The king remains almost at the stake
Ninth time in Qualifying, super start, but crash on the fifth lap on the hairpin to the right after the brow: for Alvaro Bautista the start of 2024 has been quite the roller coaster ride. Two Ducati Panigale V4Rs on the podium in Race 1 at Phillip Island, but those did not include number #1 which had to settle for 15th position.
Nicolò Bulega he won on his debut in the series-derived World Championship – just like Alvaro Bautista in 2019 and like Max Biaggi in 2007 and Davide Tardozzi in 1988 – and thus kept the honor of the official team of the Borgo Panigale company very high, which won despite Bautista's bad day: “I'm really very happy. This result is important because it confirms the great work we did in the winter with the team. I have to admit that as a first race it wasn't the easiest also due to the flag to flag. Getting pole position and winning the race with the fastest lap is something that goes beyond my expectations. Obviously there is still a lot to do but starting in this way gives us great confidence both for tomorrow's races and for the next rounds“said Bulega.
Bautista will be looking for redemption tomorrow which includes the Superpole Race and Race-2: “It's really a shame. Despite a not excellent superpole I started very well. Maybe it was the best start of my career. The feeling was good and I was convinced I could stay with the leading group. Unfortunately I crashed but I still used the rest of the race to prepare myself as best as possible for tomorrow“.
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