Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider coach Chaz Davies hails Alvaro Bautista’s 2022 title efforts
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) may have a 31-point advantage over six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), but it’s not been as easy it has looked at times. Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s rider coach and ex-WorldSBK runner-up Chaz Davies opened up about Bautista’s season, and how Davies believes he can influence the Spaniard.
Talking about Bautista’s most recent victory at Most in Race 1 and about his ability in general to come good in race trim, Davies explained that race 1 was a bit unexpected: “I know Alvaro and one of his qualities, amongst many, is that he is so good at just taking another thousandth of a second away one lap, to the next lap, to the next lap, and building up his rhythm and his confidence in the smallest steps.” Chaz Davies said.
“I wasn’t sure about race 1, I thought it could be a race t consolidate a few points and just keep the head above water. Once again, I think Alvaro’s surprised a lot of people in the garage with the way he’s able to build his rhythm through the race and, I think, ride around problems. A lot of people probably watched that and think everything is perfect for him, but he’s managing a lot.”
Davies explained further that a standout strength of Bautista’s is understanding where he can and can’t push in the races and taking on a calm approach so far this season.
“He’s taking his time to understand, then riding it to his feeling. His feeling is obviously at such a good level with this bike at the moment. It’s just a pleasure to watch at the minute and it’s really exciting to watch the garage as well, to be a part of it. We’ll stay focused and keep making small steps and keep Alvaro in the same confident position that he currently is. He looks like he’s enjoying the bike and we try to keep it like that.” Davies said.
