Arriving home to the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia, two-time World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) may be riding in his final MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round. With no guaranteed spot on the 2027 grid yet, the #19 is racing for his future, his friends and family in attendance, and his pride as he looks to close out a tough 2026 season on the podium at the Pirelli Spanish Round.
“IT WAS DIFFICULT TO RIDE, BUT I MANAGED TO PLACE ON THE THIRD ROW OF THE GRID”
Bautista’s Saturday got rolling with a P9 result in the Tissot Superpole session, his best result in the event since Balaton Park back in Hungary. Bautista enjoyed the feel of his Ducati Panigale V4R in FP3; however, he had to battle vibrations from the SCQ tyre, which he was trying for the first time of the weekend. The WorldSBK veteran was not going to be denied at home, however, and sent his bike to the third row with a 1’38.115s lap.
On his Saturday Superpole P9, Bautista said: “I’m really happy with the performance. The feeling with the bike was really good; today we improved lots of small details. By FP3, I felt very good with the bike. In the Tissot Superpole, I used the SCQ tyre for the first time this weekend, and I noticed that the bike started to have very aggressive vibration. It was difficult to ride, but I managed to place on the third row of the grid."
“I WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE PODIUM, JUST ONE POSITION BACK”
Lights out on Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 saw Bautista weather the storm over the first two laps, holding onto his P9 grid start with both hands as Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) chased him. He moved up to P8 on Lap 3, taking P8 from Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) on Turn 6. He roped in Tommy Bridewell (Superbikes Advocates) over the next lap, and on Lap 5, he put the Brit behind him for P7. On Lap 9, Bautista had pulled his rookie rival from Estoril Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) to within less than a tenth as he lined up a move into Turn 1. The #67 showed the two-time WorldSBK his courage as he cut the #19’s nose in the corner to defend P6, but the same move a lap later succeeded for the Spaniard to take sixth place. Turn 1 saw Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) lose P5 to the #19 after overcoming a six-tenths margin over Lap 11. With seven laps remaining, Bautista tailed his teammate Yari Montella by two and a half seconds for P4, but he seemingly saved the best for last, outpacing the #5 by just shy of seven tenths on Laps 15 and 16. By Lap 18, he was just half a second behind the Italian, until the #5 ran wide in the first sector of Lap 18. Bautista caught him on Turn 5 and took no prisoners from his teammate, making contact as he passed for P4, where he would end the day.
On his Race 1 result, Bautista said: “I was very close to the podium, just one position back. I was more confident about my race pace; I started as normal, but with the inertia of the bike if felt like I was riding a truck. It wasn’t easy, but I tried to survive. I started to make my base and overtake other riders. I enjoyed it a lot. I think I was the rider who overtook the most riders. It was fun to fight to make the comeback. I’m happy with the feeling. We just need to try to keep it for tomorrow. I don’t have any expectations, and we will have to see about the weather conditions. We will try to find the maximum and have fun with the bike; that’s how I go fastest.”
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