MTECH Leathers Launches Special "Racing Service"

MTECH, as you may know is a partner to Alvaro Bautista, supplying him with leathers for the 2009 season - and it's with this kind of involvement with the sport globally, that MTECH has this year launched its “Racing Service”.

A truck equipped with all accessories to service the riders is ready on all Road Racing World Championship tracks, starting every Thursday before the race. With this initiative, MTECH has reached its goal of “being” on the tracks with a dedicated service, managed by its qualified technicians.
In this way MTECH ensures that it is always near the riders, that it gives them the best assistance and gets their feedback and tips to continuously improve and increase the garment performance.

The pictures show the "Racing Service" truck, and also a set of Alvaro's MTECH leathers being given attention onsite by MTECH's expert crew.

Sorry Alvaro. Wish It Ended Better.

Assen 250cc GP - Results In Full

Pos | Driver | Bike | Time
1. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 40m44.008s
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia +4.424
3. Marco Simoncelli Gilera +10.339
4. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia +11.383
5. Roberto Locatelli Gilera +11.596
6. Alex Debon Aprilia +14.265
7. Karel Abraham Aprilia +17.982
8. Hector Faubel Honda +19.012
9. Rattapark Wilairot Honda +20.926
10. Raffaele de Rosa Honda +21.033
11. Mike di Meglio Aprilia +32.128
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia +41.329
13. Alex Baldolini Aprilia +1:05.321
14. Valentin Debise Honda +1:12.451
15. Imre Toth Aprilia +1 lap
16. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia +1 lap


Retirements

Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 22 laps
Bastien Chesaux Honda 19 laps
Axel Pons Aprilia 16 laps
Toby Markham Honda 14 laps
Steve Bonsey Aprilia 13 laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 13 laps
Thomas Luthi Aprilia 10 laps
Jules Cluzel Aprilia 5 laps
Shoya Tomizawa Honda 0 laps

Assen 250cc GP - Alvaro Wiped Out By Hiro

Less said the better quite frankly...
A brilliant run from Alvaro (on for second or first spot) cut short with about a lap to go when Hiro Aoyama amde a mistake in the final chicane, running wide and slowing right down only to come back onto the track to take out Alvaro who was on the correct line, very close behind.
It was an accident... yeah - I know... and it was by one of the *good* riders in the class... but that doesn't stop it from hurting - particularly as Hiro was able to nurse his bike to the win swapping Bati's 12 point championship lead over him to a 13 pint deficit. And that's galling.

Anyway, here's Alvaro's words on the race...
"My plan was to take it right to the end with Aoyama, because I saw that in the final sector I was quicker than him and I could try a pass. I think that I could have done it, but maybe he had a problem with the bike that stopped him in the chicane. I ran into the back of him and couldn't do anything. The crash is a pity because we could have taken at least twenty points, and the incident has lost us the leadership of the championship. We have to look at the good side though, we had a good race and showed that we are very strong. The results will keep coming if we keep working like we are now."

Assen GP - 250cc Qualifying Times

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Laps
1. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1:40.019 22
2. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 1:40.192 + 0.173 21
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1:40.210 + 0.191 22
4. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1:40.320 + 0.301 19
5. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:40.796 + 0.777 21
6. Alex Debon Aprilia 1:40.830 + 0.811 20
7. Raffaele De Rosa Honda 1:41.023 + 1.004 21
8. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1:41.055 + 1.036 21
9. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia 1:41.072 + 1.053 19
10. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1:41.190 + 1.171 20
11. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 1:41.235 + 1.216 20
12. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 1:41.347 + 1.328 20
13. Hector Faubel Honda 1:41.462 + 1.443 16
14. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1:41.533 + 1.514 22
15. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1:41.545 + 1.526 21
16. Shoya Tomizawa Honda 1:42.038 + 2.019 19
17. Jules Cluzel Aprilia 1:42.628 + 2.609 14
18. Stevie Bonsey Aprilia 1:42.697 + 2.678 13
19. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1:43.075 + 3.056 13
20. Axel Pons Aprilia 1:43.470 + 3.451 21
21. Valentin Debise Honda 1:43.653 + 3.634 19
22. Imre Toth Aprilia 1:43.913 + 3.894 20
23. Bastien Chesaux Honda 1:44.704 + 4.685 21
24. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 1:44.743 + 4.724 17
25. Toby Markham Honda 1:46.758 + 6.739 14

