Bautista explains MotoGP to World Superbike transition
Alvaro Bautista has detailed how he’s adapting to the World Superbike champio🧔nship with Ducati over th🐎e winter ahead of his switch from MotoGP in 2019.
Bautista made his debut with Aruba.it Racing Ducati at the two-day Jerez test at the end of November to gain his first experience with the new Ducati V4 R Superbike in preparation for hiꦕs full-tiꦫme switch next season.

Alvaro Bautis𝓡ta has detailed how he’s a𓆏dapting to the World Superbike championship with Ducati over the winter ahead of his switch from MotoGP in 2019.
Bautista made his debut with Aruba.it Racing Ducati at the two-day Jerez test at ꦅthe end of November to gain his first experience with the new Ducati V4 R Superbike in preparation for his full-time switch next season.
The Spanish rider, who has spent the past nine years in MotoGP, ended up alternating between his Superbike debut and acting as Ducati MotoGP test rider at Jerez with regular test rider Michele Pirro away undergoi🔥ng surgery.
While the 34-year-old felt comfortable switching between the production bike and prototype machine with Ducati, he’s eage🦩r to alter his approach to suit the V4 R as well as the World Superbike championship using Pirelli tyres and different electronic specifications.
“Always when you jump on a MotoGP bike everything is amazing: the power; the electronics; the gearboxꦬ,” Bautista said in Jerez. “The difference compared to the World Superbike is quite big and for sure I enjoyed riding the MotoG𝔍P bike.
“W🐓inter in Sp𓂃ain is quite cold and I will ask for a Panigale [from Ducati] because it's more similar to the bike that I use, more than in MotoGP.
“But in this break I will not ride the bike beca🌃use it's too cold and I don’t want to risk.
“I will ride Motocross like normal. For Supermoto it's too cold, so I prefer not to risk. Motocross or Flat Track, something on theꦯ dirt. A soft landing!”
Bautista says he’ll also modify his winter training programme to the new challenge of World S෴uperbikes which will include a three-race weekend programme for 2019.
“Now I have an idea for what I will expect in January so I will try to train myself physically and mentally to arrive to the next test as good a꧑s possible,” he said. “Over Christmas the body is always relaxed.
“I think training will be more-or-less the same, now I have to understand what I need for next season because for s🙈ure it will be different with three races in a weekend, also the Superpole.
“So I have to understand what I need tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚo stay at the maximum performance all the w꧟eekend in the World Superbike.”
Bautista replaced Marco Melꦫandri in the factory Ducati rider line-up alongside Chaz Davies for the 2019 World Superbike championship. The Spanish rider is also expected to retain MotoGP testing duties for Ducati next season alongside regular🎀 test rider Pirro.