At almost 42, Alvaro Bautista is also asking himself: was that his farewell?

One poor season was enough for some people to forget what Alvaro Bautista has achieved in the Superbike World Championship: two titles, 63 wins, 129 podium finishes, 57 fastest laps and 10 pole positions! In terms of victories, he is the most successful Ducati rider across all classes to have ever competed in a world championship.

The Spaniard, who turns 42 on 21 November, gave us a striking reminder of those glorious days at the World Championship finale in Jerez de la Frontera, when he was running in third place in the second race until shortly before the end – then his rear tyre failed. Bautista, who finished ninth in the World Championship, proved that he is not ready for retirement just yet.

And yet: the 22 regular places for the 2027 Superbike World Championship are all taken, and Bautista couldn’t find a spot anywhere. But one opportunity still remains for him: after the summer break, and by the season finale at the end of October 2027 at the latest, the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto intends to enter the Superbike World Championship. There is currently no other rider who possesses such high speed, experience with V4 engines and the wealth of knowledge gained from factory teams at Suzuki and Aprilia (MotoGP) as well as Ducati and Honda (SBK) as the veteran from Talavera de la Reina in Castile. No other available rider has a more impressive CV to recommend himself for the role at CF Moto: as a test rider in 2027 and as a regular rider in 2028.

Álvaro Bautista wanted to prove himself above all else

“For me in Jerez, it wasn’t about proving anything to anyone else, but to myself,” Bautista emphasised in an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “I didn’t have any confidence in the bike and suffered an injury midway through the season; it was one of my toughest seasons. But I was always confident that I could be competitive. Things improved in the final races; at Estoril and Jerez I was able to show I could be up front again. I’m still capable of riding fast.”

Speaking about what was – at least for the time being – his final SBK event, Alvaro said: “I was quite calm and wasn’t thinking about the fact that this was my last race of the season and with Barni. Not even whether it might possibly be my last race in the World Championship. I wanted to use the weekend to put in a good performance. But when I came into the pits and saw my family and friends, it did get a bit emotional. It was a farewell, but I don’t want to say goodbye just yet. I’ll have to wait and see whether I have any options for the future, or whether I really do have to say goodbye. Nothing is clear at the moment; I don’t know if I’ll be able to carry on racing.”

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