Valencia Photo Album - Part One

Alvaro's Title Challenge Ends In Sepang Gravel

Well, that's basically it for this year. Alvaro's title hopes ended this morning in the Sepang gravel, and even though he'll surely be longing to deliver a win at Valencia to his fans it's going to be little comfort in a season that had promised so much.
Whilst many of us always believed the initial "cert" status he seemed to be given for the title was unrealistic, we couldn't have predicted the way the momentum and opportunity would desert him in the latter half of the season where mechanical failures, poor luck and - let's be honest - unnecessary errors - combined to decimate his challenge.
It's a shame as it would have been good to see him take a 250 title - and indeed, the last 250 title - before moving up to MotoGP and what must surely be another challenging season.
But it wasn't to be.


RACE REPORT:

At 13:15 local time the lunchtime 250cc race took centre stage in Malaysia. The penultimate round of the series saw a surprise leader in the early stages, as Jules Cluzel took charge from the start. The favourites for victory were soon back in the picture, however, as the race pace upped rapidly under the sweltering heat. Hiroshi Aoyama clocked a new circuit record of 2'07.597, before tyres started to wear away and falls became a regular occurrence. That favoured a break for the top three, with Aoyama eventually taking victory. He holds the advantage in the overall standings, as the class becomes the only one of the three not to have a victor already decided.
 
Mapfre riders Mike di Meglio and Álvaro Bautista had a productive weekend that turned sour come Sunday. Once again the two were the victims of a certain amount of misfortune, and both hit the asphalt in race-ending crashes that ruined the hard work put in over the previous two days.
Alvaro made another bad start and worked hard at making a comeback through the field to try and take the lead. One lap after Di Meglio's fall, it was Bautista who lost the front end on turn nine, ending his race and any chance of a title push.



Álvaro Bautista (DNF):
"Things were going more or less fine, and I had hooked up to the lead group after making up some places. I felt comfortable riding and wasn't going at full gas, saving a little for the final push. This track is very demanding, and I wanted to be able to seize my opportunity and take the lead when it came around. My goal was to stay in the pack until then. I hit the bakes before going into turn nine, and I crossed the bars and was unable to avoid the crash. It is a pity, because in three races our chance of the title has gone up in smoke, as we gave our all but had some horrible luck. In Valencia I will try to enjoy the last race at home, and look to give the fans a good result to finish off the year."



Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 42m55.689s
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 6.397s
3. Marco Simoncelli Gilera + 6.397s
4. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 14.871s
5. Hector Faubel Honda + 19.177s
6. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda + 19.567s
7. Alex Debon Aprilia + 20.255s
8. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 34.561s
9. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 50.937s
10. Shuhei Aoyama Honda + 1m04.186s
11. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia + 1m08.917s
12. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 1m10.616s
13. Valentin Debise Honda + 1m17.945s
14. Bastien Chesaux Aprilia + 1m29.669s
15. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia + 1m43.536s
16. Shoya Tomizawa Honda + 1 lap

Australian GP: 250cc Results

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 28m17.403s
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 2.434s
3. Raffaele De Rosa Honda + 2.604s
4. Jules Cluzel Aprilia + 12.118s
5. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia + 12.192s
6. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 12.413s
7. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 12.455s
8. Hector Faubel Honda + 13.112s
9. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda + 13.560s
10. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 27.779s
11. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 28.222s
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 28.657s
13. Alex Debon Aprilia + 33.892s
14. Shuhei Aoyama Honda + 38.779s
15. Shoya Tomizawa Honda + 40.529s
16. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia +1m23.200s
17. Bastien Chesaux Aprilia +1m24.298s
18. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap
19. Valentin Debise Honda + 1 lap

Indianapolis GP - Race Result, 250cc

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 45m43.599s
2. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 1.943s
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 4.661s
4. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia + 12.776s
5. R.Locatelli Gilera + 15.475s
6. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 19.471s
7. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 22.682s
8. Hector Faubel Honda + 32.809s
9. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 49.321s
10. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 49.845s
11. Raffaele De Rosa Honda + 53.567s
12. Alex Baldolini Aprilia +1m29.717s
13. Valentin Debise Honda +1m37.837s
14. Axel Pons Aprilia +1m46.672s
15. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia +1m46.821s
16. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia + 1 lap
17. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap
18. Barrett Long Yamaha + 1 lap
19. Adam Roberts Yamaha + 1 lap
NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | On lap
R.Wilairot Honda 23
Alex Debon Aprilia 18
Jules Cluzel Aprilia 7
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 5
Bastien Chesaux Honda 0

British GP, Donington - BBC TV Schedule

If you're not at Donington this weekend , then don't miss the coverage on the BBC...


Saturday 25 July

Qualifying
1250-1600, BBC Red Button/online

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


Sunday 26 July

125 and 250cc race
1220-1435, BBC Red Button/online

Race
1500-1630, BBC One/online

MotoGP Extra
1630-1700, BBC Red Button/online

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

BatiFans At The British GP

Right - well, BatiFans is off to the British GP at Donington this weekend.
We'll be keeping you updated with all the news, stats, quotes and info as usual - plus we'll be having our second annual meet-up of the BatiFans international fan group.
There'll be an HQ on the infield all weekend and there will also be daily meet-ups for those who just want to drop by and say Hello (or possibly Ola, or something else...)
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible and we've got some information up on the forum already as to the wheres and whens of the weekend. Click here to check maps and notes...

