Álvaro Bautista
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via Wikipedia: Álvaro Bautista · see source
Álvaro Bautista Arce (born 21 November 1984) is a Spanish motorcycle road racer who won the 2022 and 2023 Superbike World Championship with the Ducati factory team. He was the 2006 125cc World Champion and runner-up in 250cc, and finished in the top six in MotoGP in unspecified years. He competed in MotoGP from 2010 to 2018, riding for Suzuki, Gresini Racing (Honda then Aprilia), and the Aspar/Ángel Nieto team on Ducati machinery. After 2019 in World Superbike with the factory Ducati team, he rode a Honda Fireblade under full HRC control for 2020 and 2021.
Career
Bautista first rode a motorcycle at three years old, after his father built his first bike from scratch in his repair shop. He competed in his first race five years later. In his second season he finished runner-up in the Madrid Minimoto Championship, then won that championship three years in a row. In 1997 he raced in the 50cc Aprilia Cup, claiming his first podium and finishing sixth.
The following year he took two more podiums in the same cup and ended third. Alberto Puig selected him from over 4000 applicants for the Movistar Activa Joven Cup in 1999. Bautista finished fifth in his first year, ahead of Dani Pedrosa, earning a second year in the Cup and a backup role in the 125cc Spanish Championship. Injury the next year set him back; despite one podium in the Movistar Cup he finished ninth.
In 2001 he entered the 125cc Spanish Championship with Team Belart, which folded mid-season. Manuel Morente signed him for the remaining races and offered a new team sponsored by Atlético Madrid for the following year. In 2002, with official material, Bautista fought Hector Barbera for the 125cc Spanish Championship until the final race at Valencia. He set pole position but finished fifth after a crash, securing runner-up overall.
125cc World Championship
That year he made his international debut as a wildcard at Jerez, Catalunya and Valencia in the 2002 Grand Prix season, and also competed in the 125cc European Championship, scoring a podium at Assen and a fourth in Hungary. In 2003 former footballer Clarence Seedorf signed him for the Seedorf Racing Team for his first full 125cc World Championship season. Bautista finished 20th with 31 points, his best results being fourth at Phillip Island and sixth at Valencia.
That same year he became 125cc Spanish Champion with two races remaining, never finishing off the podium and scoring five consecutive pole-to-victory finishes.
Career statistics and honours
By season
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd | WCh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125cc | Aprilia | Atlético de Madrid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | – | |
| 125cc | Aprilia | Seedorf Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 20th | – | |
| 125cc | Aprilia | Seedorf Racing | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 129 | 7th | – | |
| 125cc | Honda | Seedorf – Tiempo Holidays | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 15th | – | |
| 125cc | Aprilia | Master – MVA Aspar | 16 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 338 | 1st | 1 | |
| 250cc | Aprilia | Master – Mapfre Aspar | 17 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 181 | 4th | – | |
| 250cc | Aprilia | Mapfre Aspar Team | 16 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 244 | 2nd | – | |
| 250cc | Aprilia | Mapfre Aspar Team | 16 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 218 | 4th | – | |
| MotoGP | Suzuki | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 13th | – | |
| MotoGP | Suzuki | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 13th | – | |
| MotoGP | Honda | San Carlo Honda Gresini | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 178 | 5th | – | |
| MotoGP | Honda | GO&FUN Honda Gresini | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171 | 6th | – | |
| MotoGP | Honda | GO&FUN Honda Gresini | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 11th | – | |
| MotoGP | Aprilia | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 16th | – | |
| MotoGP | Aprilia | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 12th | – | |
| MotoGP | Ducati | Pull&Bear Aspar Team | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 12th | – | |
| MotoGP | Ducati | Ángel Nieto Team | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 12th | – | |
| Ducati Team | 1 | ||||||||||
| MotoGP | Ducati | Aruba.it Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31st | ||
| Total | 275 | 16 | 49 | 18 | 22 | 2071 | 1 | ||||
By class
| Class | Seasons | 1st GP | 1st pod | 1st win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125cc | 2002–2006 | 2002 Spain | 2004 Great Britain | 2006 Spain | 67 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 545 | 1 |
| 250cc | 2007–2009 | 2007 Qatar | 2007 Spain | 2007 Italy | 49 | 8 | 28 | 9 | 12 | 643 | 0 |
| MotoGP | 2010–2018, 2023 | 2010 Qatar | 2012 San Marino | 159 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 883 | 0 | |
| Total | 2002–2018, 2023 | 275 | 16 | 49 | 18 | 22 | 2071 | 1 | |||
By season
| Season | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 36 | 16 | 24 | 4 | 15 | 498 | 2nd | |
| Honda CBR1000RR-R | Team HRC | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 113 | 9th | |
| Honda CBR1000RR-R | Team HRC | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 195 | 10th | |
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 36 | 16 | 31 | 2 | 13 | 601 | 1st | |
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 36 | 27 | 31 | 4 | 23 | 628 | 1st | |
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 35 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 357 | 3rd | |
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 36 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 337 | 3rd | |
| Ducati Panigale V4 R | Barni Spark Racing Team | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59* | 7th* | |
| Total | 249 | 63 | 129 | 10 | 57 | 2788 | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Álvaro Bautista (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Bautista became 125cc World Champion in Australia three races before the end of the 2006 season, taking eight wins and standing on the podium in 14 of 16 races.
- In 2011 practice for the MotoGP season opener in Qatar, Bautista suffered a broken left femur from a crash at turn 15.
More in Spanish Motorcycle Racers
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Álvaro Bautista (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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