Alvaro Lines Up 3rd For Assen GP

"I had a few problems with the front end in corner entry this afternoon, which I think is because we were running a used front tyre and a new rear. About halfway through this afternoon's qualifying we started to make some progress with the bike and I began to enjoy myself. In the end it was a good session, with a good pace, so I hope I can keep riding like I want to tomorrow in both the warm-up and the race. We were really close to pole but the most important thing was to be on the front row and we've done that. I'd like to improve the bike a little more before the race tomorrow just to be on the safe side but I think the fight will be between the same people as Barcelona, with Aoyama and Barberá both looking good. This morning we tried a few things with the front-end set-up and went down the wrong route at one point, which is what led to the crash, but I'm not worried because we know what the problem was."

Assen: Thursday Quotes From Alvaro

"To be honest the lap times weren't particularly quick today. We had a problem at the start of the session and the rear of the bike was sliding around a lot - also the engine wasn't working as it should be but as the session progressed we ironed things out. I'm still not completely happy with the rear of my Aprilia because it is not gripping and I can't open the throttle when I want to. So that is mainly what we need to work on tomorrow and I'm convinced we can make big improvements. It's not bad for the first day but we can't afford to go to sleep tomorrow. Barberá and myself are a little ahead of the rest but that doesn't mean anything because the pace will increase tomorrow. In our case we know where we can go faster and that is what we need to do in order for me to have fun on the bike."

Assen: Alvaro Takes P1 in FP1

Pos | Rider | Team | Laptime | Gap

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'40.817
2 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'41.002 0.185
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'41.472 0.655
4 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'41.680 0.863
5 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'41.710 0.893
6 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'41.832 1.015
7 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'41.866 1.049
8 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'41.941 1.124
9 Aleix ESPARGARO Balatonring Team 1'42.482 1.665
10 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'42.502 1.685
11 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'42.539 1.722
12 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'42.674 1.857
13 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'42.744 1.927
14 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'42.817 2.000
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'42.888 2.071
16 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'42.890 2.073
17 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'42.900 2.083
18 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'44.250 3.433
19 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'45.039 4.222
20 Stevie BONSEY Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'45.428 4.611
21 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'45.493 4.676
22 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'45.837 5.020
23 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'45.899 5.082
24 Toby MARKHAM C&L Racing 1'47.246 6.429
25 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'47.530 6.713

Juanjo Update - 2nd in CEX at Almeria

(*Above - Juanjo in second place on the Almeria podium)

Last weekend our young Talaveran friend and fellow Alvaro Fanclub member Juanjo Nuñez continued his promising run in the CEX at Almeria with a second spot on the podium, behind Bancaja rider Rodrigo Lopez.
Juanjo had a great weekend overall, especially in the practice/quali sessions but a loss of power in the bike during the race prevented him from properly challenging for the win. But as he himself said afterwards, "That's racing"...

Great work once again, Juanjo. Excellent!
Enhorabuena!
:-)

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Assen

"I think we're strong right now and we go to Holland with plenty of confidence and motivation after the victory in Barcelona. Assen is a circuit I really like, with a mixture of fast and twisty sections, and in general it's a nice place. Last year we won from pole and we have good references, so hopefully the weather can be on our side like it was at the last round so that we can set the pace again. Our objective will be to work hard from Friday and find the best set-up possible so that we have every chance of fighting for the win on Saturday.
Being the series leader is a source of great motivation but you have to remember that there is still a long way to go in the championship and it is important we stay consistent. If I have a chance to go for the win I won't think twice about it, but if it's not on then I'll take as many points as I can."

