In winning both Sunday WorldSBK races at Aragon, Alvaro Bautista and his Aruba Ducati V4R scored nine victories in nine attempts.

When asked the simple question ‘nine?’ his reply was audio-visual.

“Nine, yes, nine,” he said, grinning and pointing to a tattoo on the knuckles of his right hand which reads nine.

The Spanish rider, perfect in all ways at Motorland with lap record and Superpole win in his locker, confirmed that his straight forward early gapping of his opponents is his one and only strategy right now.

“It is the easiest thing you can do - but it is not easy,” said Bautista of his early race attacks. “If you see the lap times are very fast and we are faster than in the past.

We are breaking all the records so that means that the level of the category is higher than in other seasons. But I have a feeling with the bike that we are one and I can do everything. It is not a boring race for the victory that you can see on TV. The feeling is amazing.”

Bautista, like most people, expected someone to be closer in the ten-lap Motorland race. “Me too, me too,” he said, slightly serious for a minute. “Especially with the conditions this morning as it was quite cold and quite windy.

"I hoped for a more close battle, a closer race. But I pushed really hard from the first lap and got some advantage. In the afternoon I expected maybe more advantage in the slightly warmer conditions than the morning. We are more competitive in those conditions; I do not know why. My weight, or what, but in hot conditions we can be more consistent than in the cold.”

Amazingly there were fewer spectators at Motorland Aragon this year than last year, despite it being a largely dry event and having a dominant Bautista - and the reigning WorldSSP300 rider Ana Carrasco - to cheer on up front. There should have been more people, even though Aragon is far from anywhere - except Aragon.

Bautista does not know why either. “The expectation was there but I have never been here before for a WorldSBK race. I do not know what to say.”

Given how he ended his MotoGP career, and how dominant he has been on a neo-MotoGP Ducati in WorldSBK, Bautista was asked if he thinks MotoGP regrets not having a rider like him any longer.

“What to say,” said Bautista. “I feel that there I had a good level I just needed a good bike with a good team.

That was my feeling. I know that if I had the chance to work for a big factory in the MotoGP category I feel that I have the potential for fighting for the top.

"Now it is easy to say, because I never had the chance, and it is easy to say what you want, but it is my inside feeling. Now I have the chance to show the people my potential in another category but you see the difference. You do not win for a small distance. I win for a big advantage and that means for me that my level is a bit higher. Maybe because the bike and me together are higher than the others.”

Bautista went on to confirm that if he ever got the chance to go back in MotoGP it would only be for a factory team.