Alvaro Stars In New Mapfre Commercials

You have to get over to stv's Bati VLOG to see the full set of the brand new Mapfre commercials, featuring Alvaro as a bike. Yes, a bike. Look...



The ads can all be found here and here...

As with last year's ads, they also feature team boss Jorge Martinez as presenter, and are incredibly cute and clever.
Triffick!

Alvaro Speaks On His Injury & The 2009 Season

Here's some words form Alvaro at a press conference held in Talavera de la Reina, both about his collarbone injury and also about the season ahead...

"I have the normal pains and aches after surgery, but I can already ride a bike again, although I must follow the path of recovery. I hope to be without any problems at next the test.
No injury comes at the right time, but in my case we can speak of luck, since the crash and the collarbone fracture happend when we have enough time to recover, to continue with the training and to be prepared for the first test of the championship.

...The season looks to be very difficult and complicated when we have to try and be better than the guy with the number one and, in addition, better than strong riders who moved up a class and other riders who already had two seasons in 250cc and have the same goals we have. We are going to approach the season with calm, tranquillity and will go race by race and, mainly, we know that the pressure is on the rider who defends the title.

Last season we wanted too much too quickly, to be leaders as rapidly as possible and that made us commit errors. We have learned from that and we know more than last year - in my case among others things that I already know how to race against the present champion who I haven't battled before.
We are all very determined, with much motivation and, mainly, optimistic after seeing the laptimes we managed to do in the tests. The whole team is in high spirits and, which is also important, having a good base in this moment of crisis”.

All very positive sounding on both counts, and we look forward to seeing him follow such positivity through very soon :-)

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)

Win a Limited Edition Aspar Jacket with LondonBikers.com

We, over at BatiFans.com - The Alvaro Bautista Fan Forum have put another of those excellent limited edition Team Aspar jackets up to be won.
This time we've teamed up with the triffick people over at LondonBikers.com who are offering it up as a prize for a pre-British GP competition with a question so easy that any Alvaro Bautista fan should be able to answer it in their sleep.
We suggest you get over there and enter now to be in with another chance of winning one of these rare and rather cool jackets.
And enjoy a great biking website while you're there too, of course... :D

Click here to go to LondonBikers.com...

Qatar GP - 250cc - Results

Well - I have to admit to being fairly gutted after Bati's excellent grid position was ultimately squandered due to a bad call on tyre compounds.
Alvaro ran with a softer front (as did Barbera, who also suffered though not to such a great extent) and his initial move up to P1 was soon undone, and he slipped back to 6th - losing all pace and impetus.
Very disappointing; not the kind of start to the season I think we had expected or deserved.
Let's hope Jerez sees something very different.


Here's the results in full...
Pos - Rider - Make - Time
1. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 40:16.202
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 0.557
3. Mika Kallio KTM + 1.029
4. Alex Debon Aprilia + 1.418
5. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 12.944
6. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 14.480
7. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 16.721
8. R.Locatelli Gilera + 18.987
9. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 32.232
10. Hector Faubel Aprilia + 41.102
11. Julian Simon KTM + 41.457
12. Fabrizio Lai Gilera + 41.694
13. R.Wilairot Honda + 43.192
14. Manuel Poggiali Gilera + 44.228
15. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 48.760
16. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM +1:11.031
17. D.T.Pradita Yamaha +2:05.461

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

Not Classified:

Rider - Make - On lap
Alex Baldolini Aprilia 14
Lukas Pesek Aprilia 12
Marco Simoncelli Gilera 7
Imre Toth Aprilia 4
Eugene Laverty Aprilia 0
Manuel Hernandez Aprilia 0

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

Fastest lap:
Debon, 1:59.379 on lap 20

Video of the Mapfre Aspar 250cc Presentation

With grateful thanks as ever to the awesome stv21 for finding this :)

Win a Limited Edition Team Aspar MotoGP Jacket with Teletext

> IN ASSOCIATION WITH TELETEXT <

Win a Limited Edition Aspar Team Jacket!

To help launch our new-look site, and to help celebrate the new MotoGP season, we have teamed up with legendary UK news service Teletext to bring you a truly unmissable competition....
By going to Teletext on ITV or Channel 4 - on the old blocky analogue pages or on your Freeview or Sky digital box - you can answer one very simple question to be up for winning one of the *extremely* limited edition ‘Spain-only’ official Aspar team jackets.
This really is an amazing prize for any Bati fan (and owning one myself I have to say they’re brilliant!)
We have donated the prize, and Teletext are running the competition across their analogue and digital television services on ITV and Channel 4, as well as on their website - and anybody is free to enter; although as you have to enter by a text message from your mobile phone, it may be impossible for those who live outside the UK. My advice would be that if this is the case that you get a friend in the UK to enter on your behalf!

The competition runs from February 25th to March 11th, and to enter you should go to ITV or Channel 4 (analogue, Freeview or Sky) press TEXT and go to page 108. If you are looking at the MotoGP or motorsport sections on Teletext you may well see banners promoting the competition too; so just follow the directions on them.


