Shades of 2019 as Alvaro Bautista romps to victory on Ducati return

Alvaro Bautista says he cannot wait for the next round of the 2022 WorldSBK Championship after a dominant performance at Motorland Aragon yielded two wins and an early lead in the overall standings.

A remarkable return to form for the ex-MotoGP rider, his performance on home soil went a long way to consolidating views across the paddock that he is a contender for the 2022 WorldSBK title after two disappointing years at Honda.

Indeed, Bautista came into the season as something of a ‘dark horse’ following a return to the Aruba.it Ducati squad he made his WorldSBK debut with in 2019.

Back then he romped to 11 straight wins out of the box before a slump in form and confidence on the Panigale V4 R scuppered his hopes of clinching the title and motivated a switch to Honda, where he achieved just three podiums in two seasons.

However, the return to Ducati saw Bautista instantly back to his best around a circuit well-suited to the V4 package. Though he’d lose out to Jonathan Rea in a thrilling back-and-forth fight that was decided on the final corner, Bautista was untouchable in Sunday’s Superpole Race and Race 2.

"I'm really happy. It's been a very positive weekend, we've obtained important results but the crucial thing was to regain confidence with positive feelings: with the bike, with the team, with my fans. 

“I was satisfied  yesterday for the second place too,  but I felt that something was missing. Since the warm-up the feeling was very good and so I tried to push harder. It was a very good start of the season. I can't wait to be in Assen.”