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 proved he isn’t thinking about🐼 the championship - despite just two defeats in the 18 races.
Bautista began the last lap in a safe thi🐓rd behind Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Reღa but threw caution to the wind by outbraking Rea for second into the Fogarty Esses.
“I had the 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!” Bauti🥂sta 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 the last lap.
“I saw Jona☂than 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 chance if I wanted to gain a position.
“I did it in the Foggy Esses. It was a goꦗod mov♐e 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 Championship. 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 an♔d I did it. I never said, ‘OK, relax’, just keep the position for the championship. That was not my mindset.”
Likewise, Bautista claimed 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 thing is to enjoy the bike, the present. That's for me, the import𝓰a𝓀nt thing.”
“Toprak passed me back but the next lap I learned”
Race 2 saw another early tussle between the trio of world champions, b🉐efore Razgatlioglu and Bautista pull👍ed clear.
Bautista was clearly the faster of the two, which made Razgatlioglu even more determined not to allow the Du✃cati rider into the lead.
“Toprak in the beginning was faster than me, but aftꦿer a few laps when the tyre was warm anꦬd I could push in the normal way I had some tenths faster than him,” Bautista confirmed.
“I♋ tried to pass, but he tried to stay in front of me, in all the ways.”
Bautista finally fou𓄧nd a way past into Redgate, turn 1, with ten laps remaining. But his reign lasted just a couple of corners before Razgatlioglu sent his R1 up the inside into the Old Hairpin.
“He passed me but the next💮 lap I learned and did a bit faster the downhill and entered [the Old Hairpin] more inside. So I learned and I could defend the position꧙.
“I knew that he could follow me f𒉰or 3-4 laps. But I knew also that 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 M𒅌ichael Rinaldi was ruled out of the Race 2 restart after being caught up in the af🌌termath of Tom Sykes' opening lap highside.
“It has been a really unlucky weekend where something important always happened in the early laps. Today’s acওcident was really bad. I only remember finding myself on the ground with a lot of pain in my ankle. Fortuna🗹tely, the initial analysis ruled out fractures. I wish a speedy recovery to Sykes, who was at the medical center with me.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront 🌱of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
