Álvaro Bautista
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Álvaro Bautista Arce (born 21 November 1984) is a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
motorcycle road racer. He won the
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Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Champion ...
with the
Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A () is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna, Italy. History Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called ...
factory team. He was the 2006 125cc World Champion and runner-up in 250cc, and finished in the top six in
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
in and . He competed in the
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
class from 2010 to 2018. Bautista competed for the
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
team in his first two years after moving to the
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
class in . He moved to the
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
-equipped
Gresini Racing Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship under the name Gresini Racing MotoGP as a Ducati satellite team, in the Moto2 World Championship as Italjet Gresini Racing Moto2, ...
team in , and continued with the team using
Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle and Scooter (motorcycle), scooter manufacturer in Noale, Italy, founded by Alberto Beggio. History Early days Aprilia, named after the Pre-war automobile, pre-war Lancia Aprilia, was founded after the Seco ...
machinery when the factory returned to MotoGP for the season. Bautista then rode a
Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A () is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna, Italy. History Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called ...
with the Aspar (then
Ángel Nieto Ángel Nieto Roldán (25 January 1947 – 3 August 2017) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in the history of the sport, winning 13 World Championships and 90 Grand Prix ...
) MotoGP team in 2017 and 2018, before moving to the Superbike World Championship for 2019. After the 2019 World Superbike season with the factory Ducati team, for
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
and
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he was contracted to ride the
Honda Fireblade The Honda Fireblade is a family of Sport bike, sport motorcycles manufactured by Honda since 1992. The first model was designed by Tadao Baba. * Honda CBR900RR, CBR900RR, 1992–1995 ** CBR919RR, 1996–1999 ** CBR929RR, 2000–2001 ** CBR954RR, 20 ...
in World Superbikes, with the team being run under full HRC control.


Career


Early career

Born in
Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipalit ...
, Castile-La Mancha, Bautista rode a motorcycle for the first time at three years of age. His father owned a motorcycle repair shop and built his first bike from scratch; Bautista competed in his first race five years later. In only his second season he finished runner-up in the Madrid Minimoto Championship and then went on to win the championship three years in a row. In 1997 he simultaneously raced in the 50cc Aprilia Cup where he claimed his first podium, finishing the season in 6th place. Another year in the 50cc Aprilia Cup saw him taking two more podiums and ending the season in third place when
Alberto Puig Alberto Puig (born 16 January 1967) is a Spanish former Grand Prix solo motorcycle professional road racer who is team manager for the Honda HRC Castrol team in MotoGP. Motorcycle racing career Puig had his best year in 1994, when he finishe ...
chose him from over 4000 applicants for the now famous Movistar Activa Joven Cup in 1999. He finished his first year in 5th place, ahead of
Dani Pedrosa Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born 29 September 1985) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He is a ...
, earning him a second year in the Cup and a place as a back-up rider for the 125cc Spanish Championship. However, injury the following year set him back and despite taking one podium in the Movistar Cup, he only finished the season in ninth place. In 2001 he entered the 125cc Spanish Championship with Team Belart which folded halfway through the season due to financial reasons. But he was spotted by Manuel Morente who signed him up for the remaining races of the season and offered him a new team with iconic
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
sponsoring for the following year. In 2002, finally having official material at his disposal, Bautista fought with Hector Barbera for the 125cc Spanish Championship until the last race of the season at Valencia. He set pole-position, but only finished fifth after a crash, securing him the runner-up spot overall. The same year Bautista made his international debut in the
2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 54th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season. The season consisted of 16 races, beginning with the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix on 7 April 2002 and ending with the Valencian Communit ...
with the same team, running as a wildcard entry at Jerez, Catalunya and Valencia. He also competed in the 125cc European Championship where he scored a podium in
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
and a fourth place in Hungary.


125cc World Championship


2003

Bautista's connection with football was deepened in 2003 when former footballer
Clarence Seedorf Clarence Clyde Seedorf (; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch former professional Association football, football manager and player. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He is currently working primarily remotely as ...
signed him up for the newly found Seedorf Racing Team, to compete his first full season in the 125cc World Championship. He finished his debut year in 20th place overall with 31 points, his best finishes being a fourth place at Phillip Island and a sixth place at Valencia. The same year he was also crowned the 125cc Spanish Champion with two races to go and after an extremely dominant season, never being off the podium and scoring five consecutive pole-to-victory finishes.


2004

The Spaniard continued with Seedorf Racing in the 125cc World Championship for the 2004 season. He ended the year in seventh place overall after taking his first podium and fastest lap at
Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...
. He finished on the podium a total of four times, with a second place at Donington Park and thirds at Qatar, Malaysia and Valencia.


