Bautista and Abraham off to a good start with Aspar

The top Independent Team rider on Day 3 of the third and final preseason test at Losail International Circuit Pull&Bear Aspar’s Alvaro Bautista, and both Pull&Bear Aspar riders ended their preseason preparations in good form. Bautista’s Day 3 on the GP16 Ducati ended with a race simulation that included his best lap of the three days, a 1'54.714, as teammate Karel Abraham finished just a second off the top thanks to a best effort of 1'55.333 – on a GP15. The Czech rider was battling the effects of a cold, but he was still able to ride a tenth quicker than yesterday to conclude a satisfactory preseason that has seen him consistently in contention for top ten positions.

 Alvaro Bautista, P5: “I've ended tonight feeling very happy. After improving my feeling with the bike  yesterday we have found something else that gave us a little extra confidence and pace tonight. I lost a little time with the crash but we still had enough to complete our programme for this test. At the end we did a race simulation, which went well, and I felt very comfortable on the bike. My best lap over the three days came during the simulation, which is important and good for confidence. I am feeling more and more confident with our race potential and with the bike, I am very happy with how the team is working and the support we are getting from Ducati. Hopefully we can have the same feeling in a couple of weeks at the race.”

Karel Abraham, P13: “Physically it's been a really bad day for me because I seem to have picked up a cold or something so I have a sore throat and I cannot breathe through my nose. All day today I was frustrated, I was not in a good mood, but we tried to work. We did a couple of things with the electronics that seemed to work out but I wasn't myself on the track. Finally we put a soft tyre in and I managed to get behind Andrea Dovizioso to make a 1'55.333. I wanted to go a little bit faster but it's a good lap time. We can be happy with our day in general."