WorldSBK: Alvaro Bautista has been crowned the 2023 Champion

Alvaro Bautista has been crowned the 2023 WorldSBK Champion.

Alvaro Bautista has been crowned the 2023 WorldSBK Champion for the second consecutive season. The Spaniard took the title in Race One in Spain at Jerez during the final round of the season.

Bautista had a 60-point gap heading into the final round of the season with 62 points up for grabs. Toprak Razgatlioglu was the closest rider behind who will switch to BMW for next season.

Heading into this weekend Bautista took 28 podiums across the 33 races this season, proving his dominance. Included in those 28 podiums were 24 race wins allowing Bautista to acclimated over 550 points.

The final round of the season was meant to be held at the San Juan Villicum circuit in the middle of October. This round was cancelled, and the final round was moved to Jerez, with the paddock returning to race in Jerez for the first time since 2021.

Alvaro Bautista will celebrate winning the WorldSBK Championship with a wildcard in MotoGP. Bautista will join the MotoGP grid for the 18^th round in Malaysia with the Aruba.it Ducati team. The 38-year-old has previously tested the bike at Misano and will be his first Grand Prix since 2018.

Bautista has also signed a one-year contract extension in WorldSBK for Ducati and will enter his fifth year racing for the Italian brand.

It has been a great season for Ducati with Nicolo Bulega winning the WorldSSP Championship with the factory squad. Bulega will make the jump from Supersport to Superbike next season as Bautista’s teammate.

Bautista said: “It was an unforgettable year also because we managed to win by beating the competition of strong riders like Toprak and Johnny. Defending a title is always very difficult and for this reason, I am really proud of what we have done this season.

“I chose at the beginning of the year to put the number one on the bike to make this challenge even more exciting. I want to thank the whole team for the extraordinary work that has allowed me to have a fantastic feeling with the Panigale V4R. My goal was to have fun and I had a great time.

“Thanks of course to Aruba.it and Ducati for believing in me. To win here, in front of my family and so many fans was an immense joy. Next season we have an even tougher challenge ahead of us, also because of the new rules regarding weight balance.

“But now it’s time to celebrate, even if only for a few hours, because tomorrow there are two more races and I want to continue to… have fun”.

Image credit: Ducati Media