2005

With the main contenders leaving the class, Bautista started the 2005 season as one of the 125cc title favourites. However, a manufacturer switch from Aprilia to Honda, a different team structure, crashes and mechanical failures saw him struggle throughout a disappointing season which he finished in 15th place.


2006

After difficulties to get out of his contract with Seedorf Racing, Bautista joined the ranks of Jorge Martinez’ MVA Aspar Team only shortly before the start of the 2006 season. Already having a complete 125cc team with four riders before the signing of Bautista, Martinez still managed to provide another bike, mechanics and sponsors for the Talaverano who he had already tried to sign up two years earlier. The effort paid off handsomely as Bautista went on to take his first 125cc victory at the inaugural 2006 Grand Prix in Jerez, leading the race from start to finish. Another dominant win followed in
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
, making him the first 125cc rider in four years to win back-to-back races. His excellent form continued until the end of the year, leading the championship table with a great margin from start to finish and eventually becoming 125cc World Champion in Australia, three races before the end of the season. Along the way he took eight wins and broke numerous records, including the highest number of points in the class and most podium finishes in a single season. He stood on the rostrum in 14 out of 16 races. The only times he didn't finish on the podium, he finished in 4th place. Both in
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
and
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
he was leading the race before mechanical problems saw him drop down the field.


250cc World Championship


2007

For the
2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season consisted of 18 races for the MotoGP class and 17 for the 125cc and 250cc classes, beginning with the Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix ...
, Bautista continued with the
Aspar Team Aspar Team (formerly Ángel Nieto Team) is a Grand Prix motorcycle racing team from Spain, competing in the Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE World Championships. History The team was created by former world champion Jorge Martínez in 1992, when he was ...
, moving up to the 250cc class. He took his first 250cc victory at the 2007
Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...
at Mugello on 3 June, also claiming his maiden 250cc pole position that weekend. A second 250cc victory came in
Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...
on 16 September in the
Portuguese Grand Prix The Portuguese Grand Prix () is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a sportscar race, and the 1965 and 1 ...
, where – having started from sixth on the grid - he dropped to 12th during the first lap to carve his way through the field and eventually take an easy win. He finally ended the 2007 season fourth overall in the Championship and was subsequently awarded the MotoGP / FIM " Rookie of the Year" Award for the 250cc class.


2008

Having been tipped as the 2008 250cc champion, he finished 6th in the season opener in
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
. At
Jerez Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campi ...
he looked set to win before his engine gave out on the final lap causing
Marco Simoncelli Marco Simoncelli (; 20 January 198723 October 2011), nicknamed Sic (), was an Italian professional Motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He ...
to hit his bike and both riders to crash out, subsequently handing
Mika Kallio Mika Kallio (born 8 November 1982) is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently serving as the lead test and development rider for the Red Bull KTM team in MotoGP. He debuted in the 125cc World Championship with the Finnish rookie team ...
the win. Bautista finally took his first win of the season at
Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...
before he crashed out of the lead in China and Italy, while only finishing 14th in Le Mans.In Bautista's home race at the Catalunya circuit he dominated the qualifying sessions, took pole position and led the race from the start, but an error while switching gears in the last lap gave
Marco Simoncelli Marco Simoncelli (; 20 January 198723 October 2011), nicknamed Sic (), was an Italian professional Motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He ...
the chance to pass him and left him unable to fight back before the finish line. The British round at Donington marked his fourth pole of the season. In another fight with Simoncelli, Bautista missed the top spot again after an overly optimistic passing manoeuver by Simoncelli in the penultimate lap, which caused both riders to go wide and allowed
Mika Kallio Mika Kallio (born 8 November 1982) is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently serving as the lead test and development rider for the Red Bull KTM team in MotoGP. He debuted in the 125cc World Championship with the Finnish rookie team ...
to pass them and snatch the win again. A second win came at Assen, despite a bad start from pole position leaving him 8th at the end of lap 1. He added two more wins at
San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and his string of ten podium finishes after the abysmal start to the year eventually saw him end the season in second place behind Simoncelli.


2009

Bautista started 2009 with a strong showing of speed by taking three of the first five pole positions, but without converting any of them into a victory. Wins in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Catalunya Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
along a more steady start than the previous year moved him to the top of the championship, but an ultimately very costly collision with
Hiroshi Aoyama is a Japanese retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, and current team principal of Honda Team Asia. Aoyama is best known for winning the 2009 250cc World Championship title. He is the older brother of former 250cc and World Superbike rider, ...
in the final laps of the Assen Grand Prix handed the lead to the Japanese rider. A run of five successive podium finishes kept Bautista in the running for the championship, but a crash out of fourth place at Estoril due to a gearbox issue and errors at Phillip Island and Sepang finally dashed his title hopes with
Hiroshi Aoyama is a Japanese retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, and current team principal of Honda Team Asia. Aoyama is best known for winning the 2009 250cc World Championship title. He is the older brother of former 250cc and World Superbike rider, ...
going on to win the final 250cc championship for
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
.


