Ducati “now understand” why Bautista makes the difference after MotoGP test

Bautista completed a two-day private MotoGP test on Tuesday and Wednesday at Misano, as part of his reward for winning the 2022 WorldSBK title.

And after a positive opening day, Ducati were even happier with the reigning Superbike champion’s performance on day-two, as he set a mid 1m 32s lap time. 

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"To be honest, it’s been a really good test because Alvaro did a really good job," said Aruba.it Ducati Team Manager Serafino Foti, when speaking to WorldSBK.com. "He was quite fast. I’m surprised. 

"He actually got the feeling really quickly. This surprised me. It’s not easy to jump to MotoGP from WorldSBK and get this feeling. 

"Now I understand why he makes the difference in World Superbike. From my point of view, he’s on another level. 

"We were impressed for the performance and the approach. Now I understand really well. Of course, we have a good bike, but he makes the difference."

Bautista’s current WorldSBK teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who is a local resident in the Rimini region of Italy, also came to the circuit to see the Spaniard in action.

Rinaldi’s takeaway was that Bautista could return to MotoGP and be very competitive, even though that’s not a move that will happen after Bautista extended his Ducati WorldSBK contract until the end of 2024.

Rinaldi added: "I live close to here so I came to watch him and to understand his work and the difference between MotoGP and WorldSBK and how he adapted. 

"Actually, I’m quite impressed because he went very well. I would like to see him racing in MotoGP because we can understand the level of WorldSBK. 

"I think Alvaro, in this moment, is the best Alvaro of his career. He can be pretty strong also in MotoGP."