Mathew Scholtz aboard the Strack Racing Yamaha R1 in 2026
Rumors are buzzing about the possibility of two-time World Superbike Champion Alvaro Bautista may be joining MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci in racing MotoAmerica Superbikes in 2027. Bautista is known to be a rider of small stature of just under 130 pounds, so when World Superbike began using a combined rider-weight regulation for the class the longtime Ducati rider required a lot more ballast weight on his bike than his fellow competitors.
MotoAmerica doesn’t use that formula.
Making the rumors even more intriguing is that Strack Racing appears to be the likely destination for Bautista. Strack has been a team firmly in the Yamaha camp in the past, winning two MotoAmerica Supersport Championships with their former rider Mathew Scholtz in 2024 and 2025 before the pair moved up to Superbike together in 2026. Last year Scholtz piloted the Strack Racing Yamaha R1 to an impressive five victories and third place in the Superbike Championship.
With Scholtz rumored to be moving over to the factory supported Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha team it would appear that Strack Racing is considering options beyond just replacing their rider.
Also hot on the rumor mill is that teaming with Scholtz on the other Attack Yamaha ride will be Danilo Petrucci. Petrucci is no stranger to MotoAmerica capturing five wins while finishing runner up in the 2022 season with Warhorse HSBK Ducati. Petrucci was known to be in Arizona last week at the same time the team had a private test at Podium Club.
Am I reading too much into a T-shirt? Image used from Dominic Doyle’s Instagram
One other item that came up from that same test; Dominic Doyle was also there with the team formerly known as Giaccmoto Racing that last year competed as Liberty St. Yamaha Racing. Doyle was seen on instagram post doing laps aboard the same Yamaha R9 as last year, however team owner Chuck Giacchetto can be seen in the background wearing an official Attack Performance shirt.
Does this signal a new alignment between the two factory supported Yamaha teams for 2027? Or could I just be reading too much into a T-shirt between people and teams that have been long-time friends?
