The two-time WorldSBK champion looked poised to win Race but before Alex Lowes swept around the outside of Alva💖ro Bautista at turn nine.

A bold m𝓀ove, Lowes held on across the line as Bautista𝕴 had to settle for second. 

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But given the dramas of Race 1, Bautista🐼’s podium finish and P4 in the Superpole Race has moved him up to fifth in the standings.

“I’m happy,” began Bautista. “Not only for the second place which I think was the maximum I could achieve tod💙ay, because it was a really tricky race with the red flag.

“I managed the situation very well and tried to pus𓆏h as much as I could at the end of the race, but I had some tyre problems in the last three laps.

“It was difficult to enter the corners, to l𒈔ean and to open the gas. But my fe💃eling with the bike improved with every session and that was my target coming here.”

Bautista was closed down by Lowes and Andrea Locatꦇelli during the closing stageꦚs and admitted he didn’t foresee a tyre issue coming his way.

“I didn’t expect to have the problem I had. It was really difficulไt to lean and to go fast in the corners. 

“I didn’t know which rider was behind mꦫe but I expected him to not pass me easily. In that corner especially not, I expected easier ones than that one but in the left corners I was not fast anymore because of the rear.

ꦏ“I tried to be fast in the last corner but it was on the left. He did a really good race and fought to the end.”

Up next for Bautista will be a trip to his h😼ome round in Barcelona, a circuit he has dominated during his time in WorldSBK.

Bautista will also test at the Catalan circuit🦄 prior to the𝓰 race weekend as he looks to improve his feeling with the Panigale V4 R.

Ba🅰utista added: “The test will be another chance to work on myself and the bike and to get more confidence.

“Our target𒉰 is that and then, if I feel good with the bike we can try something with the seꦐt-up.”