Alvaro Bautista is the 2023 Superbike World Champion, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider wrapping up his second consecutive world title on the Panigale V4R.
It has been an extraordinary season for the Spanish rider who, took his 25th victory of a memorable championship at the weekend, winning the world title for the second year in a row.
It was a stunning day for Ducati, Aruba.it Racing and Feel Racing, who only a few weeks ago had celebrated Nicolò Bulega’s Supersport World Championship title with the Ducati Panigale V2, bringing to Borgo Panigale also the manufacturers’ title in the category.
For Ducati it is the 16th WorldSBK Riders’ Title, making the overall record for the category even more solid.
Bautista, together with team-mate Michael Rinaldi and Danilo Petrucci of the Barni team and Axel Bassani of the Motocorsa team, also contributed to the manufacturers’ title (the 19th in Ducati’s history) obtained at the 11th round held at the end of September at Portimao (Portugal).
“It was an unforgettable year also because we managed to win by beating the competition of strong riders like Toprak Razgatlioglu and Johnny Rae,” said Bautista.
“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. And 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.”
Photo courtesy Ducati
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