Alvaro Bautista Confirmed For 250cc In 2009

After spending many daft weeks examining and dispelling various MotoGP rumours we are now very happy to put an end to it all with the announcement that Jorge Martinez will be retaining the services of Alvaro Bautista in 250cc once again next year.

Here's the quotes...

Álvaro Bautista:
"I'm really happy to renew my contract because I am so comfortable with the set-up at Mapfre Aspar. The mechanics and team structure are unbeatable. Now that we have re-signed with Jorge for 2009 I feel much more relaxed and I'm ready to continue my education in this category."
 
Jorge Martínez:
"It is a pleasure for us to be able to continue with Álvaro for another season. I have always known that he is a born winner and signing him again was a personal mission for me. I'm convinced he will give us plenty more reasons to celebrate and as he showed in the 125cc class in 2006 he has everything it takes to become 250cc World Champion - whether it is this season or next."

WE SAY: Great to see the partnership being renewed, and hopefully Alvaro can go up to the top class with a lot more experience and two 250 titles! ;)

Alvaro - Post Race Quotes; Misano

"Alongside my mechanics and Aprilia we found a really good setting in the warmup, and I was very excited about the race. The only setback was the fact that I was starting from far back and the race was shaping up to be difficult. With the high temperatures the physical effort involved was enormous. In the end I tried to catch up with the leading group, and they were bothering each other so much that I was able to do it. At the end of the race Hector and Marco touched and that allowed me to reach the line more comfortably. I'm really happy because the result takes us closer to the top of the standings, and because this weekend looked to be a difficult one. I would also like to dedicate this victory to the victims of the recent Spanish air disaster."

Bati Takes Superb Win At Thrilling Misano Race

For the second race in succession Alvaro’s gone and reminded us why we love and support him, with a phenomenal run at Misano which saw him move from 11th on the grid to 6th on lap one and to an eventual win.
Stonking stuff really; full-on gutsy riding, totally unfazed by all the Simoncelli / Barbera nonsense going on around him - and the pure balls-out riding style to carve through the field and the calm clarity to not get involved in any reckless moves taking him to a thoroughly deserved and spectacular victory.
Both Kallio and Simoncelli did themselves no favours in the overall championship standings through their performances, with Alvaro now moving up to third with a nicely reduced points margin (Simoncelli leads with 190 to Kallio's 164 and Bati's 163).

Here’s the results in full...


CLASSIFIED:

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 43:15.831
2. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 2.088
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 3.752
4. R.Locatelli Gilera + 7.472
5. Julian Simon KTM + 10.862
6. Marco Simoncelli Gilera + 21.180
7. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 29.440
8. R.Wilairot Honda + 33.882
9. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 35.051
10. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 45.405
11. Fabrizio Lai Gilera + 47.260
12. Federico Sandi Aprilia +1:10.664
13. Manuel Hernandez Aprilia +1:10.882
14. Toni Wirsing Honda +1:33.332
15. S.G.Giorgi Gilera + 1 Lap
16. D.T.Pradita Yamaha + 1 Lap


NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 19
Eugene Laverty Aprilia 14
Imre Toth Aprilia 12
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 11
Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 3
Mika Kallio KTM 3
Hector Faubel Aprilia 2
Alex Debon Aprilia 2
Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1

Quote from Alvaro; post-qualifying San Marino GP, Misano

"I'm struggling to find a set-up that allows me to have fun on the Aprilia. I'm lacking confidence on the way into the corners. We've improved today but we're still a long way off a good feeling. We'll see what we can do with the engineers tonight and try to take a step forward in the warm-up. I'm not happy with this result but we just have to work harder - especially at a time when things are tricky. It's going to be tough to stay with the lead group if the pace is high but we'll give 100% to try and catch them and never give up."