Alvaro Bautista Catalunya Helmet Desktop Icons

To celebrate Alvaro's superb victory at Catalunya last weekend, it seems only right that the best way to do it is with a set of desktop icons of his special "Man of La Mancha" helmet.
As per usual I've done a set of Mac OSX and a set for Windows XP/Vista, each of which contains two icons of the helmet - one with a drop-shadow and one without.
All carefully crafted and alpha-channelled to pimpify your computer desktop to the very best effect.

Click here for the downloads...
Enjoy :-)

OPINION: On Karma

"There is no reason to be happy about the crash of a rival, it is necessary to be a sportsman/gentleman. But I understand the reaction of the crowd, because it's clear that the Spanish fans will always support the Spaniards more."

Those are the words of Alvaro in the paddock, post-race at Catalunya.
I think they’re worth repeating as they’re indicative of a graciousness that I find pretty special. And it was in abundance last weekend...
There’s Alvaro showing a generosity of spirit that I’d personally find very difficult to express about someone who’d totally stuffed up my previous race, and then there was Sergio Gadea’s tremendously kind words in accepting his third place in the 125cc debacle - seemingly more concerned about Julian Simon and the rest of the team than himself, and of course the fantastic sportsmanship between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo after the main event and the clear and genuine respect of worthy rivals they demonstrated.

It’s when I see behaviour like that I get seriously impressed. It’s the totality of a sportsman / sportswoman that does it for me, not simply their technical ability or a list of their achievements. And it’s why I’m a total hypocrite in expecting them to hold to those kinds of standards whilst I enjoy being able to slag off ‘rivals’ like a big kid... It’s a position many of us hold, as partisan supporters, fans or fanatics, and which we feel entitled to precisely because we are partisan supporters, fans or fanatics. We can dress things up with reason, back them up with stats - all kinds of pimping - but when all’s said and done, we take our sides - and we are partial and prejudiced. Fact.

And because of that it’s okay for the rest of us to boo and hiss - and cheer and jeer; but when the guys in the spotlight get it wrong - as Simoncelli did with his reactions to his Mugello penalty - they set themselves up for a world of hurt. And so it was that Sideshow Bob, having changed his story from a public press conference to a stewards’ inquiry, having accused his rival of lying and then having suggested a Spanish conspiracy on the part of the authorities against Italian riders, found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of abuse when he binned it on lap two of the race.
Okay - the crowds had thought ahead and decked the circuit out with all kinds of inventive messages, but they were merely part of a large helping of Karma (served in this case with generous amounts of gravel) to someone who really does lack that kind of graciousness and self-awareness that you find in the examples of Bautista, Gadea, Rossi and Lorenzo above.
I’ve read on a number of occasions people all pointing to the same sentiment... basically that they know it’s wrong to revel in a crash, but that Simoncelli had completely asked for karma and payback like nobody else. And I must admit that’s pretty much my take. And that’s not a cover - that’s the truth, and I believe those may others mean it too.
He didn’t get all that jeering and all those banners because he’s a rival, or because he's a threat, or because he’s Italian; he got them because he’s a git.

And on a final point about karma; go back to that quote and you'll see that Alvaro’s words are actually even more generous than they may at first appear - as if you read the second bit carefully, you notice he’s actually at pains to avoid any reference to the Mugello antics (on-track or post-race) or anything to do with inflaming a rivalry in any unhealthy way whatsoever.
It’s an attitude utterly at odds with the gobby, petulant approach of Sideshow Bob. One that also humbles hypocrites like me. And hopefully one that eventually counts in that great karmic balance too...

