This year, the World Superbike Championship introduced new rules that establish a minimum weight for the combined bike and rider. Álvaro Bautista is the most negatively affected rider, being the lightest in the field, which has posed some challenges for him. Additionally, he has experienced some physical issues in recent months, and to add to that, the championship field is now filled with new rivals, including young riders eager to showcase their capabilities.
However, the 2022 and 2023 champion is not yet considering retirement – quite the opposite. In an interview with PecinoGP, the Spanish rider revealed that his motivation remains high:
– Fortunately, the moment [to question why I still compete] hasn’t come yet. I don’t know if it’s because of all the changes this year, but the flame inside has reignited. It motivated me. I liked seeing this competition on the grid, with young riders who want to win. I still want to ride and be competitive. I have the desire and enthusiasm to continue competing.
For Bautista, WSBK became more exciting in 2024: ‘Due to all the changes this year, including riders switching manufacturers, the new technical regulations, or riders coming from other categories. I think this year the grid… let’s say it looks like anarchy. Before it was me on the Ducati, Toprak [Razgatlioglu] on the Yamaha, Jonathan [Rea] on the Kawasaki, and we were the ones setting the pace in the races. We knew each other well, more or less controlled each other. We knew our strengths and weaknesses. But this year the new riders who arrived are young, hungry to showcase themselves. So, we’ve seen races with battles until the end so far, you didn’t expect which rider could come out […]. I think this year everything is wide open’.