San Marino GP - Misano - 250cc Grid

Sorry for lack of postings; am away this weekend.
Nonetheless, here's the grid for tomorrow - Bati a troubling, lowly 11th... :(
Still - if anybody knows how to do comebacks... ;)


Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1:38.047
2. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1:38.124 + 0.077
3. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:38.813 + 0.766
4. Yuki Takahashi Honda 1:38.822 + 0.775
5. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 1:38.869 + 0.822
6. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1:38.961 + 0.914
7. Julian Simon KTM 1:39.009 + 0.962
8. Hector Faubel Aprilia 1:39.058 + 1.011
9. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1:39.130 + 1.083
10. Mika Kallio KTM 1:39.165 + 1.118
11. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1:39.217 + 1.170
12. Alex Debon Aprilia 1:39.402 + 1.355
13. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1:39.749 + 1.702
14. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 1:39.828 + 1.781
15. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 1:39.875 + 1.828
16. Fabrizio Lai Gilera 1:39.963 + 1.916
17. Eugene Laverty Aprilia 1:40.317 + 2.270
18. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1:40.360 + 2.313
19. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1:40.732 + 2.685
20. Federico Sandi Aprilia 1:41.205 + 3.158
21. Manuel Hernandez Aprilia 1:41.513 + 3.466
22. Toni Wirsing Honda 1:42.620 + 4.573
23. Simone Grotzki Giorgi Gilera 1:42.756 + 4.709
24. Doni Tata Pradita Yamaha 1:42.992 + 4.945
25. Imre Toth Aprilia 1:43.841 + 5.794
26. Alen Gyorfi Honda 1:46.446 + 8.399

Seen on eBay - New Replica Lid

Spotted this in the eBay Store of Speed Addict Cycles...

Sweet! :P
I want one dammit!

San Marino GP - Misano - Event Schedule

Friday August 29th

125cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 09:00-09:45 
MotoGP :: Free Practice 1 :: 10:00-11:00 
250cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 11:15-12:15 
125cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:10-13:40 
MotoGP :: Free Practice 2 :: 13:55-14:55 
250cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 15:10-15:55


Saturday August 30th

125cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 09:00-09:45 
MotoGP :: Free Practice 3 :: 10:00-11:00 
250cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 11:15-12:15 
125cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 13:10-13:40 
MotoGP :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:55-14:55 
250cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 15:10-15:55


Sunday August 31st

125cc :: Warm-Up :: 08:40-09:00 
250cc :: Warm-Up :: 09:10-09:30 
MotoGP :: Warm-Up :: 09:40-10:05 
125cc :: Race :: 11:00-11:45 
250cc :: Race :: 12:15-13:00 
MotoGP :: Race :: 14:00-15:00


(*All times local: GMT +1)

Quote from Alvaro Ahead Of Misano

“We come to San Marino with a lot of desire and especially after the race in Brno, where we were close to the victory, we will try to win here at all costs. Misano is the track where I tested the Aprilia RSA for the first time last season, so we already have references and that is a very positive aspect.
In 2007 we were fast from the first day on, our intention is to repeat that and to continue improving. We must continue to cut down points and therefore we will have to get out our best weapons. It will be a very difficult task because we are on the home turf of the "enemy", but that doesn't mean we won't try.”

Enemy???? ;)

Another Day, Another Rumour...

(...or "If it's Friday, it must be Suzuki.")

Well, the rumour mill really is in full swing now - with the Kawasaki rumours now being succeeded by talk of Alvaro having a Suzuki seat in MotoGP in 2009.
This latest angle comes from an article posted yesterday in the Spanish sports magazine MARCA.com which seems to believe that Aspar will have a Kawasaki team running in the top class next year and that its rider will be Tony Elias, whilst Alvaro Bautista will be over at Suzuki in a slot made vacant by either Loris Capirossi or Chris Vermeulen - the Suzuki squad apparently being very interested in Bati (and rightly so, of course!). Interesting...

You can follow all the latest news, and join in the chat and opinions here... where Alvaro fans scour the web, translate the stories and pull all the news, rumour and thought together as this story keeps on progressing.

Say Hello To The BatiFans Forum App For iPhone

I've made a groovy iPhone 'webapp' to help keep suitably equipped Alvaro Bautista fans bang up to date with all the latest posts, news, thought and opinion on all things Bati and MotoGP on our BatiFans.com Fan Forum

Find out all about it here...
Oh, and get an iPhone ;)

True Or False?

Biggie if it's true... or have gpweek.com jumped the gun on this before something's actually sealed?
According to the magazine, "A NEW one-rider second Kawasaki team for next year will add to the grids, and has helped other contracts fall into place, as the 2009 line-up nears finality.
The team, with a new Spanish telephone company sponsor, will be run by former multi-80/125cc champion Jorge 'Aspar' Martinez, and will field current 250 star and former 125 champion Alvaro Bautista on a Kawasaki.
This ends Martinez’s long quest to add a MotoGP team to his impressive portfolio of 250 and 125 teams, increasing his influence in the paddock. Martinez had previously been in negotiation with Suzuki, but was told earlier this year they would not be able to supply him with a motorcycle."

