The legend of the Ducati was forged thanks to the exploits of many riders, coming from various countries around the world and capable of excelling in all categories of two wheels. Alvaro Bautista is also part of this elite who, after an excellent start in 125, needed to move up to Superbike (like his compatriot Carlos Checa before him, also in Ducati) to give his best. So let's retrace the Spaniard's career.
The years in 125 and the first World Championship
Born in Talavera de la Reina on November 21, 1984, Bautista began his career on two wheels in 2002. On the occasion of the 125 World Championship of that year, he competed in 2 races riding an Aprilia as a wildcard. Although he collected a twenty-fifth place and a retirement, the following year he had the opportunity to participate in the world championship from the beginning. The Seedorf Racing team, with teammate Christopher Martin, is betting on him. As his best exploit, he obtained a fourth place in Australia, ending the season with the twentieth position with 31 points.
It was a training World Championship for the Spanish rider, who showed improvements in the following two years. 2004 was more positive, winning 3 third places in the last 4 races of the season: placements that earned him the seventh final position in the standings. After years of apprenticeship, however, the time has come to get serious. In fact, 2006 was the best year of the first part of his career: confirmed in Aprilia, he immediately gave a clear message to his rivals by winning the first 2 grands prix in Spain and Qatar.
The 125cc World Championship of that year was almost entirely an internal affair for Aprila. Of the top 5, in fact, only the Finn Mika Kallio – riding a KTM – is from another team. However, there was no escape for him or for Bautista's teammates (Hector Faubel, Mattia Pasini and Sergio Gadea): the Spaniard rode like never before in his career and, with 8 races won and 338 points won, he became world champion.
250 and 500, between close titles and bitter years
After his triumph in 125, in 2007 Bautista decided to move up the ranks and move up to the 250. The class changes but not the team, given that the marriage with Aprilia continues. In his debut World Championship in this new category he made a good impression, taking his first victory in Portugal and finishing in fourth place. At the top of the ranking is one of his compatriots who will lead the way: Jorge Lorenzo.
The following year could be the good one to win in 250 as well. With his Aprilia he repeated his success in Portugal the previous year and also won in Holland, San Marino and Malaysia. However, it was a young and very unfortunate Italian rider who triumphed, riding a Gilera: Marco Simoncelli. After another fourth place, he decided that the time had come to try his hand at MotoGP.
The first two years were in Suzuki and ended with as many thirteenth places. With Honda he improved his performance, finishing the first two seasons in fifth and sixth position. Later, however, it gives the feeling of not being able to perform as in the other two engine classes. The only happy note, as history will tell, is the transition to Ducati that took place in 2017.
The transition to Superbike: Bautista's 'prime' era
Like other riders who had not done very well in MotoGP before him, in 2019 he decided to move to Superbike. With a Ducati Panigale V4 R from the Aruba.it Racing team, he has a literally extraordinary start to the championship. Between Australia, Thailand, Catalonia and Holland, he is en plein of victories. His drop in the second half of the season, however, coincided with the explosion of the Briton Jonathan Rea who finally took the Superbike throne.
Perhaps due to the disappointment due to the title only grazed, in 2020 he moved to Honda but lived two years as a supporting actor. With Ducati he has to finish a job interrupted too hastily and in fact, in 2022, he returns to the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. Despite the presence of his old rival Rea, to which is added that of the Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Bautista manages to avoid the ups and downs of 2019 and in the end wins his first World Championship in Superbike and second of his career.
Winning is difficult and confirming oneself even more so? Evidently the Spaniard does not think so. If in 2022 the World Championship was fought for long stretches, in 2023 Bautista basically recites an extraordinary monologue. He leaves the first place to other riders only on 9 occasions, while for the rest the top step of the podium is his home. He closes with the stratospheric quota of 628 points, 106 more than Razgatlıoğlu (once again second).
The following year, however, it was the Turkish driver who triumphed, thus taking a good revenge. Bautista finished third, but still had no intention of hanging up his helmet. In the current World Championship, he has to face the usual Razgatlıoğlu and many other young riders with a hunger for victories. Underestimating the Iberian expert, however, would be a mistake.
