Former MotoGP star Alvaro Bautista left Estoril disappointed with the WorldSBK results achieved and believes the Fireblade still has a lot of untapped potential.
After having his Superpole lap cancelled under the yellow flag rules, Bautista mustered just 17 points from three races in Portugal while team-mate Leon Haslam had an even worse weekend.
“The last race weekend left us with mixed feelings, a tough Friday followed by improved performance and confidence throughout the weekend, despite the extra challenge of having our qualifying time cancelled on Saturday,” said Bautista.
“Still, we feel we left some of our potential untapped there and are looking forward to improving this weekend. We approach Misano with a strong mentality and will work to find the feeling that we had at Aragón.
“Our main target is to have a bike that is well balanced to suit all conditions and every track. I’m so happy to return to Misano after missing it last season.
“It’s a track that I really enjoy, and it’s definitely very different to both Aragón and Estoril so we will try to find a good set-up with the electronics, the chassis and everything in order to get closer to the front.
“One thing that makes me really happy is that we will finally have some fans back in the grandstands. A limited number, sure, but it’s a first step and one we have been looking forward during this long closed-door period.”