WE SAY: There have been many many rumours, taking in pretty much every make of bike over the past weeks and months - and recently some firmer and firmer sounding ideas - but as far as we know nothing's actually signed and sealed. And certainly the *definite* tone of this piece isn't even reflected anywhere in the Spanish media just yet (generally, whilst there *is* coverage of this subject it tends to be of the opinion that talks are ongoing), which has to add weight to it being a tad premature...
Keep up with all news and opinions on this ongoing saga here...

Pic Of The Day: The Wheelie

Elation? Relief? Who knows - but Bati's slow-down lap wheelie was a sight for sore eyes... Let's hope there's good reason for a few more before the season's out... :)

Alvaro - Brno; Post-Race Quote...

“It was a special race. I started very badly and had a difficult first lap; I had to push harder than the others to keep closing the distance. I pushed as hard as I could to get to that first group.
Once there I tried to stop the pace and conserve the front tyre, which I had problems with when braking and passing riders.
It was a nice fight and I took second. I’m happy, but with 2 laps to go I touched Debon and lost distance that I wasn’t able to make up. I thought that we could have fought for the victory without that.”

Czech GP, Brno - 250cc - Bautista Snatches Excellent 2nd Place

What an excellent race from Alvaro today; a superb run from a lowly 10th on the grid to finish second, snatching the position in a nail-biting final lap move that dropped Simoncelli from 1st to 3rd.
Debon and Simoncelli spent most of the race swapping the lead, and there's no doubt that towards the end Debon was clearly trying to hold Bati off from Simoncelli ("team" orders of sorts I guess...)
Still - given the unpredictability of the weekend, it was a great result - a superb balls-out ride and one that was a heart-thumping pleasure to watch.
(*Although the result now puts Alvaro back to 4th from 3rd in the championship overall, it DOES actually simultaneously reduce his gap to Kallio and Simoncelli.)
Brilliant work Bati! :)

Hre's the results in full...

Pos | Rider | Nation | Team | Total time
1 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia 41'08.168
2 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 0.280
3 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.325
4 H. BARBERA SPA Team Toth Aprilia + 0.827
5 M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 + 1.249
6 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 13.713
7 M. PASINI ITA Polaris World + 13.826
8 H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 16.026
9 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 19.084
10 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 20.692
11 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 29.495
12 J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc + 29.772
13 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 31.944
14 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 36.314
15 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 43.751
16 E. LAVERTY IRL Blusens Aprilia + 46.564
17 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 55.591
18 F. SANDI ITA MAtteoni Racing + 55.704
19 D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia + 1'24.324
20 T. WIRSING GER Racing Team Germany + 1'39.423
21 R. GOMEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 1'59.990

Not classified
T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte 17 Lap
K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 18 Lap

Not starting
M. POGGIALI RSM Campetella Racing

Czech GP - 250cc - Qualifying 1

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Hector Barbera Aprilia 2:16.210
2. Mika Kallio KTM 2:16.896 + 0.686
3. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 2:17.306 + 1.096
4. Alex Debon Aprilia 2:17.759 + 1.549
5. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 2:18.948 + 2.738
6. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 2:19.086 + 2.876
7. Eugene Laverty Aprilia 2:19.796 + 3.586
8. Julian Simon KTM 2:19.988 + 3.778
9. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 2:20.155 + 3.945
10. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 2:20.270 + 4.060
11. Yuki Takahashi Honda 2:20.469 + 4.259
12. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 2:21.162 + 4.952
13. Fabrizio Lai Gilera 2:21.697 + 5.487
14. Doni Tata Pradita Yamaha 2:22.563 + 6.353
15. Toni Wirsing Honda 2:22.804 + 6.594
16. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 2:23.106 + 6.896
17. Karel Abraham Aprilia 2:23.688 + 7.478
18. Hector Faubel Aprilia 2:26.173 + 9.963
19. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 2:26.189 + 9.979
20. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 2:26.200 + 9.990
21. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 2:26.739 + 10.529
22. Federico Sandi Aprilia 2:27.294 + 11.084
23. Russel Gomez Aprilia 2:29.688 + 13.478
24. Manuel Poggiali Gilera

