Bautista: ‘I gave everything’ with Razgatlioglu behind, easy to ‘make mistakes’

But that’s exactly what Bautista avoided doing as he went on to complete another dominant double in San Juan, while also extending his lead to 82 points in the WorldSBK standings.

The Ducati rider, who again had an alarming pace advantage on the back-straight throughout the weekend, was able to find considerable time in the sections of track that suited Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha which was key to getting the better of the Yamaha man.  

• Rea: ‘I had nothing, a real passenger’: SCX ‘tyre’ destroyed for Razgatlioglu 
• San Juan WorldSBK Race (2) Results: Bautista completes stunning double

Bautista’s two wins in San Juan mean he’s on the brink of winning his first WorldSBK title and Ducati’s first since 2011 - can be achieved next time out in Mandalika - however, Race Two was anything but comfortable for the former MotoGP rider.

"For sure today, it's been really tough in the race," said the Spaniard. "First of all, because it's the last race of the weekend, and you feel, physically, all the efforts from the weekend but also because today the track was more difficult than yesterday. 

"It was easier to make mistakes. I didn't start well and lost some positions. But at the same time, it was good because I let the other riders evaluate the situation before me. 

"Then I started to understand how much I could push, and I decided to recover the positions and take the lead because I felt that I could be faster than the others. I took the lead. 

"I saw Toprak was close to me. I didn't think about taking points, about the risks... just to do my best. I gave everything. 

"In the end, I could win some advantage and I could manage until the end. I'm so happy, today my performance was really good."

Rinaldi ‘smelled’ a podium chance before huge drop in pace

At the beginning of Race Two it appeared as though Michael Ruben Rinaldi had the pace to challenge after making a brilliant start.

The Ducati rider led after lap two thanks to a move on Jonathan Rea going into turn six, but after losing the lead to Bautista two laps later, the Italian was swamped by those behind as he dropped to fifth in an instant. 

Discussing his race, Rinaldi added: "Actually, I smelled the podium and you know, going home without the trophy is not what I wanted but if you see Friday, I can be satisfied with how we answered to a bad Friday. 

"We worked hard, we improved the bike, we improved the feeling, we improved the time, and we were able to lead some laps, which is not bad. 

"But to fight the top three guys, you must be at your 100% everywhere. Unfortunately, with the hot conditions, I was not comfortable riding because I couldn't stop the bike the way I wanted to. 

"Now we are so consistent in the race even if it's not going well, so we just need a small step, but I think that it's closer than you think."