Ducati goes back to the World Championship and wins the Superbike title. Alvaro Bautista world champion after the podium in Indonesia.
Ducati does an encore and, after winning the MotoGP title, also gets its hands on the Superbike world title with the Spaniard Alvaro Bautista. The 37-year-old has returned to the saddle of the Ducati Panigale V4R after his first 2019 vintage in which he had touched on world championship triumph, before it slipped into the hands of Jonathan Rea. Three years later, and following a rather dull two-year period with Honda, he brought the Emilian brand to triumph also in the production derivatives.
Alvaro Bautista took the long-awaited crown at the Indonesian Mandalika circuit, becoming the second Spanish rider to win the WorldSBK after the feat of Carlos Checa in 2011, always with Ducati. Spain-Ducati proves to be a winning combination in the series derivative championship. This year the Italian company has played bingo: first Pecco Bagnaia and now Alvaro Bautista have brought the Emilian brand to the top of the world… indeed the World Cup.
Bautista-Ducati winning couple
Over the weekend in Indonesia it was impossible to keep up with the defending champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who took victory in race-1, Superpole Race and race-2. A double second place in the two main races was enough for the Catalan Ducati rider to win the mathematical certainty, even before arriving at the last round at Phillip Island.
In Race 2 the Talaver driver knew the world title was at stake, so he played offense. At the green light he started third, but he didn’t want to risk it and Andrea Locatelli overtook him. Rea and Razgatlioglu had nothing to lose, they tried to sprint quickly, but once again Alvaro prevented the Turkish from Yamaha from taking off. He got behind Toprak without taking too many risks, aware that second place was worth the crown. “It’s amazing, I’m so happy. It is a dream come true, especially after the last two years and all the difficulties. I want to thank everyone who trusted me for giving me this chance to fight for the World Cup“.
This time the emotions were felt, even for a veteran like Alvaro Bautista. “Today was the first time I felt a bit nervous or stressed, it happened in Race 2 on the grid before the start. I tried to manage emotions and when I was first I was making a lot of mistakes, because I had too many thoughts in my head! I preferred to be second behind Toprak, he was very strong, so I could just follow him. I am really happy“.
