WorldSBK Catalunya Test: Bautista second and ‘satisfied’

Alvaro Bautista’s return to the Aruba.it Ducati squad looks to be going from strength to strength as he claimed second in the Barcelona test combined times.

Having topped Friday’s opening action, his 1’40.824 lap was enough to maintain control over all but 2021 WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu as Saturday fell foul to rain after just three hours on track. 149 laps of the 4.6km venue, however, gave the 37-year-old plenty of time to evaluate a new swingarm, Pirelli rear option tyre and multiple set-up options ahead of September’s Catalunya round.

With WorldSBK’s 2022 season set to start in less than a fortnight, just one official test, at Motorland Aragon, sits between the Spaniard and the opening round. With two private tests in recent weeks, at Misano World Circuit and Montmelo proving fruitful for the Spaniard, Bautista is relishing the start of his 2022 season as he returns to the Panigale V4R he claimed 16 victories on in 2019.

“I’m satisfied with these two days of testing,” Bautista confirmed from Barcelona. “We’ve worked a lot on the bike, trying some interesting solutions that have given positive results. We had some items to try especially with the swingarm and front forks, trying more or less rigid, to see if we find some positives and we did, so I’m happy now.

“We’ve also tried the new rear tyre that Pirelli should bring to Barcelona round, although obviously, the weather conditions will be different. We are making constant progress and this gives us great confidence. Let’s go to the Aragon tests to fix the last details that will allow us to be ready for the first round.”