Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was a milestone hitting affair for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) as he claimed his 100^th podium after finishing second behind Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The reigning Championship had a terrible start as he dropped as low as 13^th on the opening lap from sixth on the grid but fought his way into podium contention at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

Bautista started Race 1 for the Pirelli Portuguese Round from the second row and initially got away well, but he fell back down the order at Turn 1 as he dropped to 13^th, and it looked like his podium or victory chance was over. However, he picked off his rivals quickly, climbing into the top ten by the end of Lap 3 and was fourth by the end of Lap 11 when the second half of the race started heating up. He was soon ahead of the podium-chasing Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in third before setting his sights on Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team).

The pair fought hard over the final few laps before the #1 got the better of his rival. Petrucci forced Bautista to the outside of Turn 1 on Lap 18 as he tried to keep second, but the Spaniard was able to cut back through Turn 2 to gain the position. Despite the #9’s best efforts shortly after he was demoted, Bautista held on to claim his 100^th WorldSBK podium, becoming only the seventh rider to hit the milestone.

Reacting to his race and the start, Bautista said: “I got my 100^th podium giving, in every single lap, my 100%! I had a really, really bad start. I think it was one of the worst starts of my life. I lost a lot of positions and had to recover. In the beginning, I never thought about getting to the front guys because there were a lot of riders in front of me. I felt good on the bike. The feeling was very similar to last year. Today, track conditions were difficult; it was hotter. I could push hard. I tried to not give up and do my best. I went rider by rider. I saw the leaders a bit closer every time so, in one moment, I thought maybe the podium isn’t too far away. When I got to the leaders, I thought the victory was close, but the energy was less than 20%! I could pass Petrucci but to catch Toprak was difficult because, in the Petrucci fight, I went a bit wide in one corner and I lost a lot in sector two. I’m happy with my performance, unhappy with the start, but the good thing is the feeling with the bike is coming again like last year.”

Bautista was asked about what his 100^th podium meant to him after the end of the day’s action concluded, with the Spaniard given a chance to reflect on his achievement. Only Carl Fogarty, Tom Sykes, Noriyuki Haga, Troy Corser, Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) have more than the double champion; he’s only nine podiums behind Fogarty to move into the top six of all-time podium finishers.

Discussing his most special podium, Bautista said: “I think all podiums are very special. Maybe the first one, the first victory in Australia in 2019 was very special because it was my first race in WorldSBK, coming after many years in MotoGP™. Everything was new for me, and I could do a hat-trick so it was special. But every podium, every victory, is special for any reason but I think the first one is always the most special.”

Can Bautista go one step further on Sunday and claim victory? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!