Donington Park WorldSBK: Alvaro Bautista: “Proved I’m not thinking about the championship, Records are for when you retire”
But it was the race that Bautista lost, Sunday morning’s Superpole encounter, that 🥂the Spaniard said pr🔜oved he isn’t thinking about the championship - despite just two defeats in the 18 races.
Bautista began the last lap in a safe third behind Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea but threw caution to the wind by outbraking Rea for s💖econd into the Fogarty Esses.
“I had th🧜e same problem warming the tyre in both races today, but after 3-4 laps I was up to speed and set a ’25 [new lap record] with the SC0 tyre, not too bad!” Bautista recalled.
“But after that the rear was on the limit, I did some slides, lost some time and had to recover. I arrived close to them again on th🦩e🌠 last lap.
“I saw Jonathan had better pace than Toprak and I think Jonathan was preparing for a pass at the last corner. I decided to attack before those corners, because it was my only ch🦂ance i⛄f I wanted to gain a position.
“I did ꦜit in the Foggy Esses. It was a good move because I can keep the line and didn't lose the position exiting from the chicane.
“So it was a🎀 really good race and it’s what I said; I'm not thinking about the Champio🔴nship. In every single race, I try to do my best and get the maximum I can.
“In the Superpole, I thought that the maximum 🐼❀was to attack Jonathan and I did it. I never said, ‘OK, relax’, just keep the position for the championship. That was not my mindset.”
Likewise, Bauti▨sta cla♊imed he didn’t care that his 11-race win streak had finally been broken.
“I'm not worried about that. Records are for when you retire. The important t🏅hing is to enjoy the bike, the present. That's for me, the important thing.”
“Toprak passed me back but the next lap I learned”
Race 2 saw another early tus❀sle between t🎐he trio of world champions, before Razgatlioglu and Bautista pulled clear.
Bautista was clearly the faster of the two, which made Razgatlioglu even more determinꦡed not to allow the Ducati rider i𒁏nto the lead.
“Toprak in the beginning was faster t🧸han me, but after a few laps when the tyre was warm and I could push in th♔e normal way I had some tenths faster than him,” Bautista confirmed.
“I tried to pass,𒀰 but he tried to stay inꩲ front of me, in all the ways.”
Bautista finally found a way past into Redgate, turn 1, with ten laps remaining. But his reign lasted j💛ust a couple of corners before Razgatlioglu seꦕnt his R1 up the inside into the Old Hairpin.
“He passed me but the next lap Iꦰ learned and did a bit faster the downhill a📖nd entered [the Old Hairpin] more inside. So I learned and I could defend the position.
“I knew that he could follow me for 3-4 laps. But I knew also t🃏hat if I can keep that pace until the end, for sure it was more difficult for him ☂and tenth by tenth he was losing.”
Bautista went on to win by 2.650s.
Team-mate Michael Rinaldi was ruled out of the Race 2 restart after being caught up in the aftermath o꧒f Tom Sykes' opening lap highside.
“It has been a really unlucky weekend where something important always happened in the early laps. Today’s accident was really bad. I only remember finding myself on the ground with a lot of pain in my ankle. Fortunately, the initial analysis ruled out fractures. I wish a speedy recovery to Sykes, who was at the medical center wi🅺th me.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Vaꦜlentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
