OUT NOW – ‘Alvaro Bautista: The Return’
This 40-plus-minute documentary, featuring exclusive footage and interviews from key figures inside WorldSBK, takes an in-depth look at the big story of the 2022 season
The meteoric rise. The inexplicable fall. And then, finally, The Return. Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) path to the summit of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has made for a compelling tale, told over four scintillating seasons of racing and culminating in the #1 numberplate which he will bear this upcoming 2023 season. The final 12 months of that road mark the starting point for ‘Alvaro Bautista: The Return’, a 40-plus-minute, in-depth look at a landmark year for the 38-year-old and Ducati alike.
The Return tells a story of redemption. Bautista and Ducati, a partnership as fascinating as it was fragile three years earlier, set off together once again with a shared goal: to right the wrongs of the 2019 campaign and return to the top of the WorldSBK Championship.
This is, in Bautista’s own words, not only a return to Ducati, but also a return to being a competitive rider, of finding joy in the sport once again. Proof of this renewed fire can be found from lap one on the Panigale V4R (at a test in Jerez, explained eloquently by crew chief Giulio Nava), and remains evident across the documentary through the many battles with rivals Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Exclusive interviews with all three championship contenders, as well as with several key members of the Ducati Corse and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati family, provide context and answer some of the key questions from the 2022 season. Who first brought up the idea of a reunion? When did Bautista feel the most pressure in 2022? And the question that has hung over their heads since 2019 – what happened?
These quotes and reactions are complemented by behind-the-scenes footage of the Spanish rider and his Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, at the track and beyond, with much of it unreleased until now. See the different sides of the reigning World Champion: the preparation, the fears, the emotions.
The Return is out now on WorldSBK VideoPass and is also available for official WorldSBK broadcasters.
