Alvaro Bautista, who is now leading the World Superbike title, confesses that he comprehends MotoGP “less and less” and believes that the racer is no longer what separates one championship from another.
With the trio winning all 15 races so far and sharing the podium 10 times, the WSBK season has evolved into a clear three-way competition between Ducati racer Bautista, Jonathan Rea, and the championship contenders from the previous year, Toprak Razgatlioglu.
With 5 distinct top drivers, 13 different podium finishers, and just one racer who has finished on the podium in more than half of the races thus far—points leader Fabio Quartararo—the image in MotoGP is somewhat less obvious.
Since Bautista last competed in MotoGP in 2018 before switching to WSBK the next year, the series has undergone fast development.
The Spaniard confessed feeling perplexed by the inflow of rookie riders whose skills range from competing for victories and podiums to scrapping for little points. He believes that the retirement of Valentino Rossi and other notable riders has hurt MotoGP’s popularity.
“Rossi’s retirement has been an important factor in MotoGP, but there’s also been a very rapid generational change,” Bautista said in an interview with Motorsport.com’s Spanish edition. “In two or three years, there was a huge rush to sign young riders.
“So it’s not just Rossi fans [that have lost interest], it’s the fans of other riders, myself included, who have been replaced by young and inexperienced riders. Now I understand MotoGP less and less. Some riders fight for victory one week, and the next time not.
“Nowadays, with so much technology on the bikes, the rider makes less of a difference. Many riders are coming from Moto2 and are fast straight away, which was impossible when I was riding. Back then, finishing in the top five really felt like a win. You had Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Marc Marquez… big-name riders on factory bikes.
“Not to take credit away from any rider, but the bikes are so similar now I don’t think the rider is that important. That’s what I think after being out of MotoGP for three years.”
Aleix Espargaro, a countrymen and previous 125cc colleague of Bautista’s, is second in the rankings behind Fabio Quartararo after taking Aprilia’s first premier-class victory earlier this year in Argentina. Bautista, though, was eager to highlight Espargaro’s accomplishments.
“I started the Aprilia project in 2015, so he is following that path and I am happy for him,” said Bautista of Espargaro, who has been a fixture of the Italian marque since 2017. “We are both a bit older, we are hard workers and we always want to give a bit more.
“This season, Aleix is getting 100 percent out of the bike and himself, which is what is missing today in MotoGP. These days, the riders are not reaching 100 percent of their potential, but he is.”
In Spain, where MotoGP has always been the dominant class, Bautista stated that he hoped the rising reputation of WSBK in current seasons will also be repeated.
“In Spain WSBK seemed like a second division series, and I thought so too before I came here,” he admitted. “Now you can’t compare it to MotoGP. The riders are no worse than they are in MotoGP; in fact, some riders have come here from MotoGP and done nothing.
“It’s a totally different championship and now more and more people are following it. The atmosphere is amazing and I recommend motorcycle fans in Spain to visit a race.
“It’s not as popular here as it is in other countries, but I want people to understand that it’s not inferior to MotoGP, but different, with a really high level of competition.”
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Alvaro Bautista, World Superbike, WSBK, Aleix Espargaro, MOTO, Moto racing, Motocross, MotoGP, MXGP
