2023-05-04 15:10:09
Álvaro Bautista will continue in the Superbike World Championship. On Tuesday, the man from Talavera called a press conference to announce an important decision, and that’s how it happened. The man from Talavera appeared in Montmeló with good news for all the fans: it will continue to compete in at least 2024.
The decision has been waiting but Álvaro has announced that he will continue with Ducati next season. The contract with the Italian factory expired on December 31, and the Spanish looks “physically and mentally prepared” to face another year of competition at the highest level.
“We have talked about what I want to do for the future, of course on the professional side. I feel like I’m in the best moment of my career. Not only because of the results, but also because of my physical and mental state. I am very happy with how I am becoming more and more competitive”, he began by saying before the watchful eye of the journalists.
His statement on continuity has not been made to beg, concise and direct: “On the professional side it is more than clear that I am prepared to continue competing. But there are more factors in my life, in my personal life, my family is growing, my babies… In the end, together, we have decided that for the following season I will be here, racing again with Ducati. I keep competing. Right now for me and my family is what we want to do, I am very motivated to keep working, trying to be a better driver and I think I can improve even more”.
Although now he has said yes, that he continues, It is a fact that withdrawal has been considered. About to turn 39, he has only extended the agreement for one more season, leaving up in the air what he will do in 2025, at which point the question of retirement will be raised again. He has stressed on several occasions the important weight of his “family”, a decision that in no case has he made alone. For the moment he will hold out for another year.
Bautista is the only rider who has been able to get the most out of the Panigale V4 R since its appearance in the WorldSBK paddock in 2019, replacing the 1199 Panigale R. With this bike, Álvaro has conquered a whopping 40 victories, 63 podiums and seven superpolescrowning himself in 2022 as Superbike World Champion with a truly overwhelming superiority.
Also read: Superbikes Catalunya 2023 Schedule: Bautista, for another triplet
This weekend he faces a new appointment in Montmeló, where he arrives as the leader of the championship with 174 points after having won all the races, except one in Mandalika. With a 56-point lead over Razgatlioglu, 2023 could be yet another golden year for Bautista and Ducati, seeking a second successive crown.
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