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About Teletext

Teletext's services on analogue and digital TV attract 13 million people every week, some 15 years after its launch. It also operates a news, sport, entartainment and informational website as well as the Teletext Holidays, Teletext Cars and Teletext Games websites, and runs a number of services for mobile phones.
So whether you're looking for a fantastic holiday, the latest score, entertainment gossip, up-to-date headlines, market updates or this week's winning lotto numbers, Teletext is making sure you are never more than a press of a button away from the information you need.

Mapfre Aspar Aprilia 250cc Team Presentation

Well, we already knew about the colours, but just for the hell of it here's a picture of Bati and Fabuel in the new kit and with a new liveried bike at today's presentation; more pictures of which, along with quotes and comment, you can find here...

Mapfre Aspar Team Presentation Today

Apparently according to good sources (and when I say good sources I - as usual - mean stv21) the Aspar team presentation is suddenly upon us; at 11.30am today in Valencia.
250cc only I understand - Alvaro Bautista and Hector Faubel - so sadly no Pere, Gabor or Sergio.
Having said that can you imagine the eye damage from presenting the 250cc and 125cc colour schemes together... it doesn't bear thinking about really.
So go to BatiFans.com for reports and pictures once it's all over.
(Although there's a good chance we'll post something up here too...)

Lid & Livery - A Short Rant

It’s not exactly news that Alvaro has switched helmet suppliers for 2008 (from NZI to Suomy) nor that the new graphic design is different from that on his 2007 lid; these have been covered on various websites (notably, first, on www.batifans.com of course) over the past days. Indeed you can already buy the replica from Suomy and its distributors - I’ve even seen a couple on eBay.
Nonetheless I just fancied wittering on about it for a short while anyway, being a designer by trade and being interested in liveries and branding and all that malarkey.

2008 really represents quite a step-change in Alvaro’s ‘kit’ - far more so than his first season in 250cc. This is largely due to the imposition of the Mapfre branding on the 250cc squad’s bikes and leathers this year. Whilst the 125cc squad retain the blue variant livery (with the secondary flouro colours; magenta for Gabor Talmacsi, yellow for Sergio Gadea and orange for Pere Tutusaus) the 250cc has gone totally red and white for the pre-season testing at Jerez and Valencia.
‘Red and white’ actually means predominantly red, and particularly so on the bike.
I have to admit openly that I much prefer the previous blue/white combos (plus the orange flashing that Alvaro has used). The red and white just looks very cold and corporate by comparison.... who knows, maybe it’ll grow on me - but it hasn’t yet...
And on top of that (literally) is Bati’s new helmet.
Here I’m unequivocally of the opinion that last year’s (and those before it, which seemed to have a kind of evolutionary style about them - you could see the design developing from one year to the next) was hugely better. And here’s why...

I think that crucially there are some stylistic touches that make things look more sleek and aerodynamic - that bring things to life beautifully, and some others that make things look like a brick.
Unsubtle as they were (or *are*... they’re probably still popular in Lincolnshire...) “speed stripes” undeniably added a stylised ‘swoosh’ to the sides of a car, and with it an effect on exaggerating length and emphasising speed and sleekness - and their descendants; various arrows, flames, celtic curves and whatever - have continued to develop that theme for better or worse.
These touches tend to work best when they emphasise the horizontal, when they flow a design along a surface or around a shape.
Alvaro’s 2007 helmet (even though you could argue that some of the design detail may have been overly intricate) was a beautiful example of a graphic design that flowed perfectly across and around the contours and curves of the helmet. It made a functional piece of gear look sculpted and elegant.
If a design does not flow horizontally it is in danger of drawing the eye to a complete halt. Sharp inclines, thick blocks and vertical elements tend to do this spectacularly well. And guess what - Alvaro’s 2008 helmet design (by Bargy Design) does exactly this and, although I can admire the slightly simpler approach to the overall stylings, it feels undeniably blocky and less flowing. It looks less aerodynamic. And even though it includes very modern executions of certain swashes and a (less than successful) reinterpretation of Alvaro’s mischievous devil mascot, it looks decidedly old fashioned and clunky.

I’m sure some people will love it - very probably lots of people; but so far it’s really not growing on me at all, and I do feel it’s a disappointment given how cool Bati’s 2007 lid was.
I’m not convinced of the rightness of making the mischievous devil a lot more sinister either; the take on the devil mascot always having been that it’s not serious in any sense but reflects a kind of naughty side rather than a dark side of Alvaro’s character. While he may have the face of an angel he certainly rides like a little devil.
And don’t we love that :)
But the new graphic treatment seems to take this too seriously and loses any kind of cartoony, fun aspect (and if you think you can’t be both brilliant AND have a cartoon mascot then you’ve clearly never heard of Ayrton Senna).

Anyway - rant over; I’m a grumpy old git and much as I believe Bati should employ me as his brand advisor (and all kinds of other jobs too), this is when all’s said and done, no more than a very subjective little take on the whole lid & livery 2008 subject.
If nothing else I hope it’s been an interesting diversion for a few minutes... ;)

gb