MotoGP Rider of the Year 2012:8th Alvaro Bautista
Your score out of 10: 6.10 (average)
Team: San Carlo Honda Gresini
Bike: RC213V (satellite)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Poles: 1
Fastest Laps: 0
Championship points: 178 (9.9 points per start average)
Championship position: 5th
Alvaro Bautista delivered his best
MotoGP season to date in 2012, using the switch from Suzuki to Gresini Honda to claim his first pole, podiums and a new high of fifth in the final standings.
Joining Gresini in the wake of Marco Simoncelli's tragic death, Bautista may have taken his time getting to grips with the satellite RC213V, but by the end of the season he was often a match for the Tech 3 Yamahas.
After steadily improving his performances to fourth place, from a first pole, at Silverstone, Bautista's mid-season form then suffered in the aftermath of the 'Assen incident'.
The Spaniard eventually put it behind him with a poignant debut podium at Misano (Simoncelli's home circuit), a result he replicated at Motegi.
Those rostrums occurred during a convincing run of results that hauled Bautista up to fifth in the standings and the second-best satellite rider.
That was a big improvement on 13th overall in his two previous
MotoGP seasons, but the Spaniard still slipped one place relative to the 2011 Rider of the Year vote.
Crash.net's MotoGP Rider of the Year vote 2012:8. Alvaro Bautista 6.10
9.
Randy de Puniet 5.83
10.
Nicky Hayden 5.67
Your complete ranking, featuring all full-time 2012 MotoGP riders, will be revealed after the winner is announced on December 31.Do you agree the poll results? Leave your comments below...