World Superbike rider Alvaro Bautista will make a MotoGP wildcard appearance for Ducati in Malaysian GP at Sepang circuit.
Alvaro Bautista and the Aruba.it Racing team will fly to Malaysia from the 10th-12th of November 2023 to take part in the Grand Prix of Malaysia, which will be held at the Sepang International Circuit two weeks after the conclusion of the Superbike World Championship, from 27th-29th October, in Jerez.
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.
Following two recent tests at Misano aboard the Ducati Desmosedici GP – which provided convincing feedback – reigning World Champion and current WorldSBK Championship leader Alvaro Bautista will return to contest a MotoGP race after his last appearance at the 2018 Valencia GP.
Alvaro Bautista: “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.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]