Alvaro Post-Race Quotes: Catalunya

"During the race it was very hard to ride, because the heat was very intense. I couldn't make any mistakes. On the first lap I lost a few places, but I kept calm because I knew that things were under control. After three laps I saw that I could impose my pace on the others, and maybe escape from Hector, so in the end things worked out fine.
This win is important for my morale, because at the moment we are the only ones to have repeated a victory in 2009. It is a big blow to our rivals. Despite Simoncelli falling, we can't rule anyone out for the championship, and in any case we have to focus on our own work and do what we've been doing. I would like to thank the fans for their tremendous support over the home races, and I'm glad to have been able to give them a win."

Pic Of The GP: Catalunya

Although this may only be pic of the day till someone posts up a shot of Sideshow Bob covered in gravel, of course... ;-)

Catalunya GP - 250cc Race Result

A superb win by Alvaro who took charge in the opening couple of laps, and slowly edged away once Sideshow Bob thankfully went and binned himself on lap 2 and left everybody that teensy bit safer for the remainder...
Sensible, swift, measured and mature - a great ride from Alvaro - and judging by the noise form the crowds drowning out the engines, a very very popular one too.

Estupendo Alvarito! Estupendo!


Pos | Rider | Bike | Time

1. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 41m09.018s
2. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 7.185s
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 7.282s
4. Mattia Pasini Aprilia + 10.784s
5. Alex Debon Aprilia + 15.740s
6. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 15.780s
7. R.Wilairot Honda + 28.654s
8. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 31.600s
9. Raffaele De Rosa Honda + 33.760s
10. Hector Faubel Honda + 33.843s
11. Jules Cluzel Aprilia + 34.871s
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 35.117s
13. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 39.840s
14. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia + 42.821s
15. Steve Bonsey Aprilia +1m16.524s
16. Axel Pons Aprilia +1m16.689s
17. Valentin Debise Honda +1m28.826s
18. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia +1m39.488s
19. Bastien Chesaux Honda +1m47.958s
20. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia +1 Lap
21. Toby Markham Honda +1 Lap

NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider Bike Laps
Imre Toth Aprilia 21
R.Locatelli Gilera 14
Shoya Tomizawa Honda 13
Marco Simoncelli Gilera 6

FASTEST LAP: Bautista, 1m46.656s on lap 9

The Magic Of Carlton Kirby

Apart from the continual Simoncelli-bias and preposterous level of rider misidentification here's just two little gems from Eurosport's stand-in commentator Carlton Kirby this morning to remind you why we need Toby and Julian back NOW...
(*Honestly, tuning in to Eurosport nowadays is like visiting-time at the James Allen Sunshine Home For The Terminally Bewildered!)


"Two Spanish flags for the crowd to see, one of them Japanese."
Carlton Kirby, MotoGP 250cc race, Catalunya - Eurosport

"And Folger drops from second to sixth place, just holding on to fifth."
Carlton Kirby, MotoGP 125cc race, Catalunya - Eurosport

Catalunya GP - Saturday Quotes From Alvaro

"Considering the conditions we had to deal with today I don't think second place is a bad result. With less temperature this morning I felt more comfortable and that's a good sign for tomorrow because the race is more or less at the same time. It is a shame that I wasn't able to get maximum potential out of the new tyre at the end because I ran into some traffic and lost some vital tenths.
Anyway, the important thing is that we're on the front row because we need to get a good start and run at the front. The lap times are tight and it will be difficult for anybody to escape so the key will be to stick in the lead group and see what transpires as the laps go by. If I can push on and break things up I will. Still, we don't know what will happen until the race starts. If there is a chance we can win I'll fight tooth and nail and won't give anything up easily."