In the build-up we'll continue with team and rider previews etc and we'll be aiming to be online with you if you're not at the track, and with you if you are!

Vamos Bati! Suerte :-)

Alvaro Bautista: Post-Race Quote, Sachsenring

"With the worn tyre I could still feel very comfortable, but I had an early problem. The bike was sliding about and I couldn't feel at ease riding, so I had to regain my feeling step by step. I wasn't fully comfortable until the middle of the race; when I caught up with Barberá I saw that he was going faster than me, I decided to let him take me up to the front.
When we got to Hiroshi and Faubel It was difficult to pass because of Aoyama's late braking, and there were only a couple of places at which I knew that I could pass him. I tried to overtake with two laps to go, but I saw a yellow flag and couldn't make the move. I got through later on and saw Álex ahead, and knew that catching him would be tough. I was with him on the last lap, but a move would have been risking things. Third is a good result, and Aoyama finished behind me which is important for the title fight."

Bautista Takes 3rd & New Sachsenring Lap Record

With mixed conditions, an initial red flag and then a load of faffing around over tyre choices before the restart, you could be forgiven for being a bit worried about how chaotic the (reduced) run might go, but it turned out pretty well actually, with Alvaro finally coming home a fine, respectable and close third.
Simoncelli was first and Alex Debon just behind, with just 1.2 seconds covering the first five riders over the finish line.
After a lacklustre start, Alvaro soon warmed up - spending most of the race swapping places with Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera - and finally took Aoyama heading into the first corner, and then went on to break the circuit lap record on the last lap.
Triffick!


CLASSIFIED:

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 27m11.034s
2. Alex Debon Aprilia + 0.479s
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 0.528s
4. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 0.866s
5. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 1.260s
6. Hector Faubel Honda + 5.972s
7. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 8.721s
8. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 8.762s
9. Raffaele De Rosa Honda + 19.176s
10. R.Locatelli Gilera + 27.950s
11. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 29.601s
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 38.299s
13. Shoya Tomizawa Honda + 51.940s
14. Jules Cluzel Aprilia + 52.919s
15. Bastien Chesaux Honda +1m06.786s
16. Axel Pons Aprilia +1m20.573s
17. Toby Markham Aprilia + 1 lap
18. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap
19. Joakim Stensmo Honda + 2 laps
20. Valentin Debise Honda + 4 laps

NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 16
Mike Di Meglio Aprilia 16
Karel Abraham Aprilia 8
Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 0
R.Wilairot Honda DNS

FASTEST LAP: Bautista, 1m24.552s on lap 19

Alvaro Looks Ahead To The German GP

"We head to Germany full of motivation and strength, having left with the taste of honey on our lips at the last Grand Prix. We have to respond to what happened there but without losing our heads. Even though we lost the championship lead there is no need to panic because the gap is not a huge one and it is important we just continue to work as we have been doing, picking up as many points as possible.
The Aprilia is perhaps not best suited to the Sachsenring circuit and the Honda will definitely be a more effective package here so we have to work as hard as we can on the set-up to make sure we are ready for Sunday. It is a twisty circuit that is more suited to go-karts than motorcycle racing. I've spent the last two weeks relaxing and putting the Assen crash behind me, having taken a heavy blow to my elbow. I've also been able to keep up my training regime and stay in good shape."

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 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)

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.

Italian GP - Mugello - TV Schedules (UK)

Friday May 29th

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Fri 29 May, 11:40 - 12:45
Live coverage from Mugello of the practice laps in the 125cc class at the Italian MotoGP meeting.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Fri 29 May, 12:45 - 14:00
Live coverage from Mugello of the practice laps in the MotoGP class at the Italian MotoGP meeting.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Fri 29 May, 14:00 - 15:00
Live coverage from Mugello of the practice laps in the 250cc class at the Italian MotoGP meeting.


*********************************************************


Saturday May 30th

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 11:15 - 12:00
Coverage of the practice laps for the Italian MotoGP, from Mugello.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 12:00 - 12:45
Live coverage from Mugello of the qualifying in the 125cc class at the Italian MotoGP meeting.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 12:45 - 14:00
Live qualifying action from the Italian MotoGP meeting at Mugello.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 14:00 - 15:00
Live coverage from Mugello of the qualifying in the 250cc class at the Italian MotoGP meeting.

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 18:00 - 19:30
Qualifying action from the Italian MotoGP meeting at Mugello.

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sat 30 May, 23:00 - 00:30
Qualifying action from the Italian MotoGP meeting at Mugello.


*********************************************************


Sunday May 31st

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sun 31 May, 09:30 - 09:45
Warm-up for the Italian MotoGP at Mugello.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sun 31 May, 09:45 - 11:00
Live coverage of the opening race at the Italian MotoGP in Mugello, the 125cc event.