Czech GP - 250cc - Free Practice 1

Pos | Rider | Nation | Team | Lap time
1 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera 2'03.149
2 M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.048
3 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 0.315
4 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia + 0.578
5 H. BARBERA SPA Team Toth Aprilia + 0.729
6 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.935
7 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.090
8 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 1.117
9 M. PASINI ITA Polaris World + 1.230
10 J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc + 1.475
11 H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.608
12 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 1.833
13 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 2.218
14 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 2.410
15 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 2.981
16 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 3.207
17 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 3.285
18 E. LAVERTY IRL Blusens Aprilia + 3.408
19 F. SANDI ITA MAtteoni Racing + 3.779
20 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 3.945
21 M. POGGIALI RSM Campetella Racing + 4.357
22 D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia + 4.432
23 R. GOMEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 5.794
24 T. WIRSING GER Racing Team Germany + 6.013

Alvaro - Quotes Ahead Of Brno

Alvaro Bautista:
“This break was very much needed to relieve the stress of so many races in such a short time. Especially considering that in some cases the result was not the one we wanted. But I focus on the fact that I finished the first part of the championship and can return with full force to be at the front again, with 100% power.
We have to go on with the same mindset, thinking from race to race, knowing that we still have seven races and many points to play for. At the moment anything can happen - the first part (of the season) wasn't very good to us, but considering the last races before the break that will surely change. We always have to continue being in the fight for the top positions.”

(*Source: Aspar Media)

2009 MotoGP iCal Now Available For Download

Just to prove how far ahead of the curve we are at times, here's news that we have put live our MotoGP 2009 iCal.
iCal calendars work in the .ics format and can be used not only within iCal in Mac OSX but also in various Windows calendar and organiser applications. In fact there's some info on compatible Windows and Linux calendar apps at the bottom of this linked page. (The URL for the calendar that you will need to use in these apps is this: webcal://ical.me.com/gbouch/MotoGP_2009.ics )

Mac users can subscribe to the iCal by simply clicking here...
Download it and have the dates handy whenevr you need them (especially if you synchronise the calendar with an iPod or iPhone).


BTW - Just in case you want a quick refresher on the 2009 schedule, it's as follows: (this list is still officially referred to as 'provisional' mind...)

12th April Qatar Doha/Losail*
26th April Japan Motegi
3rd May Spain Jerez de la Frontera
17th May France Le Mans
31st May Italy Mugello
14th June Catalunya Catalunya
27th June Netherlands Assen**
5th July United States Laguna Seca***
19th July Germany Sachsenring
26th July Great Britain Donington Park
16th August Czech Republic Brno
30th August Indianapolis Indianapolis
13th September San Marino Misano
20th September Hungary Lake Balaton
4th October Portugal Estoril
18th October Australia Phillip Island
25th October Malaysia Sepang
8th November Valencia Ricardo Tormo Valencia

* Evening race
** Saturday
*** Only MotoGP class

MotoGP, Czech Grand Prix, Brno - Schedule

Friday August 15th

125cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 09:00-09:45
MotoGP :: Free Practice 1 :: 10:00-11:00
250cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 11:15-12:15
125cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:05-13:35
MotoGP :: Free Practice 2 :: 13:55-14:55
250cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 15:05-15:50


Saturday August 16th

125cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 09:00-09:45
MotoGP :: Free Practice 3 :: 10:00-11:00
250cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 11:15-12:15
125cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 13:05-13:35
MotoGP :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:55-14:55
250cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 15:05-15:50


Sunday August 17th

125cc :: Warm-Up :: 08:30-08:55
250cc :: Warm-Up :: 09:05-09:30
MotoGP :: Warm-Up :: 09:40-10:05
125cc :: Race :: 11:00-11:45
250cc :: Race :: 12:15-13:00
MotoGP :: Race :: 14:00-15:00


(*All times local - CEDT, GMT+2)

Some Photos From The Official Fanclub Fiesta

For other pics, report and comments, click here...

Greetings From Talavera de la Reina :)

Well, we're here - me and Michaela arrived late Friday night and went straight to the Bar Los Tinajones for a cold one and some tapas.
We're having a great time; being given the most amazing welcome from Miguel and other fanclub and local folk. The Alvaro Bautista Official Fanclub Party - Fiesta - starts in a couple of hours... can't wait :)
Expect photos and more info and stories here and over at BatiFans.com once I get back to the UK.
For now though - take it from me; this is a fab place and one you should really try and visit...