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Alvaro Bautista opposed to team orders in Ducati WorldSBK title hunt | World Superbikes
Alvaro Bautista has publicly opposed the idea of Ducati implementing team orders in this year’s WorldSBK title fight.
Both Bautista and his factory Ducati teammate, Nicolo Bulega, are in mathematical title contention ahead of this weekend’s Italian Round.
With four rounds, and therefore 248 points, remaining, Bautista lies 122 points behind championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu — who missed all three races at the previous round in France through injury, and who will also miss this weekend’s race at Cremona — while Bulega is 55 points back of the BMW rider.
Mathematically, Bulega is clearly Ducati’s better chance at the title, and he has more race wins — three to Bautista’s two — but, for Bautista, his own mathematical possibility of the title means that he is unwilling to actively assist Bulega in the rookie’s title ambition, even if he thinks that his own chances are slim.
“This weekend, especially for Nicolo [Bulega], is very important because if he can have a good weekend, he can take the championship lead,” Bautista told WorldSBK.com ahead of the Italian Round at Cremona.
“Normally, I agree with team orders in the case where one rider doesn’t have a chance to win the title. At the moment, both riders have a chance to win the title.
“I don’t want to help him or him to help me because we are fighting for the same thing and both riders have the chance to win it.
“In my mind, there is not the chance to fight for the championship. First of all, I want to check my physical condition riding the bike and I’ll try to go from less to more this weekend.”
Bautista’s physical condition is a question mark since his Superpole Race crash at Magny-Cours, where he fractured a rib. Passed fit to ride in FP1, Bautista still requires a further assessment after the opening practice to confirm his ability to continue competing in the weekend from FP2 onwards.
“It’s very soon to be normal because it’s almost 10 days since I crash at Magny-Cours,” Bautista said.
“I worked really hard at home, doing a lot of therapy and I did the maximum I can do. I feel good to have a ‘normal’ life, but riding a bike is a different story.
“I had the check this morning and the doctor said ‘okay’ for FP1, then I have to see my condition.”
