with the Panigale V4R, then a debut in the championship just like the Spaniard and much criticized because it was considered too similar to MotoGP. The title never came and Bautista left Ducati after just one season. Two years later, the Talavera de la Reina driver has returned to Borgo Panigale, where he is ready for the new adventure with the four-cylinder, which he has already had the opportunity to find in the winter tests.
Bautista has become familiar with the Panigale V4R again and the duo is once again scary: the Spaniard seems to be one of the main candidates to join the fight between Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu, and the three have made a big difference on the rest of the group in the exits. collective. However, Alvaro Bautista does not feel that he has enormous pressure on himself: “When I arrived in 2019 I won the first 11 races and many times by a large margin. Now maybe people think I can repeat it, but I think it’s difficult because the Superbike level is higher than that season. it will be more complicated. Either way, I’ll try my best as I did at the time and we’ll see what happens. It won’t be as easy as in 2019 “.
“I’m happy to be back and I hope to have fun as I did in 2019. I decided to return after two years in Honda, I suffered a lot because the bike was quite new and needed a lot of development. In mid-2021, Aruba talked to me because she wanted me back, I wanted to go back so it was very easy. I enjoy riding the bike, while in the previous two seasons I didn’t enjoy it, ”confesses Bautista.
Without pressure, but with clear ideas and goals
Alvaro Bautista’s 2022 season will certainly be under the watchful eye of fans and enthusiasts, but the driver has already stated that he has not set specific goals. Net of expectations, however, the Spaniard knows much more than in 2019 both the bike and the championship. After two years, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati standard bearer has found a different four-cylinder, but not too much: “There isn’t a big difference. In my first year with this bike, I felt it was very strong but it wasn’t balanced. Sometimes I was very fast and other times I had a lot of problems. But when I first got back on it last November, I found it more balanced. The strengths were more or less the same, but the weaknesses had improved. I think it’s easier to drive now, they’ve worked a lot with power delivery. Basically there isn’t a big change on the bike, but everything seems to be in the right place ”.
With these premises, it seems that there is none for anyone this year. However, the competition is very high: “For 2022, I think I have more experience in this championship. I know the tires, the races, the tracks. I have learned a lot in the last two seasons because I have always tried to give my best, now I feel I have more experience. But I don’t have a goal in mind, I just want to have fun. I want to give my best and get the most out of the bike. Ducati has improved because we cannot forget that 2019 was the first year for this bike, now they too have three years of experience, the engineers have more data and it is easier to find a good setup in all conditions. I want to enjoy the season and try to do my best ”.
Alvaro Bautista, Aruba.It Racing
Photo by: Aruba.it Racing
Rivals old and new, inside and outside the box
In what could be his 2022 title fight, Alvaro Bautista will find his old rival Jonathan Rea, with whom he fought in 2019. But in three years the balance of Superbike has changed and the starting grid has become increasingly competitive. up to this year’s starting line with a new reigning champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu. “In 2019 it was just me and Jonathan, there weren’t many rivals. Fortunately, things have changed, there are more riders fighting for the top positions. Sometimes it helps, because if we had had more riders fighting in 2019 it would have been more interesting. I think the level of this championship is getting higher every year. Not only for the drivers, but also for the manufacturers ”.
But, as is well known, the first rival is the teammate. Bautista will just need to turn inside the pits to find one of the first rivals, different from the one he had in 2019. Alongside him will be Michael Ruben Rinaldi, a promising young Ducati with whom he clearly aims to work together to improve the bike. the two have similar physicality and styles, so for the Spaniard it will be an interesting job: “I think we are more or less similar, small and light. I think it’s a good thing, because in the past with Chaz, very tall, it was difficult, even our styles were different. It is not easy to create a setup for both. On the other hand, with Rinaldi it will be easier for the engineers, then he is very young and wants to win. He tries to show his potential and it will be interesting, because the first driver to beat is your teammate. It will be tough for both of us ”.
Alvaro Bautista, Aruba.It Racing
Photo by: Aruba.it Racing
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