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Alvaro Bautista made his dream of returning to a MotoGP bike come true, as he completed his first laps astride the Ducati GP23 this morning. It was the Spaniard's first contact with a Desmosedici, after the two seasons in MotoGP in 2017 and 2018. Alvaro's last two years in the MotoGP world championship before moving to World SBK, where he was crowned 2022 World Champion, with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer.
“I am very happy to have ridden one of these bikes again. The difference between a MotoGP and a SBK is striking in virtually every area, from acceleration to braking, through power, aerodynamics and gearboxes. The differences are incredible, but I'm very happy because the feeling was good right from the first laps. I understood the bike very well and I'm having so much fun", said the Iberian after the first contact with the GP23.
An adaptation process that turned out to be simpler than expected for Alvaro, who completed the first stint of this two-day prize test organized by Ducati on the Misano track, to celebrate the title conquered last year in SBK.
“Adaptation to the bike is going very well, maybe even better than I expected. The last time I rode it was in 2018 and the bikes are very different now, so I didn't have any fresh memories to draw on and in any case the bike would have been different, especially from an aerodynamic point of view - explained the 38-year-old - After several years in the Superbike World Championship, the differences seemed even greater to me, because the bike is stiffer, as are the tyres. Even the brakes and the power, it's all different. To be honest, I would have expected a worse adaptation, but I felt good from the first laps, I immediately understood how to ride the bike, and everything is going very well".
Although the feeling was great since the very first exits, the Aruba.it Racing team rider aims to get back on track this afternoon, to further improve his comfort astride the Desmosedici.
“Today I'll do just another couple of laps if there's time left, because Michele Pirro has things to test for the Ducati. I would like to be able to improve my position on the bike, from an ergonomic point of view, because now it is a bit too big for me, especially as regards the seat and the tank - commented Alvaro - We also have some elements to test, if we have enough time, to figure out whether to continue using them tomorrow. Basically, we will focus on my position on the seat, to make the bike easier to ride".
No lap time to aim for, for the Spanish rider, whose target is to have fun with a MotoGP bike, something he hasn't done for some time now.
"Our goal is to have fun and understand these new MotoGP bikes, we have no time and no time attack planned - he pointed out - We have no reason to take risks, because this is a prize for last season and my main goal is Donington, in a week and a half. Now I just want to have fun, without taking risks."
Just a test therefore for the SBK champion, who doesn't want to think about possible wild cards for the moment.
“I have nothing in mind. This is the first time in my entire career that I've done a real test with an official bike from a factory team and it's something incredible for me - commented Bautista - I've never had such an opportunity in my entire life. I raced at Phillip Island five years ago, but I didn’t prepare for that, while I feel this test is very important, because Ducati is doing its utmost to make me enjoy the bike. The next thing I think about is having fun tomorrow. I expect nothing more from this test. My goal is to keep my feeling with my Panigale V4 and try to enjoy these two days. I have nothing else in mind."
