Shades of 2019 as Alvaro Bautista romps to victory on Ducati return
Alvaro Bautista puts two difficult seasons with Honda firmly behind him as he powers to two victories for Ducati in the 2022 WorldSBK opener at Aragon
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54 years 8 monthsAlvaro 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.”