MotoGP World Championship


2010

Bautista moved up to MotoGP for the season, with the factory Suzuki team. After missing the
French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...
due to injury, Bautista made a steady return to the class and finished fifth at the Catalan Grand Prix.


2011

During practice for the MotoGP season opener in Qatar, Bautista suffered a broken left femur as a result of a crash at turn 15. Bautista proved on numerous occasions the potential of the Suzuki GSV-R, and almost claimed podium finishes at several races. His biggest flaw was arguably his tendency to crash, often while fighting for podium positions. He eventually finished the season 13th in the championship standings.


2012

On 9 November 2011, it was announced that Bautista would move to
Gresini Racing Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team competing in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship under the name Gresini Racing MotoGP as a Ducati satellite team, in the Moto2 World Championship as Italjet Gresini Racing Moto2, ...
for the season. He replaced the late
Marco Simoncelli Marco Simoncelli (; 20 January 198723 October 2011), nicknamed Sic (), was an Italian professional Motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He ...
and the World Superbike bound
Hiroshi Aoyama is a Japanese retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, and current team principal of Honda Team Asia. Aoyama is best known for winning the 2009 250cc World Championship title. He is the older brother of former 250cc and World Superbike rider, ...
. He would later be joined by Gresini's Moto2 rider
Michele Pirro Michele Pio Pirro (born 5 July 1986) is a motorcycle road racer from Italy, He was 2007 and 2008 the ''Italian CIV National Champion in the Superstock class'' and a test rider for Ducati Corse, Ducati factory racing in MotoGP and rides occasiona ...
, who would ride a CRT specification FTR-Honda as opposed to Bautista, who would ride a MotoGP specification Honda. Bautista finished each of the first five races inside the top ten; of those races, his best result was sixth place on three occasions. Bautista achieved his first pole position in MotoGP at the
British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK. First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926 British Grand Prix, 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 ...
; he finished a tenth of a second clear of
Ben Spies Ben Spies (; born July 11, 1984), is an American team principal for a MotoAmerica Supersport (600cc) professional motorcycle road racing team who previously was a racer himself. He was sometimes nicknamed "Elbows" due to his riding style, in whi ...
and
Casey Stoner Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in and . During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the factory teams of Ducati and Honda, winning a tit ...
, who both joined Bautista on the front row. Bautista could not maintain the lead at the start of the race, after Spies led into the first corner; he recovered to finish in fourth place – behind
Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero (; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three List of 500cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions, MotoGP World Championships ...
, Stoner and
Dani Pedrosa Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born 29 September 1985) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He is a ...
 – which was his then best result in the MotoGP class. At
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
, Bautista qualified eighth, but made a slow start and tried to alleviate his losses by braking late for the first turn. He locked the front wheel, and fell from his bike, taking down championship leader Lorenzo in the process. Both bikes slid along the ground, with Lorenzo's throttle jammed open, which blew the engine. Lorenzo lost his 25-point lead in the championship, after Stoner won the race; Yamaha lodged a complaint with race direction, stating that Bautista's actions were dangerous, and he was thus given a grid penalty for the
German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...
 – starting last on the grid – for his actions. Bautista finished the next five races within the top ten each time, before achieving his first ever MotoGP podium at Misano. He obtained another podium finish two races later at Motegi, after a race long battle with Briton
Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 season. He is contracted as a test rider for Yamaha Motor Racing, which he is expected to continue in 2022 and 2 ...
ended with Crutchlow running out of fuel before the race finish.


2013

In 2013 Bautista continued riding for Team Gresini, with a new sponsor GO & FUN and teammate Bryan Staring. Bautista had a good season, battling consistently amongst the second group of riders, along with
Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi ( ; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed "the Doctor", Rossi is widely considered one of the greate ...
,
Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 season. He is contracted as a test rider for Yamaha Motor Racing, which he is expected to continue in 2022 and 2 ...
and
Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl (born 29 November 1989) is a German professional motorcycle racer, best known for winning the Moto2 World Championship in . He then moved to MotoGP in 2012 with LCR Honda. While in MotoGP, Bradl is best known for his performance at ...
. He finished sixth overall in the championship behind Crutchlow and in front of Bradl, with a best result of fourth obtained on three occasions, at
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved Racing track#Motorsport, road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and Motorcyc ...
,
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
and Motegi.