Live MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sun 31 May, 11:00 - 12:25
Live coverage of the 250cc race at the Italian MotoGP meeting in Mugello.

MotoGP 2009 BBC2 London, Sun 31 May, 12:30 - 14:00
Round 5 - Mugello (Live)

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sun 31 May, 14:30 - 15:30
Highlights of all the Grand Prix action from Mugello, Italy.

MotoGP British Eurosport 2, Sun 31 May, 17:15 - 18:15
Highlights of all the Grand Prix action from Mugello, Italy.


*********************************************************



Source: Tioti.com

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Italian GP At Mugello

"Arriving at Mugello on the top of the championship gives us a sense of calm because we know we can run up front and we can work without feeling under pressure. We have a good base set-up, this is a fast and fun track - the kind I like - so I'm hopeful of a good result. In 2007 I won my first 250 race here and I started from pole so that is further evidence that we can run at the front this weekend.
The Italians will be trying to win this one at all cost, especially Simoncelli, who is in good form after his win at Le Mans. My plan is the same as any other race - to work as hard as possible during practice to be in the best possible shape for the race. If the bike is 100 per cent for Sunday we'll be going out to give our best and if possible take the win, and if not we'll take as many points as we can."

French GP - Alvaro Bautista Post-Race Quotes

"That was a really difficult race because the track was so slippery. I tried to gradually get a feel for the track because the bike was moving around a lot and wouldn't hold the line. At the start I was trying to weigh up the race but the guys at the front pushed really hard and escaped. I gradually got into my rhythm and got faster and more comfortable. There were a lot of guys falling off in front of me so I decided the best option was to take it steady, finish the race and get some solid points on the board. Fourth place isn't the result I was hoping for but under the circumstances scoring points was the most important thing here at Le Mans. If we keep going like this then I'm sure we can maintain our consistently good form over the next races."

French GP - 250cc Report & Results

Well, in the end I suppose it wasn't too bad a race.
The way Alvaro shrugged when he got back to the pits pretty much mirrored my feelings about how it had all gone.
It could certainly have gone better (especially with the end result being a top points haul for Sideshow Bob) but, to be fair, it could also have gone a lot worse.
It started out a lot worse of course, with Bati dropping places left right and centre throughout the first lap, crossing the line into lap 2 way down in 11th place.
And it was a happy mix of some top dicing in mixed conditions, coupled with a degree of attrition, that saw Alvaro back up in 4th spot by the end of the race.

And although Sideshow gets 25 points, it's nonetheless kind of nice to see that Hiro Aoyama was way down and that the 4th spot actually sees Alvaro slip into the lead of the overall Championship table ahead of Aoyama.

Alvaro never seems to have really got it together at Le Mans - and certainly not in the wet; so let's chalk it up as a decent if not brilliant day.
Here's the results in full...


Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 49m07.591s
2. Hector Faubel Honda + 18.128s
3. Roberto Locatelli Gilera + 21.642s
4. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 31.087s
5. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda + 50.497s
6. Raffaele de Rosa Honda + 56.366s
7. Lukas Pesek Aprilia +1m16.025s
8. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda +1m22.882s
9. Imre Toth Aprilia +1m35.556s
10. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia +1m47.990s
11. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 1 lap
12. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 1 lap
13. Valentin Debise Honda + 1 lap
14. Toby Markham Honda + 1 lap


Retirements:
Alex Debon Aprilia 21 laps
Alex Baldolini Aprilia 18 laps
Thomas Luthi Aprilia 18 laps
Mike di Meglio Aprilia 10 laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 4 laps
Axel Pons Aprilia 3 laps
Aitor Rodriguez Aprilia 3 laps
Angel Rodriguez Aprilia 2 laps
Shoya Tomizawa Honda 1 lap
Bastien Chesaux Honda 0 laps

French GP - Alvaro Friday Quotes

"It has been a good first day and even though it rained a little during MotoGP the weather has been good to us and we were able to work for the whole session. We had a few small problems with changing direction but we've worked well on that aspect and I was able to keep up a good pace. We can still improve corner entry and I'm not completely comfortable under hard braking.
The track temperature tends to be low here so we didn't want to take any risks but if the weather stays decent tomorrow we'll try a harder tyre. The key is to get the bike as stable as possible, which is what we'll aim for tomorrow. It is important to have this result in the first session but we have to stay focused because everybody will improve tomorrow."

Alvaro Quotes Ahead Of Le Mans

"I've never been on the podium at Le Mans so hopefully I can keep up the good form I've started the season with and it would be nice to get this particular monkey off my back. I feel highly motivated after Jerez because it was a fabulous race in which we proved that we are ready to take on anybody in a head to head battle.
Hopefully the weather is good to us in practice so that we can work on the bike because Le Mans is a twisty circuit that tends to suit the Hondas. We have to work really well on the chassis if we want to compete with them. Le Mans is a circuit that features a lot of direction changes, and you need a really sweet handling chassis so that you can get through the corners well."

One Man And His Fans

Just a reminder of that very special bond between Alvaro and his fans - and let's be honest, most of the crowd in general!

Great to see the new Fan's Club already very visible too :-)