Round 09 #CATALANWorldSbk COMBINED FREE PRACTICES
September 17, 2021
Round 09 #CATALANWorldSbk SUPERPOLE & RACE 2
September 19, 2021
| Today’s opening WorldSBK race at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit saw Team HRC rider Alvaro Bautista ninth in what was a wet and action-packed race. After making some final set-up adjustments during the third practice session, the Team HRC rider headed out for the Tissot Superpole, which ran in dry conditions. It all came down to the final frenetic two minutes of the session, during which almost every rider set their quickest lap times. Struggling with the rear grip, Bautista set a fastest time of 1’42.055 in the final stages to place sixteenth. The weekend’s first 20-lap race got underway at 3:15pm local time in full wet conditions. Bautista got off the line well and was in fourteenth place through the first laps before progressing to eleventh by lap six. Placing tenth by the mid-race point, he made up one position in the latter stages to cross the line ninth. |
Alvaro Bautista #19
Race 1 P 9
“This morning’s track conditions were much better than yesterday and we were able to lap faster in the final free practice session, but then in qualifying we really struggled. The rear tyre was spinning a lot and I didn’t have any grip, which meant I couldn’t make a really good lap, so we started very far back in Race 1. The first part of the race was difficult, as the rear tyre was still spinning a lot. I changed mapping and started to feel better, especially with the engine brake and traction control. As a result, I started to gain some confidence and increase my pace and, from the middle of the race onwards, I was able to race with similar pace to the front group. We made up a few positions, after which the gap was too big. We have collated a lot of information anyway, so let’s see what kind of weather we will have tomorrow and if we can use today’s experience to get a better result”.
