WorldSBK Misano: Alvaro Bautista: “I don’t feel that Ducati has been pushy”

Leader of the WorldSBK championship by just six points over Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista will have a big challenge on his hands this weekend.

The two-time world champion has not been as dominant as the last couple of seasons, yet Bautista still remains the rider to beat.

Bautista completed a brilliant treble at Misano last season, and following a recent two-day test at the Italian track, his focus is on delivering more big results for the passionate home crowd.

“We are really looking forward to Misano, with it being our home race. We are looking forward to the fans and the Ducatisti,” said Bautista. 

“It was an important test for us, because we had some ideas after the first three rounds of the season.

“We tried different solutions on the setup, as well as the engine. We also worked on the power delivery.

“When you are trying different setups, you have to ride to the limit. We found some good data that we will start to use during this weekend. I am not in a hurry.

“Specifically, Superpole will be important for me to see if I can reach my best performance with the bike.

“Our first target is to arrive at that level, and then we will think about the future.”

Regarding his future, Bautista holds all the cards to the rider market as Andrea Iannone’s future could be linked with what Bautista does.

If the Spaniard retires, Iannone could be the rider to take over that seat.

However, if the former MotoGP rider stays another season it will mean looking elsewhere for the likes of Iannone and other big-name riders out of contract.

“I am really relaxed, and just focused on myself, my team, and the bike,” added Bautista. “We have to try and enjoy with all the people and all the Ducatisti.

“I certainly don’t feel that Ducati have been pushy, either with me or Nicolo.

“At the moment, everyone is very calm on the team. We just keep working and trying to do well at this moment.”