Delighted Alvaro Bautista after Catalunya test: “I feel like I’m back again!”
Nicolo Bulega (P1) 🦹and Alvaro Ba♒utista (P3) react to Thursday's WSBK test
The Catalunya 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:WorldSBK test might eventually be remembered as the moment 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Alvaro Bautista’s title defence truly began.
Bautista has endured an inꦡjury-disrupted winter ahead of the 2024 season which fe🀅atures new weight rules.
But on Thursday, the first of two days of testing at t✱he Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Bautista went third-fastest and emerged with a feeling of delight.
Bautista was second-quickest until a late surge from Toprak Razgatlioglu, but still completed 100 laps with a best 🧸time of 1’41.029s.
He confirmed there areౠ no lingering feelings from his injury, and added: “Now, I am happy because I am feeling like I am back again.
“After the Australian Round, I was quit﷽e confident and, today, I started like a bit awkward but then I felt good on the bike.
“I can say I don’t have problems riding the bike.
“We didn’t make a lot of changes because, for me, it’s impor🌳tant to get the feeling with the bike.
“The bike is basicaཧlly the same as last year. A bit more weight but basically the bike didn’t change.
“It’s important to get the feeling, get used to the new weight of the bike and see in ✅which areas we can push more or le🍸ss.”
Nicolo Bulega fastest on Thursday in Barcelona
Bautista’s Ducati teamm✤ate Nicolo Bulega has toppౠed the timesheets at every WSBK test he has been involved in.
On Thursday he completed 72 laps wi🥂th a best time of 1’40.305s, 💛which arrived on his 67th lap.
He finished half-a-second clear of Razgatlioglu.
Bulega reacted: “It’s not a bad feeling to be P1!
“I know it🌄’s just a test, but it gives me a lot of confid𒉰ence to be P1 but also if I was P2; I’m fast, so it’s good.
“I used the SCQ, I think like every🤡body. 🙈I used it like Alvaro, Toprak and a lot of guys.
“I tried the new Pirelli C♏900 tyre, and I liked it; I think it can be a good choice for the round.
“All the tyres I tried today, I had a good feeling. We concentrated a lot on t♐he clutch because, in Au👍stralia, my three starts were bad.
“We tried something new on the c🧸lutch to start better. I improved a little bit, so I’m happy, but when you are in the races, it’s more difficult.”
E🌺very WSBK rider wi🅘ll also test on Friday in Barcelona.
James was a sports journalist at Sky𝔍 Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