Alvaro Takes Second In Qualifying

Pos | Num | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Lap time

1 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 1'46.749
2 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Aprilia 1'46.899
3 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera Gilera 1'46.908
4 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte Aprilia 1'47.081
5 6 Alex DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens Aprilia 1'47.125
6 4 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 1'47.166
7 75 Mattia PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia Aprilia 1'47.225
8 55 Hector FAUBEL SPA Valencia CF - Honda SAG Honda 1'47.379
9 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc Aprilia 1'47.426
10 14 Ratthapark WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG Honda 1'47.559
11 25 Alex BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team Aprilia 1'47.596
12 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Aprilia 1'47.725
13 35 Raffaele DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 1'47.747
14 16 Jules CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing Aprilia 1'47.795
15 48 Shoya TOMIZAWA JPN CIP Moto - GP250 Honda 1'48.032
16 15 Roberto LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera Gilera 1'48.088
17 52 Lukas PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP Aprilia 1'48.101
18 7 Axel PONS SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 1'50.450
19 51 Stevie BONSEY USA Milar - Juegos Lucky Aprilia 1'50.598
20 53 Valentin DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 Honda 1'50.653
21 11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia 1'50.732
22 8 Bastien CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany Honda 1'51.229
23 10 Imre TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia Aprilia 1'51.296
24 56 Vladimir LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing Aprilia 1'52.133
25 54 Toby MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing Honda 1'52.856

Catalunya GP - Pics Of The Day; Friday

Catalunya GP - Friday Quotes From Alvaro

"The most important thing about today, with this heat, was setting a good pace. It wasn't excessively fast, as in the other two classes, which shows that the track surface isn't 100%. We had a setback with the engine on my first bike and I had to do the last run on my second one. The engine was a bit better on that one but I could tell the difference in the suspension. We could have done with improving a little more but I'm happy because we set a good pace. Let's say if the track is in better shape tomorrow so that we can continue to make progress. After three or four laps in the long corners the bike is sliding round a lot, the tyres are suffering in the heat and it is difficult to control. We'll try and work out what was wrong with the first engine tomorrow and improve the set-up to be ready for the race."

Catalunya GP - Friday Free Practice

1. Debon (Aprilia) 1min 47.291sec
2. Bautista (Aprilia) +0.038sec
3. Aoyama (Honda) +0.131sec
4. Pasini (Aprilia) +0.163sec
5. di Meglio (Aprilia) +0.384sec
6. Luthi (Aprilia) +0.862sec
7. Simoncelli (Gilera) +0.869sec
8. Abraham (Aprilia) +0.900sec
9. Faubel (Honda) +1.127sec
10. Wilairot (Honda) +1.228sec

Catalunya GP Weekend - TV Schedules

Friday June 12th

Live MotoGP - 11.40am
Catalunya Grand Prix: 125cc Practice
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.45pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 2.00pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: 250cc Practice
(Eurosport 2)

MotoGP - 9.10pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

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


Saturday June 13th

MotoGP - 11.00am
Catalunya Grand Prix: Practice (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.00pm
125cc Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.45pm
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 2.00pm
250cc Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

MotoGP - 9.30pm
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

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


Sunday June 14th

MotoGP - 9.00am
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 10.00am
125cc Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

Live MotoGP - 11.00am
250cc Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

Live MotoGP - 12.30pm
Catalunya Grand Prix
(BBC2)

MotoGP - 4.00pm (*Delayed broadcast)
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

More Goodies! A New "Dale Gas" Episode...

Not only is there that icon set from stv21 to share with you today, but also the latest episode of Mapfre's "Dale Gas" cartoon series from Mapfre - featuring our guy in his ongoing, and fantastically cheeky, animated series that follows the MotoGP season, as shared on Youtube by Motodiez.

Icon / Avatar Downloads From stv21

There's some excellent avatar icons for download over at stv21's Sonrisa de Talavera blog... Too good to miss, so go over and get some triffick graphics for your forum posts...

Nice work stv :-)

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Catalunya

"Racing in Spain is always special because you can feel the energy and the support of the fans and it gives you an extra boost compared to other circuits. Arriving here as the series leader gives me a lot of confidence and determination to put on a good show. I'd like to win because we haven't done so since Japan and I think the team and myself are all willing ourselves to victory again. We'll do a good job during practice to make sure that we can be fighting for victory come Sunday.
Last year we came here after a disastrous start to the season and we needed a good result so I was really careful in the race. I wanted to win but I was trying so hard to close the doors in the corners I ran wide and conceded victory. Montmeló is a fast circuit, similar to Mugello although with a few more slow sections. It is not one of my favourites but it's a nice place and the fans always contribute to make for a special atmosphere."

