Alvaro Signing Autographs At Fitur 09, Madrid

Spanish car hire company SOLMAR rent a car will have its own stand in this year's Fitur exhibition/show (Hall 12, Stand 12B10A), where Bradley Smith, Jorge Martínez “Aspar” and Álvaro Bautista, from the ASPAR Racing Team, will be signing autographs to everyone who comes to the SOLMAR stand on Thursday 29th January 2009 at 12:00 o’clock.

SOLMAR rent a car is a Spanish leading car hire company. Its office network reaches to 26 rental points in 9 different regions, and 18 Spanish airports. During year 2008 SOLMAR has had a fleet of 18.000 vehicles and a million clients attended. To find out more, check out their website at www.solmar.es

See You In A Couple Of Weeks

My doctor's ordered me off to warmer climes to calm down and avoid that BBC-induced anger stroke... See you in a fortnight. :-)

BBC & MotoGP Coverage - Latest Inadequate / Lame Response

For those of us (and that by definition means Alvaro fans) who have an interest in the classes outside of MotoGP itself, the various bits of news and information about the BBC's exclusive takeover of coverage for 2009 has been a huge worry.
I must admit that the choice of commentators doesn't rile me as much as overall questions of the amount of 250 and 125 coverage (you can always turn the volume down), and the fact that much of what we are interested in looks like it will be stuck behind the red button, away from where it can be recorded.
BBC MotoGP Series Producer Belinda Rogerson has responded on Crash.net (in as far as you can call the following a response - to be brutally honest apart from a couple of piffling and largely irrelevant bits of technical smoke and mirrors, and some elaboration on the commentators, it's nothing new from what they said last summer...) to other disgruntled and concerned fans.
Here's what she has to say:

"BBC Sport are proud of their coverage of MotoGP and bringing premier class racing to a terrestrial audience. In 2009 we are expanding our coverage to include Qualifying of the 125 and 250 classes on Saturday alongside MotoGP Qualifying from every round on the red button. There will be live coverage of every race and in Europe MotoGP Extra after the race has finished giving further insight and interviews. That's around 7 hours of coverage each weekend.

"Our coverage attracts audiences of over a million with an approval rating that has been the highest for any terrestrial program in a given week. We believe the BBC team and the commentary team are key to that success and we look forward to another exciting season in 2009.
Steve Parrish raced at the very highest level and Charlie Cox is an experienced lead commentator with a great passion for and extensive knowledge of motor bikes. We always review our coverage at the end of the season and I frequently read the comments posted on a variety of websites including this one but commentary is a hugely subjective issue and we believe we have the best team to lead our programme.
In terms of presentation Suzi Perry has a wealth of experience from years of fronting motorbike racing and our pitlane reporter Matthew Roberts has worked as a journalist for Dorna for 8 years before joining the BBC and his excellent connections with the teams enabled us to break stories last year ahead of anyone else.

"We have taken on board feedback about the non-recordable nature of the red button when viewed on certain platforms and as a result we will be looping the Qualifying on Saturday afternoon and evening and will do the same with the races on Sunday into the following week. A timetable for this will appear on the website at the start of the season.
The inability to record the red button is a Sky Box issue rather than a specifically BBC one so we are doing all we can to enable you to watch the sessions you may have missed live. If you can get Eurosport then you will also be able to access the red button. Under the terms of the licence we can't turn BBC3 or 4 into a sports channel although we can use them occasionally and they are unavailable during the day as the bandwidth is used by CBeebies and CBBC.

"All broadcasters take the race coverage from Dorna and this is currently not produced in HD although I understand they are planning to do so in 2010. We took the widescreen coverage of the racing as soon as it became available at the start of the last season and we are always looking for further ways to innovate our coverage. I have a great deal of time for all the Eurosport team, I know them all personally and I was very sorry to see them go at the end of last season but this was a decision taken by Dorna and not the BBC."

It's this inconsequential stuff about red-button recording being a Sky issue and so-on that grates... These people knew the limitations of the technology perfectly well, and also apparently the limitations of their own channel outputs (not being able to elect to build a sports channel as such) and were by default in a perfect position to see - as me and anyone with half a brain (or possibly less) were able to - that the end product would therefore be a lesser offering by far than Eurosport's.
Why on earth - despite that bit about it being DORNA's decision (what rubbish! DORNA forced them to broadcast this?) did they commit to ensuring they were the sole broadcaster of a product that it was utterly inappropriate for them to broadcast.

I have to say I'm as annoyed about it as when I first heard, as everything continues to confirm my worst fears over the quality and quantity and accessibility of 250 and 125.
Get it out from behind the red button and into the videostream and give us *AT LEAST* what Eurosport did (Friday 250 & 125 sessions for example!) and then you will have found a base level from which to build something to be proud of.
Until then it's a load of crap.
They have very deliberately bid to be in a position where they broadcast an exclusive, yet worse, product than people had before - and the public now have absolutely no choice on TV coverage and have to go to the Beeb to watch something weaker, more difficult to access and more limited in extent of sessions covered and in the ability to record. The BBC should be fucking ashamed, quite frankly.

