Alvaro Bautista lived up to all the hype and anticipation by giving the World Superbike veterans a masterclass performance as he and his Ducati dazzled Down Under. The Spaniard became part of a select group of riders to win their debut WorldSBK race and is the first Ducati rider to do so since John Kocinski at Misano, way back in 1996.

Leading from start to finish and coming home with the biggest dry-weather win at Phillip Island, the 34-year-old grinned from ear to ear as he spoke about his first world championship win in nearly a decade: “For sure the feeling is quite good, I am so happy with this victory because it is my first race in World Superbike. We work so hard during the winter test; my team and Ducati work hard to give a competitive bike, already for the first race!”

The former 125cc World Champion continued, saying how his consistent lap times came as a little bit of a surprise: “It is the first time with this bike at this track, but I felt very, very good from the first time I rode here with this bike. I can keep the pace for a lot of laps, it is not easy because you have to push! We will see tomorrow because I think the other riders in the Tissot Superpole race will push more because there are less laps. In any case, we will try to keep this for the next two races!”

Bautista’s arrival to WorldSBK has been celebrated greatly but now he is a winner and thus, the championship leader, the spotlight shines on him more. Along with the aforementioned records, he is the FIRST EVER rider to come across from Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing and win his debut World Superbike race. He is the first Spanish Rookie on a Ducati to set the fastest lap of a race at Phillip Island since 2001 when Ruben Xaus achieved the feat. The win also gives Ducati their third consecutive win at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit venue, the first time since 2011 and 2012 that this has happened – back with Carlos Checa. You can see whether Alvaro Bautista can continue to dominate with the WorldSBK VideoPass!