Alvaro - First Season Interview

Translation of the first season interview with Álvaro Bautista...
Source: Aspar Media
Translation: stv21


1) Three podium finishes in five races, including one victory, how do you see the beginning of the season?
In general I feel that we’ve been very regular and we tried to adapt to the circumstances of each race, giving the maximum in each of them. It’s been three podium positions which just as well could have been three victories. We didn’t precipitate at any moment and that is something very positive. In the last GP we did a good race since we’ve never been fighting for the lead in a wet race before. It was a very nice round and if it wasn’t for the incident we had we certainly would have fought for the victory. There we demonstrated that we can be fast in any type of condition.

2) In France you seemed very prudent in the wet conditions, but in Italy you went for the win, what was different?
In France, after the infinity of falls happening in 125, we saw that the track conditions were very delicate and the smartest option was to just finish the race. Even though both were rain races, Le Mans has much less has grip than Mugello and the asphalt was much colder, therefore it was much easier to crash after the slightest error. In Italy despite the rain the track gave us much confidence, because there’s a good grip and it was possible to still go very fast. I knew that I could take the risk and that is what I did. In Le Mans I figured that if I took the risk I could lose more than I could win.

3) What championship analysis can you do after this crazy start with all the rain?
Each race was won by a different rider, therefore I believe that it is a very open championship with a very high level. And of course rare weather conditions shook things up in the beginning of the season, but I believe that it will be a hard fought season where in the end consistency will be the key to become champion. It is important to be ahead in all the races and not to lose the spirit.

4) Do you think that it’s easier to get confidence after a good season start?
Absolutely, to begin well gives you a lot of confidence and at the same time you have less pressure. To have a little point cushion allows you to take risks even when the track conditions are not the best, as we could see in Italy. You go on the circuit more confident and when you are leading the championship you feel a bit stronger than the rest of the riders, even when this is just a psychological perception.

5) Somehow you seem to have regained the aggressiveness of 2006, when you became world champion, and 2007, when you moved up to 250cc.
It is all a question of confidence. When you improve your riding and see that everything goes as you want, then in the end you are able to do anything. At the moment we are on a good way and I believe that we made a very important step when we showed in Mugello that we can be competitive in the wet as well. We did a very good job, in the training sessions we rode really fast and we finished almost always on top of the classification. I believe that this will progressively let us continue gaining confidence, the team as well as me. That is the security/confidence necessary to improve and be fast.


The rest of the translated interview can be found here at BatiFans.com - your source for all things Alvaro.

Alvaro Responds To Simoncelli "Penalty"

"It seems like they wipe the slate clean at the start of each season and the way they have punished him, you'd think he rode like a saint every week...
"It's hard because the temptation is there to take your retribution on the track but I won't do that. All I can say is that I won't back down in Barcelona."


WE SAY: A completely reasonable and understandably miffed reaction. Yet another meaningless slap on the wrists for SImoncelli basically leaves him thinking there's nothing wrong with his conduct. Although his own total lack of self-awareness is clearly fuelling this view, with him (perhaps unwisely) slagging off the authorities for an 'unfair' warning and even going so far as to say that Bati lied and changed his story to Race Direction - something which will bring tears of laughter to anybody who saw Simoncelli admit to his fault in the post-race press conference and then change his story to say it was Alvaro's fault later on.
In the end, we think it's a pretty lame action against a rider who clearly needs something a little harsher and straightforward if he's to get the message. (In slightly less polite terms, I think I'm just saying 'Ban him, he's a total cock'.)

I'd certainly rather it were handled in the cold light of day by the authorities than in a serious cloud of "red mist" on the track however. Though as long as Alvaro keeps his head and his nerve, I'd love him to ride as *hard* as he likes :-)

Go Bati!