I tell you I'm just glad I'm going away; I'd have a bloody anger stroke if I had to contemplate this mess much more!

RANDOM: Colour Coding Bikers' Leathers

Okay, I'm tired, there's not much news and I'm off on holiday for a fortnight in a couple of days, so I'm very lazily just posting up something random.
I found an interesting piece of a kind of 'colour psychology' of bikers' leathers on an insurance website...

Beige: Calm, dependable, no fuss biker

Blue: A biker with clear thought, maturity and
responsibility

Black: This biker requires protection from the
outside world

Gold: Symbolises luxury, top-of-the-range, expense,
sophistication and glamour

Green: Balanced and peaceful. The biker will keep
the machine finely tuned

Grey: Enjoys a well-made, functional machine. Sometimes
has slight low self-confidence

Mauve/Purple: Upmarket biker, but also rather naughty
and self-indulgent.

Orange: A biker who likes physical comfort, pleasure
and sensuality, though opposite to blue

Pink: A maternal biker, loving, nurturing and a
strong assertion of the feminine

Red: The sign of strong and masculine biker, exhilarating
and exciting

Silver: The biker who loves luxury, speed and fine
engineering

White: The biker wants uncompromising, clean excellence
and the world to keep away

Yellow: Self-confident and optimistic biker. Fun,
yet more mature than the orange biker

Barring any niggling realities about sponsors' colours, I'd say red suits Bati just fine. ;-)
(*The article does not clarify the meaning of Hector Barbera's "measles' leathers. Nor does it shed any light on Sideshow Bob's blackwhiteredflourescentyellowandafewothercoloursthrownin leathers however. Though we can probably make our own guesses.)

Alvaro Joins SIDI Line-up For 2009

SIDI have just put out the following press release confirming our suspicions of a switch from TCX in parallel with his switch from Clover leathers to MTECH...

...............................................................

January 9th, 2009 – Big news at Sidi Sport! Another extraordinary rider has become a part of Sidi’s line-up of great champions.  Alvaro Bautista, class of 1984 and a key player for Team Aspar, will be one to watch for the 250 class, 2009 World Championships.

And of course, Sidi Vortice boots will be there with him all the way. These boots offer all the best of Sidi’s technology, designed and developed for maximum performance on the speedway while guaranteeing maximum comfort and safety for the rider. Manufactured inLorica and lined with Teflon-treated airflow weave, Vortice’s outstanding features also include the ankle support braces with ankle joint,sliders with alloy inserts (fundamental on the track), shock-absorbing heels, nylon insoles and rubber soles with changeable inserts.
 
Bautista has shown himself to be a motorcycling phenomenon from the start. After introducing his talent in the Spanish Championship and the European Speed Championships, in 2002 Alvaro debuted in the World competition, where he contested 4 races in the 125 class. The following year the Spanish racer began his great adventure in the maximum category and in 2004 he placed 7th in the world standings.

In2006 he won his first championship victory on his hometown circuit of Jerez; Bautista followed up with another 7 wins and 16 more podiums, riding a wave of great results to clinch the World Championship in the 125 class in Australia, at the age of 22. In 2007 he jumped into the 250 class and in the style of a great champion got right into the rhythm of his new bike and rode it to 2 victories and a total of 5 podiums.
 
The rest is recent history. In 2008 the Spanish rider was second in World class standings with 8 consecutive podiums, hot on the heels of the Italian Simoncelli at the end of an exciting championship that was a hard fought competition to the very last race.  And 2009 promises to be another great season of success for Alvaro Bautista and Sidi Sport!
...............................................................

As with MTECH, it sounds another promising partnership and it's of course excellent to see such a huge name as SIDI getting Alvaro onboard.
All things seem to point to a great deal of confidence in our guy, and we hope they also signpost a great year ahead. :-)

More News On The Peña Dissolution

Well, slightly more promising news on the Peña / Fanclub front... The latest news from Spain suggests there's an upcoming meeting been called which will lay the foundations for a 'Fan Club' to replace the Peña, and it seems likely that the current Directiva (or most of them - detail is not perfect) will remain in place.

Whilst the demise of the Peña in its present form remains a cause for sadness, the fact that things seem to being setup to move ofrward on a different footing (it is, for instance, inconceivable that this would be happening without substantial progress in addressing the issues with the company that holds Alvaro's image rights) at least it sounds like the guys who have been responsible for such a brilliant fan club so far will be there to look after the new incarnation of it too.

Again, we're sure this isn't by any means the final word, so we'll continue to bring you news as more details and information emerge.

"My Goal This Season Is To Be Champion"

Read the English translation of Alvaro's latest interview for the Aspar website, looking ahead to 2009, in full here at BatiFans.com

Trouble In Paradise...

Sadly, following on from the good news regarding Alvaro's new partnership with MTECH, there's some worrying sounds from Talavera tonight, with news coming out that the Peña is being dissolved in just over a month.
Apparently the board / Directiva did not stand for re-election at what we believe to be the last AGM and therefore there is a new managing board in place that seems to have a mission to dissolve the Peña.
The story, broken by news agency EFE, can be found here...

