Spanish rider Alvaro Bautista has agreed a one-year deal to ride for Gresini Honda during the 2012 MotoGP season.
Spaniard signs with team on one-year deal for 2012
Spanish rider Alvaro Bautista has agreed a one-year deal to ride for Gresini Honda during the 2012 MotoGP season.
Bautista makes the switch from Rizla Suzuki following the tragic death of former Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli at this year's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Hiroshi Aoyama, who also rode for the team during 2011, will move to the World Superbike Championship next season.
Bautista, who made the step up to MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010 and has a best finish of fifth place to his name, joined up with his new team immediately for the Valencia test on Wednesday.
"I am particularly satisfied that Alvaro Bautista will ride a Honda RC213V in the colours of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini next year," team boss Fausto Gresini said.
"He is a very fast rider and I also hold him in high regard for his personality and pleasant nature.
"I am sure that he will integrate swiftly into our group and that we will enjoy some pleasant experiences together in the future."
Bautista scored 152 points in his 32 MotoGP starts for Suzuki and says he is sad to leave the team.
He said: "I am very sad to be leaving Suzuki after the two great years that I have had here. It has been a great team to work in and I have learnt a lot of things from everyone in the team."
