Reigning World Superbike champion Alvaro Bautista will make a wild-card entry in this year's Malaysian MotoGP from 10th-12th November. The Spaniard's long-rumoured return to MotoGP follows a pair of private test sessions at Misano on the factory's title-winning Desmosedici. Bautista, currently on course for back-to-back WorldSBK crowns, will race in his usual Aruba.it colours on the latest Desmosedici machinery, as used by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro during his wild cards at Mugello and next month's Misano round. The Malaysian Grand Prix takes place after the end of the Superbike season, at Jerez, on October 29. For Ducati, it will be the third wildcard of the 2023 season after participating in the two Italian Grands Prix with Michele Pirro at Mugello in May and the upcoming San Marino GP in Misano. Since last year, Ducati has further strengthened its partnership with Aruba.it by contesting three MotoGP events with the same liveries as the factory Panigale V4R machine of the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team in the WorldSBK Championship.
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MotoGP: Bautista on his Ducati Wild Card Entry
On his wild card entry, Alvaro Bautista said, "I'm really happy to be able to race in MotoGP as a wildcard at Sepang, a track that I really like and that I'm happy to be back at since it's not on the WorldSBK calendar. The tests with the Ducati Desmosedici GP gave positive feedback: the feeling was good, and I had fun. I want to sincerely thank Ducati and Aruba.it because, without them, it would have been impossible to have this opportunity. At the same time, I would like to say that this MotoGP race will be a bonus for me and not a priority."
"That's why we must stay focused on the WorldSBK Championship, which is the only thing that matters now. I want to stay focused for this last part of the season, which will be very demanding, with many races in a short time. The feeling with the Panigale V4R machine is good, and I hope to continue on this path. Then, when the season ends, we'll think about going to Malaysia and having fun. Now I'll have a little holiday, and then we'll be back at Magny-Cours," He added.
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MotoGP: Ducati and Alvaro Bautista Dominates WorldSBK 2023
With 18 victories, a new record for a single season, 21 podiums from 24 races, three pole positions, and a 74-point advantage in the Championship standings, Bautista is having a remarkable title defence in WorldSBK this season. Ducati is also dominating MotoGP, where they are the defending world champions under the leadership of Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia (who wears the number one). So far in 2023, they have won seven of the nine Grand Prix and seven of the nine Sprints held under the new format.
With Ducati now sitting 1-2-3 in the standings and six of their eight bikes ranked in the top 10, Bautista is clearly joining a formidable team. The Spaniard gets a birthday present a week early as a wildcard driver, a week before he turns 39. He has had two successful testing in the GP23 machine and has posted respectable speeds without attempting a time attack. Bautista played a crucial role in the second test, which involved 2024 components from the Italian company.
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