WorldSBK Aragon: ‘Important to finish and get the result’ - Bautista

Alvaro Bautista tried to win the opening race on his big Ducati WorldSBK comeback weekend, but he also knew that the most important job he had in hand was to finish on the podium.

To put a strong marker down, and only win if it was possible without too much risk.

All these things are relative for motorcycle racers, of course, as his late pass on eventual Race One winner Rea looked pretty definite, until Rea cut inside and blocked Bautista’s final winning ambition. “I wanted to have a good base and try to be strong every race,” said Bautista, 20 points to the good after two tough years on a Honda. “So, today was important to finish. At the beginning, I saw Jonathan and Toprak start to do some battling. I just preferred to stay calm.

‘My pace was good in practice, so I knew that being calm I can be with them easy… Not easy, but I can be with them! After a few laps, I saw, and I think Jonathan saw as well, that maybe Toprak was a bit slower, so maybe we decide to pass him.”

They both passed at once, in what was one of many thrilling moments in an epic first race. “I was fantastic first corner braking because we arrived three together. I have here (on Bautista’s left knee) some tyre rubber from Toprak. So, I have to pay him because I stole some rubber from his front tyre! But it was nice. With Jonathan, I think he knew that maybe if I keep my pace on the front, maybe I can go a bit faster.

“He try always to be in front of me. But I did not care because for me the important thing is just to finish. I didn’t want to go battling too much with him, because it’s not the time to do it. It’s the first race and I just want to secure a good result and a good feeling. So, on the straight, I can pass him, but it’s always at the end of