Alvaro Bautista to test Ducati MotoGP bike, but will he race?

Alongside a new Ducati World Superbike contract came the news that Alvaro Bautista will soon get the chance to test the factory’s MotoGP bike.
Bagnaia and Bautista
Bagnaia and Bautista

Bautista helped make history for Ducati last season when the factory won both🐲 the Worl♒d Superbike and MotoGP titles (Francesco Bagnaia) for the first time.

As a reward for his SBK achievements, the 38-year-old - who was a full-time MotoGP rider from 2010-2018 with Suzuki, Gresini Honda, Aprilia and Aspar Ducati -𓄧 confirmed that he will try the title-winning Desmosedici “before the summer break”.

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“I asked Du🧸cati to have a MotoGP test, but like a prize after winning the Championship last year. For sure, we will do it. I don’t know exactly when, but it will be very soon, before the summer break,” Bautista said.

Playing down rumours of a possible MotoGP wild-card entry, the Spaniard added: “There is no intention in our mind, just to do the test and enjoy t꧃he bike.

"What I see on TV, many riders can go fast wit🦩h th🥀at bike so I’m curious to ride the bike. It’s five years since I rode a MotoGP bike and to remember the feeling of riding the MotoGP bike.”

Nevertheless, should the test go well, with Bautista's World Superbike season ending in Argentina on October 15, there wo🧸uld still be five MotoGP rounds remaining in which to make a൩ popular Troy Bayliss-style comeback.

Troy Bayliss
Troy Bayliss

Bayliss made a victorious return to MotoGP, as the reigning WorldSBK champion, in a one-off ride for Ducati at Valencia 2006 (pictured), qualifying second on the grid and leading fro🌼m start to finish.

Bautista, like Bayliss, did not win a MotoGP race during his full-time grand prix career - the former 125cc world champion and 250cc runner-up standing on the podium j꧅ust three times in the premier class.

The 2023 Valen𝓡cia MotoGP fina𒐪le will be held on November 24-26.

D♚ucati currently leads both the MotoGP and WorldSBK s💙tandings with Bagnaia and Bautista, the latter having lost just one of the nine Superbike races so far this season, heading into his home Barcelona round this weekend.

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