Another piece in the 2018 rider puzzle has fallen into place. On Monday, the Aspar Team announced that Alvaro Bautista has extended his contract to stay on with the team for another season, and will be riding for them in 2018.
The announcement was hardly a surprise. Despite the fact that the Spaniard had been approached by Aprilia to return to the fold, Bautista was keen to stay with Aspar. His return to the team with which he won the 125 title in 2006 and was runner-up in 250s has been a remarkable success.
Bautista has consistently made Q2, and finished fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, and been among the best of what has been an outstanding year for satellite riders.
Bautista will likely be riding a Ducati GP17 in 2018, though that is yet to be confirmed. Who Bautista’s teammate will be is still an open question, though Karel Abraham has probably done enough to earn the right to stay.
Source: Team Aspar
This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.
