As was the case with Toprak Razgatlioglu following his WorldSBK title success with Yamaha in 2021, Bautista’s reward for winning the 2022 title is an opp🧸ortunity to rideꦡ Ducati’s dominant MotoGP bike. 

Not only is the two-day test an opportunity to ride a MotoGP bike, ♌but Bautista’s performance could go a long way in determining whether👍 he’s awarded a wildcard later in the season. 

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Bautista is currently leadin🐎g the WorldSBK standings byꦏ 86 points over Razgatlioglu, thanks to his 14 wins from 15 races.

And if Bautista continues showing that type of form then a second world title could be secured well before the end of the year, making a wildcard appearance even mor💃e likely in MotoGP.

Speaking ahead of his test which begins today, Bautista told : "I feel so happy to ride a MotoGP bike again as it𓄧’s been a long time since I rode this kind of🌠 bike. 

"For sure, the excitement is there. At the same time,𝔍 I know it’s just a prize so it’s about taking it easy, building some references, some feeling with the♐ bike and that’s it. 

"I’ll try to have some fun riding the bike. In the end, I approach this test with the mentality that it’s a test. It’s not for anythin🍌g in the future.

"It’s to have some fun during the two-day test. I don’t want to take risks because we have three races in a row very soon, a♏nd that’s ꦍthe important thing. 

"This test is just to have fun. I don’t try to find the limit. I just go𒊎 there and take some references and feeling and have some fun."

With ‘fun’ being the main thing Bautista wants to😼 get out of the test, heading into it with a particular lap time in mind is therefore not something he’s looking to do.

"I don’t have any lap time in mind," added the Spaniard. "I’m going to make t💖he test just with my feeling without watching the lap times. That’s all. 

"There is no target with▨ lap times. The target is just to have fun, try to get a good feeling and understand the new MotoGP machinery with the aero packages and all the electronic items and everything that the bike has now compared to when I raced. That’s all. 

"After the test, there is nothing more. We have the test because it’s a prize for the World Championship we won last season. ꦍIt’s a prize. There is no other reason. 

"After the test, if we have a good feeling,♚ I will be happy. Otherwise, I will not be as happy as I expect to be!"