2014

For the 2014 season, Bautista was joined by new teammate
Scott Redding Scott Christopher Redding (born 4 January 1993) is a British motorcycle racer. For 2024, he is contracted to ride in the Superbike World Championship with satellite team Bonovo BMW, having left the BMW Motorrad factory team he rode for in 2023. ...
, but had a difficult start to the 2014 season, crashing out of each of the first three events on the calendar. He obtained his first championship points of the season with a sixth place in the Spanish Grand Prix, at Jerez. This was followed by a third-place finish in the
French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...
, his first podium since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.


2015

For the 2015 season, Bautista remained with the Gresini team – now riding an
Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle and Scooter (motorcycle), scooter manufacturer in Noale, Italy, founded by Alberto Beggio. History Early days Aprilia, named after the Pre-war automobile, pre-war Lancia Aprilia, was founded after the Seco ...
 – where he was joined by new teammate
Marco Melandri Marco Melandri (born 7 August 1982) is an Italian people, Italian retired motorcycle road racing, road racer who is a five-time MotoGP, premier class race winner. He is the 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing, 250 cc World Champion and runner- ...
. At the midway point of the season, Bautista had collected 13 points, and finished 16th in the riders' championship with 31 points.


2018

In August, Bautista confirmed he would be departing MotoGP following nine seasons, changing to
World Superbike Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a Silhouette racing car, silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Su ...
with the factory Ducati team in 2019. Following
Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero (; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three List of 500cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions, MotoGP World Championships ...
pulling out of his third race at
Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
due to injury, Bautista replaced him for Ducati for the Australian Grand Prix weekend before returning to the Ángel Nieto Team for the final 2 Grands Prix of the season.


2023

After winning consecutive WSBK world titles, Bautista had a wildcard entry in November's Malaysian GP with the Aruba.it Racing team. This was the first time he had competed in MotoGP since the
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
season, finishing the two races in 22nd and 17th positions. He later confirmed he was suffering from injuries received during a previous test.


Superbike World Championship


2019

Entering the World Superbike Championship with the factory Ducati World Superbike team, Bautista made a record-breaking debut in the class. Winning his very first race at Phillip Island with a gap of almost 15 seconds, he then went on to claim 11 consecutive victories, a new class record. However, a string of crashes in the second half of the season and a shoulder injury picked up during the Laguna Seca round prevented him from taking the title, eventually finishing his Rookie season as runner-up to
Jonathan Rea Jonathan Rea (born 2 February 1987) is a People of Northern Ireland, Northern Irish professional Motorcycle sport, motorcycle racer. He competes in the Superbike World Championship and is a six-time champion in the series. He is the first to ha ...
with a total of 16 wins.


2020

Despite his initial success with the Ducati, Bautista made a surprise move to the new factory
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
team for the 2020 season. With bike development made more difficult due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Bautista struggled throughout the year on underperforming machinery, scoring the only HRC podium of the season in Race 2 at Aragon and finishing the shortened season in 9th place.


2021

Staying with HRC for the 2021 season, Bautista showed flashes of brilliance on the still markedly subpar machinery. However, two third places - in the Catalunya Superpole race and Race 2 in Jerez - would remain the highlights of the year. Despite coming close to the podium on several more occasions, he finished the season down in 10th place. With bike development continuing only in small steps - too slow for a rider at his age - Bautista decided not to renew his contract with HRC for 2022.


2022

Bautista returned to the Aruba.it Ducati official factory team for the 2022 season. After two difficult seasons on underperforming Honda machinery, he was immediately competitive again and led the championship from the first round of the season in Aragon. He finally managed to become the 2022 World Superbike champion with one round to spare in the Mandalika round, taking 31 podiums and 16 wins in total.


2023

For 2023 Bautista stayed with the factory Ducati squad. He enjoyed another dominant season with a total of 27 victories and breaking multiple records on the way to a second World Superbike title. With this, he became the first Ducati rider to defend his title since
Carl Fogarty Carl George Fogarty (born 1 July 1965), often known as Foggy, is an English former motorcycle racer and one of the most successful Superbike World Championship, World Superbike racers of all time. He also holds the third highest number of rac ...
in 1999. He will continue with the same team for the 2024 season.


Career statistics


Grand Prix motorcycle racing


By season


By class


Races by year

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Superbike World Championship


By season


Races by year

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) Season still in progress.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bautista, Alvaro 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from the Province of Toledo Spanish motorcycle racers 125cc World Championship riders 250cc World Championship riders Suzuki MotoGP riders Gresini Racing MotoGP riders Aspar Racing Team MotoGP riders Ángel Nieto Team MotoGP riders Ducati Corse MotoGP riders Superbike World Championship riders MotoGP World Championship riders 125cc World Riders' Champions