This is not official news yet, but GP One the blunt announcement: in 2019, Alvaro Bautista will be next to Chaz Davies in Superbike to open a new chapter for the brand in this category aboard a Panigale V4. No more twin cylinders for the Borgo Panigale firm, a death knell which also tolls for Marco Melandri who until then held the position...
This V4 is derived from that of the Desmosedici Grand Prix, so that a driver with experience of Baptist will be very useful for tuning in WSBK. Certainly, but the Spaniard must know that in this peloton, we jostle for elbows… The driver will therefore have to adapt too. It will be recalled that he will find in the paddock a Barbera also out of the Grands Prix and who will ride a Kawasaki.
Alvaro Bautista was 125 world champion in 2006, with Aprilia. In 2010, he joined MotoGP, with Suzuki, alongside Loris Capirossi. In 2013 he was at Gresini with a Honda and still for the Gresini team, he rode the Aprilia in 2015. In 2017 he entered the Ducati world with the Pull & Bear team, which became this year the Angel Nieto team. He is currently 13th in the MotoGP World Championship with a 5th place as his best performance at the Sachsenring.
It will replace Marco Melandri who is currently 5th in the World Superbike Championship behind Rea, Davies, Van Der Mark and Sykes. He has two victories this season, six podiums and one pole position. In total, he raced 146 times in this category, totaling 68 podiums and 22 victories. 250 world champion in 2002, with Aprilia, He was also vice-world champion in MotoGP with the Honda of the Gresini team in 2005.