It appears that the root of all this is the company that owns Alvaro's image rights - although news releases make it unclear what explicitly this may refer to in terms of the Peña (or the name of the company / rights holder), as the fanclub already produce kit with Alvaro's mascot on it, "19" pin badges and who use plenty of official photos on the site.
I certainly know Alvaro's name (in full) to be a registered trademark, and as far as I know the t-shirts that you can buy in Talavera and through distributors which feature Alvaro's 'wordmark' logo / logotype of his name and various mascot designs have nothing to do with the Peña and would most liekly be fully licensed products.

Reports suggest that tensions and confrontation between the company and the Peña are what have brought us to this point.
The reports also suggest a new fanclub will emerge, but it seems a very great shame for such an apparent impasse to be reached and for such drastic steps to be taken.

I've met the Directiva from the Peña at last year's summer party and winter Cena, and they're excellent lovely people, utterly devoted to Alvaro and his career - Miguel Angel Rodriguez (the president) and also Ricardo, Fausto, Miguel Angel del Pino Martinez, and all the others... and I hope very much that things move on or are somehow resolved amicably.

I will always support Alvaro, and I'm sure those who've been around him for far, far longer feel the exact same kind of devotion - it's sad and upsetting when news of this sort gets in the way of that kind of devoted and good natured support.
I'll aim to bring more news of what's going on as things progress and as we hear more detail on what is happening, as at the moment it's not 100% clear and so it would be unwise to speculate much further.

For now, we just keep our fingers crossed...

A Tough Brand Needs A Tough Man

(*Above: Lorenzo Faggionato, Research & Development Product Manager for MTECH on the left, with Alvaro in his new kit)

Further to that news about Alvaro's switch to MTECH leathers, they have sent me this press release which covers off the reasoning behind the taking up of our hero, plus a general potted career history.
Love the last paragraph... :-)

.....................................................................................
Alvaro Bautista has signed a partnership agreement with MTECH for 2009.
The Racer will take part in the 250cc category of the world championships, as official racer for the Aspar Martinez team. He will be wearing one of the NKP number 19 suits, and accessories from the company in Arzignano firm, members of Mastrotto Group.

Alvaro Bautista, born in Talavera della Reina 1984, has been a revelation in 125cc world championship racing. Back in 2004 he stepped up on the podium for coming second at Donington Park. He also found himself on the podium once at Qatar and once at Malaysia.

In 2006 he won the 125cc championship, wearing Aspar’s colours. He had enjoyed a perfect season, winning 8 of the 17 GP races, and stepping up on the podium 14 times.

In 2007 Bautista moved across to the the 250cc category, accompanying team member Alex De Angelis, also riding an Aprilia and wearing Aspar's colours.
He didn’t waste time stealing stardom, winning two races (Italy and Portugal) and stepping up on the podium 5 times, despite having fractured bones during the season, by the end of the season he found himself in fourth position.

For the 2008 season, Alvaro continued on the 250cc with Héctor Faubel, Mapfre Aspar Team racing partner.
He was favourite for the title at the start of the world championships, but a couple of breakdowns put the title out of his grasp.
He finished the season in second position, and in the end, was really the only one, capable of rivaling Marco Simoncelli.

Things are certainly looking up for him in 2009 though, and MTECH have decided to put money on it, well aware that a tough brand needs a tough man, whose energy is based on technique and the determination to aim always higher.
.....................................................................................

Let's hope it's a great relationship between Alvaro and MTECH, and I wonder how much those '19' suits they refer to are going to cost...?
And where can I get one!!!

New Year, New Gear

News from Daily Motos reports that Alvaro has switched from Clover leathers to M-TECH, with photos emerging of him modelling the NKP Racer suit.
The photos also show he's wearing Sidi boots rather than his usual TCX, though it's not mentioned whether there's any change in this respect (although it would be surprising if he modelled a brand he does not normally wear/promote...)

This Year I Shall Mainly Be Cheering For...

Pere Tutusaus - 125cc & CEV

Leon Haslam - World Superbikes

Leon Camier - British Superbikes

Scott Redding - 125cc

Dani Pedrosa - MotoGP

As much as my life / fanboyism / geekdom / nerdity revolves around Alvaro, he's not the only person I'll be rooting for in 2009.

As I've said below in a previous post, I'm going to be cheering on fellow Talaveran and Alvaro Bautista Peña member Juanjo Nuñez too - and hopefully brigning you good news of his exploits - and also, in categories and championships that are easier to follow / keep up with / watch here in the UK I'll be rooting for these guys...

MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa
(*also Casey Stoner)
(*also James Toseland)
(*also Andrea Dovizioso)

250cc
Alvaro Bautista (Durrhhh...)

125cc
Pere Tutusaus
Scott Redding
(*also Bradley Smith)
(*also Danny Webb)

World Superbikes
Leon Haslam
(*also Gregorio Lavilla)
(*also Tom Sykes)

British Superbikes
Leon Camier
(*also James Ellison)
(*also Graeme Gowland)


To see who other BatiFans are going to be supporting in 2009 click here...