Superbike, Alvaro Bautista sets sights on Aragon and insists: "I don't want to retire

He’s not yet sure he’ll race at Motorland, but the two-time WorldSBK champion will try: regarding his particular situation due to the minimum weight rule, he reiterates his view.

At the round in the Czech Republic, two riders were injured: Alvaro Bautista and Danilo Petrucci. Both had to end their Superbike weekend in Most early. The Spaniard got hurt after a heavy crash at Turn 20 during FP3. He suffered fractures in his right foot, specifically: malleolus, midfoot, and heel. He underwent surgery and has been working to try to recover in time for the Aragon round taking place this weekend.

Racing in Spain in front of his many fans is something he hopes to do, though Bautista isn’t sure yet: “The foot surgery went well,” reports Marca, “and I have good mobility, even if it wasn’t a simple operation. I’m optimistic, I’m doing three rehab sessions a day to try to be ready for Motorland. Racing at home is always special.”

The Barni Spark Racing Team rider has faced several changes in the 2026 Superbike World Championship, and it hasn’t been easy for him to be at the desired level: “Beyond the excess weight, which doesn’t help, there’s the fact of changing teams, the people you work with; it takes time to understand each other, to adapt, and to figure out what you need. It takes a bit of time. The new Ducati is very different: many things that used to work for me no longer do. Basically, we’re trying to solve the weight problem, which isn’t entirely under our control. In trying to solve an issue that doesn’t depend on us, we’ve strayed from the right path. We’re trying to get back to our level.”

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Even though the minimum weight rule forces him to race with about 7 kilograms of ballast on his Ducati, the two-time SBK world champion doesn’t seem to be considering retirement: “I feel motivated, excited. It’s a real shame to see things like this, because I think I can give more than we’re doing right now. In a way, I think: ‘Well, then I’ll just stay home.’ But the fact is that bikes are my passion. I love them so much, I have so much fun with them, that I don’t want to stop. I feel strong physically and mentally, I think we have the potential to do well, and we’ll keep fighting to be up there.”

At the end of the 2025 season, he had riders sign a petition to request the abolition of the extra-weight rule, but since there isn’t unanimity among manufacturers, no regulatory change is possible. Bautista has carried on his battle, but he doesn’t seem to have a chance of getting what he wants. It would certainly be interesting to see him race without ballast; he’s convinced he could be consistently at the front. We’ll never know how things would go. He has to do his best with the situation as it is. The Barni Spark Racing Team is trying to support him in the best possible way.