‘It seems nothing is broken’ - Bautista fights off injury for race two podium

After making his first mistake of the year during race one at Donington Park, the consequences for WorldSBK series leader Alvaro Bautista weren’t just lost points to Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu, but also a right hand injury that he managed to overcome in brilliant fashion in race two.

Robert Jones

19 Jul 2022

Alvaro Bautista, Ducati WorldSBK Donington Park

Covering his hand with a fairly large ice bag after race two, Bautista was at times the fastest rider on track after getting ahead of six-time WorldSBK champion Rea for second place, a position he kept until the end of the race.

The Ducati rider, who secured his lone podium of the weekend, did so despite feeling pain and a sensation of having ‘ants in my hand’.

"After the crash I did a check and it seems like nothing is broken but it was too big to see now. I have to re-check after two or three days," said Bautista.

"I hope to don’t have nothing [broken] but for sure, today (Sunday), I felt like I had ants in my hand. I don’t have a good sensitivity. In the short race I arrived to the limit, but in the long race I didn’t have the sensitivity after mid-race.

"In the last three laps I started to feel some pain. I took some anti-inflammatory [before the race] and maybe I forced a bit more."

Learning from mistakes is key - ‘I could show I was stronger than three years ago’ - Bautista

Keen to respond well after his crash and not show the likes of Razgatlioglu and Rea any weaknesses, Bautista’s ability to fight back from adversity could be the difference between him winning and losing the championship.

The former MotoGP rider believes he’s stronger, both physically and mentally than three years ago when his championship hopes disappeared in dramatic style after being unable to bounce back from mistakes.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista, Donington Park WorldSBK race2, 17 July — Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista, Donington Park…

Bautista added: "It was a pity to crash in race one but I’m happy it happened because today (Sunday) I could show I was stronger than three years ago, physically and mentally. I can re-set from the mistake and I can learn.

"I think everything happens for a reason and if yesterday it’s maybe to solve my stronger mind that I have now.

"This track is difficult for us and even today, to get more points than the second [placed rider] in the championship is really nice.

"The important thing is to learn from mistakes and today I learned. Especially in that corner [Goddards] I changed a little bit the line to do the corner because it is so bumpy. If you do it in a normal line you find all the bumps and all that asphalt breaks."

Bautista takes notes from six-time WorldSBK champion Rea

After crashing at one of the toughest corners on the WorldSBK calendar, part of Bautista’s ‘learning’ was to use his rivals' lines during the Sunday races.

Bautista continued: "Yesterday I saw Jonathan [Rea] doing a different line, not a natural line, but at the end - this morning I tried it and even though it’s not natural it was more effective because you have no bumps on the inside and then you don’t have to change the asphalt a couple of times because you are always on the same asphalt. At the end I learned and today I could be more safe."