Honda’s Alvaro Bautista challenged for the WorldSBK podium once again at Jerez after a strong fight in the afternoon’s second race.

Not that long ago one Honda podium in 2021 was an impossible dream, never mind two. The first came in the short 10-lap sprint race in Barcelona last week, the second and more significant one came in hot conditions in a full race two at Jerez.

Bautista knew that the podium in race two was significant, if still shadowed by the tragic events of Saturday. “The difference is this time was in a long race,” he said afterwards. “It wasn’t a short race. First of all, today was a bit more difficult to be focused after yesterday. It’s not easy. Sometimes even if we are professionals, it’s not easy to be focused. So, I tried especially in the warmup. I was like… but then I start to ride the bike. I tried to be focused on the bike. I start to forget, to keep aside all the thoughts.

“In race one, I did a good start, but like always the first laps are crucial for me, for Honda, because it seems like we cannot use all the performance of the tyres. So, I lose some distance every time. Then I start to recover. In the morning, the grip of the track was quite good, and the bike became very aggressive to ride, especially all the laps. I fight a lot with the bike, with a lot of movement. So, sincerely, physically I’m tired a little bit in the morning. Some arm pain and also breathing, because I was fighting every time with the bike. It was really hard. Then in the afternoon I thought, ‘oh, shit, now it’s hotter. It’s going to be worse. After this morning’s race, and now hotter, it will be a disaster’. So, I just tried to keep the energy for all the race. But from the beginning, I felt that the bike was more smooth, more easy to ride with a bit less of grip because it’s less aggressive. Maybe the lap time was slower, like everybody, but for riding was a bit more easy.”

And there were not major changes between the two races?

“No, no, no. We had a bit more power in some places, but we didn’t change setup. Then again, first laps were crucial for us. I lost some gap. Then mid-race I was riding with a good pace. I saw the front riders. I didn’t lose some distance. Even some laps I catch them. I saw the rider in front of me coming to me. So, I felt like I had one or two-tenths more than the others, and tried to pass them and just keep my rhythm. I did. At the end, I fought with some riders. I was very close to crashing in a couple of corners because with this bike, a strong point is the braking, where I can catch them. So, I just braked harder and harder and harder to catch them, and I was nearly to crash a couple of times but I was lucky and I didn’t crash. At the end, another podium. Happy because I felt much, much better than this morning’s race, even if the track was worse and the times were slower, but compared to the others, I felt quite good.

“Maybe, maybe the Honda is maxed out now, for what it is right now”, said Alvaro.

“I think now we are in the top of our performance with the bike. More than this, it’s difficult. The good thing is that as I said in Barcelona, in a few races ago, we just work in the small details. We don’t make a big change on the bike, and at least we arrive track-to-track with the same base bike. So, it’s easier to get the reference and easier to work because more or less the bike now is working more similar in all the circumstances. So, I think for that, we increase a little bit the performance, but because there are a lot of riders fighting for podium, for victory, you see the result from seventh to third is too much, but at the end it’s one, two-tenths per lap, not more. So at the end, everything you can gain, you can see more clear on the positions.”

Bautista had a crash in testing recently, and another big one on the fast rights that lead into the final hairpin on Friday, but all part of the game to Alvaro. “Friday I did a big crash on turn 11, so it’s what I said. The crashes are part of the game, and for me it’s not more special to make a good result after a crash. For me, it’s our work. The important thing is to know why you crashed. If you understand why you crashed, then easy because the only thing you have to do is not to repeat.”

Bautista is leaving Honda soon to go back to Ducati, and he said of the cheeky question of who will miss the abilities of the other one more, him or Honda.

“I don’t know.”

The follow-up question was a reminder that Bautista is a strong force again. The answer was, “Yeah. I’m very strong, but two years ago for example, I was stronger. I don’t want to say nothing. We are working. We are improving. I start with Honda the project and we are on the way. We are doing exactly the same if continue or not continue. So, this is life.”