Bati Lines Up 9th For Farewell 250 Race

Another windy session, though less changeable weather overall. Still a bit of a blustery challenge for many riders, and Alvaro putting in plenty of work only to find himself in lots of traffic in the closing minutes...

"We tried a different setting for the afternoon because we had some traction problems this morning but it didn't work so we went back to the original setting - unfortunately we didn't have time to get many laps in after that. There was a lot of traffic on track at the end of the session too and I wasn't able to improve my lap time. It means that once again we're starting from further back than we'd like but hopefully we can have a good warm-up and gain the confidence to push hard from the start of the race. Everybody wants to win tomorrow so it will be a close race and important to stay in touch with the leaders from the start."

Here's the results in full...

Pos Rider Bike Time Laps
1. Alex Debon Aprilia 1m36.116s 20
2. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1m36.450s + 0.334s 22
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1m36.470s + 0.354s 21
4. R.Wilairot Honda 1m36.563s + 0.447s 20
5. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 1m36.656s + 0.540s 22
6. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1m36.985s + 0.869s 23
7. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1m37.271s + 1.155s 22
8. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1m37.278s + 1.162s 20
9. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1m37.303s + 1.187s 22
10. Hector Faubel Honda 1m37.318s + 1.202s 21
11. Raffaele De Rosa Honda 1m37.365s + 1.249s 21
12. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1m37.577s + 1.461s 21
13. Jules Cluzel Aprilia 1m37.749s + 1.633s 17
14. R.Locatelli Gilera 1m37.811s + 1.695s 22
15. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia 1m37.958s + 1.842s 15
16. Shoya Tomizawa Honda 1m38.085s + 1.969s 20
17. Axel Pons Aprilia 1m38.126s + 2.010s 21
18. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1m38.291s + 2.175s 19
19. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia 1m38.737s + 2.621s 21
20. Shuhei Aoyama Honda 1m38.795s + 2.679s 19
21. Valentin Debise Honda 1m39.283s + 3.167s 16
22. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 1m40.371s + 4.255s 19
23. Bastien Chesaux Aprilia 1m41.605s + 5.489s 13
24. Imre Toth Aprilia 1m42.418s + 6.302s 20
- William Dunlop Honda 1m42.906s + 6.790s 20

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Valencia Weekend

Although he's not finishing the season as 250 champ, Bati nonetheless aims to end his 2009 campaign on a high and in a really positive frame of mind.
He'll be following the race weekend with testing for Suzuki, to give us a mouthwatering teaser of next year...

Here's his thoughts ahead of the weekend:
"I would have liked to be going to Valencia in different circumstances this weekend but luck hasn't been on our side for the last three races. The championship is over for me but this is my last race in the 250 class and I want to enjoy it in front of my home fans. I'll go out there and give it everything to fight for the win. We have missed out on our main objective so now I just want to enjoy the weekend and sign off from the class in style. It is important to me to end this phase of my career with a win. Cheste holds few secrets for me because I have done so many laps there and it is one of my favourite circuits. There are no excuses and I will be giving it everything from Friday."

Suerte Alvaro!

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

Alvaro Secures 5th Spot On Sepang Grid

Lap times were incredibly close for the 250cc class again today, with the top eleven separated by just a second in this afternoon's single qualifying practice for Malaysian Grand Prix. It made for an exciting session in which pole position wasn't decided until the very last moment, with slipstreams in the final section vital. In the end it was series leader Hiroshi Aoyama who snatched top spot ahead of French rookies Mike Di Meglio and Jules Cluzel, and Spanish pair Hector Barberá and Álvaro Bautista in the intense heat of Sepang.
Alvaro set a solid pace and also topped the time sheets for a spell before settling for fifth place on the grid.    

 
5th Alvaro Bautista 2.07.371 (17 laps):
"It's a shame we missed out on the front row but the lap times are there and our rhythm is good. Luckily Mike was able to make the most of my slipstream so at least the team benefited. I crashed this morning when we were experimenting with things so in the afternoon we stuck to what we thought worked best and just focused on putting a pace together without sending ourselves crazy. There isn't a lot of difference between the guys at the front and it's going to be a close and hard race tomorrow because of the heat. We have to make sure we stay in touch from the start because any kind of fight-back is dangerous in these conditions. The set-up isn't perfect but we are ready to race."



Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap
1 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2′06.767
2 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 2′07.099 0.332
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 2′07.232 0.465
4 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 2′07.301 0.534
5 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 2′07.371 0.604
6 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 2′07.662 0.895
7 Hector FAUBEL Honda SAG 2′07.828 1.061
8 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 2′07.916 1.149
9 Thomas LUTHI Emmi – Caffe Latte 2′07.949 1.182
10 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 2′07.953 1.186
11 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 2′07.998 1.231
12 Mattia PASINI Paddock GP Racing Team 2′08.159 1.392
13 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 2′08.836 2.069
14 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 2′08.841 2.074
15 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 2′08.908 2.141
16 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto – GP250 2′09.148 2.381
17 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly – CP 2′09.336 2.569
18 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 2′09.392 2.625
19 Shuhei AOYAMA Racing Team Germany 2′09.654 2.887
20 Balazs NEMETH Balatonring Team 2′11.611 4.844
21 Bastien CHESAUX Matteoni Racing 2′11.941 5.174
22 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto – GP250 2′12.171 5.404
23 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 2′12.813 6.046
24 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 2′14.831 8.064

Alvaro On Friday Practice, Sepang

The 250cc riders took to the Sepang Circuit in searing heat late this afternoon as the Malaysian Grand Prix got underway in typically tricky conditions. An unusual session saw a variety of different riders take their turn at the top of the time sheets before series leader Hiroshi Aoyama took control. However, with the top eight riders separated by only a second it is unclear whether the Honda rider will be able to withstand the Aprilia onslaught until the end of Sunday's race.
 Alvaro has started out at Sepang with the same attitude and hunger he showed at Phillip Island a week ago, continually improving his lap times until a rear grip problem emerged in the second half of the session. However, after setting the fifth fastest time today and in the knowledge that only a win will do on Sunday in order to keep his title hopes alive the Spaniard is refusing to throw the towel in just yet.

