Winning all three races at his employer’s home circuit was an achievement enough for reigning champion Alvaro Bautista but in taking 14 victories from 15 starts this season he set a new record for the beginning of any WorldSBK campaign.

He was happy with that, but happier to have turned in the hard work required to give him the opportunity to do it, and then completing what he knows is possible on his V4R Panigale.

“Yes, a new record,” said Bautista. “It’s always good, but for me the important thing is that I feel that I can do everything with my bike. The feeling is fantastic. So at the end, the result is a consequence from the work, from the feeling, from the confidence, so I’m so happy that we achieved this milestone but important is how we achieved it. I feel solid. I feel confident. So this is important to keep this way of feeling. 

After a messy start to the final race, he disposed of Razgatlioglu and Rinaldi and then won again by a clear margin. 

“I was quite calm because I knew that I had a good pace. Today the track conditions were similar to yesterday, so I knew how much I could push. After the first two laps, I felt I have more and I tried just to keep my pace, but just to push to the maximum to take some advantage. 

“Just put my best and don’t have any rider in front to have to change line or different riding style. So, for sure, every time I can do that it’s better for me because at the end, with my bike the setup is made in the practice to have a pace. 

“Sometimes if I try to go slower or change a little bit some corners, it’s worse because the bike doesn’t make the stroke (does not make the suspnsion stroke extend or compress enough) and the electronic system is working differently. So you have to be very precise with the setup of the bike because otherwise, it’s like a disaster.” 

The second and final long race fo the weekend was not the only full pointer Bautista scored, and in some ways he was lucky in when he decided to re-pass Toprak Razgatlioglu in their personal battle that ended when a red flag was thrown.

“It was a good point,” said Bautista, speaking about where he passed Razgatlioglu, not when. “Last year I passed him as well there, or Jonathan, I can’t remember. But this year was more close. I was more less close to him, but for me it was a good point because I did a good exit from the corner before and I can carry good speed.”

“I was lucky in a sense. Not lucky because I was using SCX tyre (all others were on the SCQ) so I think the good of the tyre was coming three, two laps to go. So in that moment, I passed him because I tried to push because I did a couple laps before, but he stayed. 

“Then I said, okay, let’s try again two laps later, and in that moment my intention was try to don’t make mistake and try to do all perfect to make a good lap time and try to use the benefit of the X tyre.”

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