WorldSBK: Alvaro Bautista and Ducati continue their partnership into 2023

Alvaro Bautista and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati will continue their efforts together into next season. The factory Ducati World Superbike team have decided to extend Bautista’s contract for one more year.

After returning from Honda to Ducati Bautista has been in fine form. The Spaniard is the current Championship leader with six wins to his name this season. After making the switch to WorldSBK for the 2019 season Bautista has been a revelation for Ducati. In two seasons in Ducati red Bautista has won 19 races and taken 30 podiums for the Italian factory.

With a 36 point lead after four rounds it appears 2022 may go the way of the Spaniard. If Bautista can secure the title this year it will redeem his mistakes in 2019 which cost him the title. Ducati have also not won a World Superbike title since 2011 with Carlos Checa. It seems like the Bologna factory have full belief that Bautista is the man to secure Ducati’s 15th title.

Alvaro Bautista: “I am very happy to be able to continue at least one more year with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, which represents a family to me. I have always felt good with this team and since I have returned, the feelings have been even more positive than in the 2019 season. When something works so well, we can only keep working, looking ahead. I feel I am still at the top; I feel I can still give a lot. Physically and mentally, I think this is the best time of my career. I am also delighted to continue working with Ducati, a very important factory, tech-oriented, always looking for development. To be part of this project, of this team, is something incredible on a personal level.” 

Team Principal, Stefano Cecconi: “I have always believed in Alvaro from a sporting point of view, and we have always had a very good personal relationship even when our paths temporarily parted. When we decided to bet on him again last summer, some people called this move a very risky gamble, but there was a conviction on both sides that we were making the right choice: results so far confirm our decision and make us happy. This is also the reason why we are glad to continue our relationship with Alvaro for at least another year.

Today we want to make a small exception to the rule, and we toast his renewal; already from tomorrow, we are going back to work to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for the next races. The season is still long, and we know very well that we cannot afford to let our guard down.”

Ducati Corse’s General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna: “We are very happy to be able to continue together with Bautista in 2023. As in the 2019 WorldSBK season, this year, Alvaro has been immediately competitive with our bike, starting from the winter tests; he is now leading, not surprisingly, a wonderful season, fighting intelligently for the world title. He is a precise rider, easy to work with: his fantastic riding style is not only enjoyable to watch on TV, but above all, it is his key to fully exploiting the potential of our Panigale V4 R. We are convinced that together we can achieve many important goals.”

Hear our thoughts on this deal on ‘The Superbike Show’.

Images from worldsbk.com