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The 2022 title fight in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was a thrilling affair with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claiming the title with a round to spare. A recently released 40-minute documentary, called The Return, detailed Bautista’s title success last year with a look at key parts of his Championship win and behind the scenes aspects. Some of these include his preparations, both mental and physical, which were a key part of Bautista’s success last year.

Bautista first came into WorldSBK in 2019 and made an immediate impact on the Championship by winning his first 11 races although he was unable to claim the title. Two years at Honda followed before a return to Ducati last year which culminated in Bautista winning the title. Following his 2019 campaign, Bautista changed his preparations to follow a similar process to Andrea Dovizioso from his MotoGP™ days, although with some changes.

The Return shows Bautista taking part in some meditation in Lombok, Indonesia, ahead of what proved to be the title-deciding round at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit with the Spanish rider clinching the title in Race 2 when he needed a podium finish to be crowned Champion. Discussing his mental preparations in The Return, Bautista said: “My mental training is very important. I started to pay more attention to this kind of training in the last couple of years, especially after 2019. I decided to work on my mentality because physically, honestly, I feel that I’m at my top.

“This meditation is not about relaxing, it’s not like you’re falling asleep. It’s about staying relaxed, but also awake, active, and with an empty mind, a focused mind. So, when you’re on track or in a race, when you don’t have this, you know your body, you know your feelings. You know on the bike if you’re there in the moment or if you’re thinking about something else, when you need to activate yourself because you’re half-asleep, or when you need to relax because you’re too tense. It’s a bit like the telemetry of the mind.”

The Return also details Bautista’s physical preparations and a routine that he has that involves going to the gym every day, a routine which he started several years ago, and he only gives himself a couple of days off a year. Expanding on his physical routine, Bautista said: “This is my daily routine. I began four years ago. I only rest on Christmas Day, because on Christmas Eve the family meets up for dinner and all that, so OK, I can rest that one. Then, New Year’s Day, same thing, because of New Year’s Eve dinner and that. And whenever I’m on flights. Because, even when I’m sick, I do it. People might say: “This guy’s mad”. But when I train, every day, it’s my moment to be focused.”

Bautista’s former teammate and now rider coach at Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, Chaz Davies, was full of praise for the work Bautista has done in recent years when working on his physical preparations. Davies said: “He puts in a lot of work to be in the physical condition he’s in. It’s not by genetics or by chance.”

Watch The Return in full NOW using the WorldSBK VideoPass!