Barcelona“Everything happens for a reason”, Álvaro Bautista repeats himself every day. When he found himself without a place on the MotoGP grid after 18 years of grinding away at rock, he didn’t want to think he’d have to get off the bike. But, as everything happens for a reason, the Superbikes knocked on his door. The adrenaline and love generated by motorcycling made him accept a proposal that at first did not quite seduce him. It was a step into a category considered minor, but the one from Talavera de la Reina put ahead of continuing on a motorcycle. Now, four campaigns later, he has been proclaimed world champion in the category at the age of 37, 16 seasons after doing so in the still-named 125cc category.
“This title tastes like pride. I’ve been in the elite of motorcycling for 20 years and I’m working harder and better than ever. It’s an award for constancy, desire and effort. I’m focused every day on being a better rider , I never give up. After 20 years, when I could perfectly stay at home with my family, I want to be on the bike. I don’t come to race to fill the starting grid, I’m here because I want to give my best . And if that means fighting for the title, go ahead,” reflects the pilot to the ARA. “Álvaro, dude, look! You worked for it and you made it. You should be proud of yourself! Nobody gave you anything as a gift and you’re training every day for this moment,” is repeated over and over during day to day to always maintain concentration.
On the bike, the feeling is addictive and since he got on a minibike at the age of 3 and a half, he hasn’t wanted to get off it. “The sensations I have I don’t get them anywhere else. I’m having a good time, it gives me a lot of adrenaline. I have a feeling when I ride a motorcycle that can’t be compared to anything. When I was left without a place in MotoGP and they offered me to come to Superbikes, I accepted it not because I wanted to come to this championship, but because I wanted to continue riding”, he confesses. Now this step that was initially considered as a twist has ended being decisive to lift the world champion trophy. “There are people who didn’t trust me, but it makes me so much. This trophy, more than to silence people, is a way to compensate the people who have always believed in me. It is a way of thanking them, since with their trust we have achieved this. It’s as much mine as it is theirs. The others don’t even deserve to be reminded of them,” he emphasizes. He is the second Spaniard, along with Carlos Checa, to be proclaimed Superbike champion.
When he crossed the finish line last weekend at the Mandalika Circuit (Thailand), the world fell on top of him. Happiness and tiredness, almost in equal parts, invaded him in a celebration that he will remember for a lifetime. “I was exhausted! It was after the race and I was exhausted. Between the race itself, the tension, the adrenaline… It was 40 degrees, with 60 on the tarmac. I was very happy and hugged around here, jump over there and screams! [riu]. I changed my jumpsuit to a gold one! I enjoyed it very much. You don’t get to be world champion every day. It was a feeling of relief and adrenaline at the same time. I was blown away, but I would do it again without hesitation,” he confesses.
With two little ones waiting for him at home, life has become calmer, he confesses. Ever since Grace and Gina came into his life, everything has gone downhill. “As a pilot, the thing that changes you when you’re a parent is sleep! [riu]. I feel very lucky because in my sports career, I have always been able to differentiate the professional part from the personal part.”
