back in the groove for the Sprint Race and Race Two on Sunday where he scored two very emphatic second place finishes. Ending his first season on a Ducati in second place in the championship, albeit a long way behind Bulega, highlighted a talent which had been hidden to many by the struggles he’ d had on the Honda in previous seasons.
MAGNIFICENT BAUTISTA It had seemed likely this would be the final appearance in the series for two-times WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista. For much of the season, Bautista, on the Barni Spark Racing Ducati, hadn’ t been in great form but we got to see a little of the Bautista of old at Jerez. He narrowly missed out on podium glory but demonstrated he’ s still a force to be reckoned with even though his bikes still have to carry the weight penalty that was intended to rein in his dominance after his 2023 series win. Bautista has, with some justification, challenged the validity of that weight penalty still being applied. Qualifying has long been an issue for Bautista, but he managed to park himself on the third row of the grid and converted that into two
26 KIWI RIDER