Alvaro Bautista: “We tried different setups but it didn’t work, I crashed”

Alvaro Bautista finished the opening day of WorldSBK testing in Misano third, as Toprak Razgatlioglu ended fastest for BMW.

A new unofficial lap record was set by the BMW rider, but it was Bautista who led for much of the day.

What was a positive day in terms of lap time was not entirely the case when it came to the two-time Superbike champion’s feeling on the bike.

Many setups were tried by Bautista and Ducati, with the Spaniard confirming that their weaknesses came to the fore.

Speaking after the opening day, Bautista said: “I’m happy because we did some tests that we wanted to do here. One of them was with engine behaviour.

“From this year, I didn’t feel the same as last year with the management of the gas, traction or the force I put on the tyres; for me, it’s something different from last year.

“In the winter tests, we couldn’t try as I wasn’t at my best. In the first few rounds, we were more focused on setup.

“Here, we had the chance to try. Fortunately, I was correct in my feeling, and we found we needed to work in this area, especially the first part of the throttle.

“For me, it felt like too much power and more than last year; technically, it was similar but here we adjusted the electronics, and I improved my feeling and the way I can ride the bike.

“We tried different setups on the bike, but it didn’t work; in fact, I crashed at the last corner. We were trying a bit of an extreme setup.

“I tried to force it and find the limit, and I found the limit very quickly. But I’m happy because we tested and we saw basically all our weak points and not good points.

“In that area it is good to know that. In general I’m happy with the feeling I found.”

Nicolo Bulega still searching for early form

Second fastest and less than a tenth down on Razgatlioglu was the impressive Superbike rookie.

But Bulega confirmed he still doesn’t feel as good as the early stages of this season.

Bulega added: “I’m happy but we have to work because my feeling is still not at 100% like at the beginning of the season.

“Step by step, I’m getting better. The feeling at Cremona wasn’t so good but here, today, we improved a lot.

“We got almost to my 100%. I think we still have to work because I’m not there yet, and I’d like to do something different on my bike when I’m riding.

“I don’t have the perfect feeling at the front and I’m still missing something when I’m releasing the brake with angle.”