Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) returned to MotoGP™ machinery during a two-day test at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with the Ducati Desmosedici GP machine. Sharing the bike with Ducati’s test rider, Michele Pirro, Bautista was on track during the first half of Day 1 for his first MotoGP™ action since 2018 as he tested the machine that currently leads the Manufacturers’, Teams’ and Riders’ Championships in the MotoGP™ paddock.

Bautista’s first time on track lasted from 09:00 Local Time until 13:00 as he got four hours on the Desmosedici GP during the first part of the day to get re-accustomed to the MotoGP™ machine after four seasons away from the Grand Prix paddock. During this time, the reigning WorldSBK Champion completed numerous stints.

Bautista completed around 60 laps across Day 1 as sunny weather greeted the reigning World Superbike Champion. Bautista revealed his goals for the test ahead of action beginning as he declared that his feeling on the bike and having fun would be the most important thing while on the Desmosedici GP machine, but the distance he completed equated to more than two full-race distances in MotoGP™ during his first half-day on the MotoGP™ machine.

His first three stints were nine laps, not including his in and out laps, as he searched for a good feeling on the bike. His fourth stint was a bit shorter than the first three, lasting only 13 minutes, but he was back out on track 15 minutes after returning to the box. The next stint was a 12-lap run for Bautista which concluded just before 13:00 Local Time (GMT+2).

Reflecting on Day 1, Bautista said: “I don’t have in my mind anything because, in the end, in my whole career, this is my first time having a real test with a factory MotoGP™ bike and team. This is something amazing. I’ve never had this chance in my life. I raced at Phillip Island five years ago, but it was like ‘you race this weekend’, so I didn’t prepare for that. I’m so happy to ride this bike again. The feeling from the first lap was really good. I understood the bike very well. I’m having a lot of fun.

“The adaptation is going really well, maybe better than I expected. My last time was in 2018 and now the bikes are very, very different. I didn’t really have a fresh memory from that time but, even if I had, the bike now is completely different especially on the aerodynamic side. After many years in WorldSBK, it felt even more different because the bike is stiffer, the tyres are stiffer, and everything is different. I expected a worse adaptation but, from the first few laps, I started to feel good on the bike and understood how to ride this bike.”

Speaking after Bautista’s morning concluded, Ducati Corse Technical Director Marco Zambenedetti said: “His feelings are different, of course, especially the engine is different and the tyres. I’ve seen a very fast adaptation to the different tyres and the bike. His lap times have been positive after just a couple of runs. He’s really fast. Honestly, I’m curious to see where he wants to go in these two days!”

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