Alvaro Bautista picks Sepang as preferred MotoGP wildcard choice, will Ducati say yes?

Alvaro Bautista admits Sepang would be his preferred option for a MotoGP wildcard later in the season, should Ducati make it a possibility.
Alvaro Bautista, Ducati MotoGP Misano test 2023
Alvaro Bautista, Ducati MotoGP Misano test 2023

Well on track to claim a second WorldSBK title in succession, Bautista is curren🎉tly at Misano for a two-day private test aboard Ducati’s factory MotoGP machine.

The test, which ends today, got off to a great start on Tuesday with Bautista and Ducati both confirming that everythin🅷g had gone better than expected. 

After comple♌ting a third straight hat-trick at Misano nearly three weeks ago, Bautista will next be in WorldSBK action in just over one week's time at Donington Park.

Whether Bautista continues his winning streak or not at the British circuit, a track that’s statistically 🍸one of his worst since joining WorldSBK in 2019, his 86-point advantage over Toprak Razgatlioglu means a healthy margin will remain no matter what.

It’s a margin that only looks like go൩ing up which could result in Bautista winning the title well before the end of the Superbike championship, buꦐt also the MotoGP campaign, meaning a wildcard could quickly become the focus.

Asked by where his preference for a MotoGP wildcard wou𒅌ld be, Bautista confirmed Sepang😼 as his first choice.

Bautista began by saying: "At the moment, doing a wildcard is not in my plans. I did a test. Now we have to be focused on the next three rounds 👍because they are very close, and we need to be concentrating on them. 

"We’ll see. I don’t know if maybe Ducati wilꦫl ask me to do another test or not but, at the moment, there aren’t any plans for the future. 

"After our Championship finishes, there areᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ a lot of races for MotoGP™. At this moment, I’m not thinking about a wildcard. 

"If you tell me you have to do one wildcard, which track would you like to rac♕e… maybe Sepang is a good track. I like it and there are long straights."

Ducati Corse General Manager, Gigi Dall’Igna was also quick to place down a possible wildcard after day-one, however, Ducati Corse Technica꧂l Coordinator, Marco Zambenedetti, was a bit more open to the chances of it happening. 

"First of all, everything depends on the feeling that Bautista has. The main goal is for🍎 him is WorldSBK to keep the numb♕er 1 on the fairing. 

"Nobody knows. At the end of ☂the Championship, if there is the time, we will see."

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