5th - Alvaro Bautista - 2.08.159 (20 laps):
"I felt comfortable with the bike as soon as I went out on the track today and my feeling was good. The only thing was that the bike was running wide in a few corners and when I tried to pull it back in I was losing the rear. We worked hard on sorting it out and by the end I think we found the way forward. I'm more or less happy with the result because it's only the first day and we're only a couple of tenths off the fastest lap. The pace is on lap record and we're there with the frontrunners, so hopefully the weather holds out tomorrow and allows us to continue improving. As far as I'm concerned I think the more riders are fighting for the win on Sunday the better for me, because that would help us. Having said that it is difficult to make any predictions when the conditions are like this and racing is very different to practice. Holding that pace for so many laps is not easy."

Australian GP: Alvaro Post-Race Quotes

"After the problems that we had in the practices and the work that we had to put in to get back up to the front, it was a pity that I fell. This morning we made an adjustment to the bike and I fell, meaning that I couldn't assess the change fully even though I had felt good. Everything was going great in the race, and I saw that I was strong.
I had rear tyre problems that caused me to slide around, but I still tried to put it all on the line and take some risks. I only wanted to win, second place was not enough. The finale leaves a bittersweet taste, but at least I can say that I gave my all. Even with everything in place for a good ride, sometimes you need a bit of luck on your side, and for the second consecutive GP we didn't have that.
It is a pity, because the title is now even further away, but we just have to think that the next two races can go our way, and we can do much better."

Alvaro Reflects On Difficult Qualifying

"This obviously isn't the result I was hoping for. We had some problems with the rear of the bike yesterday and this morning it was the same story. In the afternoon it looked like we'd improved it a little but I'm still not comfortable. We tried a hard front tyre but it didn't work as we'd hoped. It makes the bike very stable in the direction changes but we need to adapt the chassis to it and make the whole thing run sweeter. We can't throw the towel in yet - we have to keep working and do everything we can to improve and make sure we're in a position to try and fight back in the race tomorrow."

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Phillip Island

"Australia is a circuit that holds a lot of good memories for me because I won my World Championship here. It is a wonderful track with some very fast corners and it is always great fun to ride there. We were dealt a severe blow in Portugal but we got to Phillip Island without any pressure on us now because the championship is virtually over. I've taken it well and now that I've got nothing to lose my only objective is to give it everything I have to try and have fun and win my final three races on a 250."

Alvaro Quotes: Estoril, Sunday

"The weekend was going pretty well; we'd done a good job and I was feeling comfortable on the bike. I had a good start and was up at the front, with the idea being not to push too hard and to preserve the tyres. This morning we had experienced some tyre wear issues. My goal was to keep calm at the start and then push on later in the race, and things were going perfectly when I was up front and Aoyama was not progressing.
The problem came when I had an engine issue and had my rear wheel jammed on the back straight -I couldn't do anything. The title seems a big ask now after this setback, we will need a little bit of luck, but I have nothing to lose and can go all-out in the final races to at least say that we gave it our best shot and left nothing behind."

Portuguese GP: Alvaro's Post-Quali Quotes

"It has been a long time since we've been on the front row and since we showed good pace in practice so I think we needed this. When you qualify up front you know you have the pace, you have good references and everything is more 'easy', so to speak. I'm happy to be on the front row but more for the fact that I feel comfortable and I'm riding the Aprilia how I want to, with a good set-up for the race.
We have been strong and made progress all weekend so I think we're in the right shape for a good race tomorrow, especially because this is a circuit that has brought us luck for the past three seasons so I hope that run continues tomorrow. I want to fight to win with everything I have. Unfortunately I ran into traffic at the end of the session and the three final laps were pretty much wasted but the important thing is the feeling I have with the bike, my confidence and my pace."

Alvaro Quotes: Estoril, Friday

"I'm pretty happy with everything, I just couldn't get a fast lap in during the last fifteen minutes because I kept getting held up by slower riders. It's annoying because we could have set a better lap time but at least we have an idea what our ideal setting is. We started out with the base from 2007, when the race took place at more or less the same time of year, and we don't want to make too many drastic changes to it because it works.
Apart from Barberá, the rest of us are pretty close and there is still a lot of time to get laps in and prepare for the race, so I feel calm - the track isn't even in perfect shape yet so there's no need to worry about our position at this stage. My objective is to have as much fun in the race as possible and cut back the gap to Aoyama."

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Estoril

"Estoril isn't one of my favourite circuits but I have won there for the last three years so you could say it is our talisman track. Hopefully luck is on our side again this year so that we can fight for the victory once more. I've done a bit of everything over the last three weeks, mainly training hard to make sure I'm fit and ready for this final sprint to the end of the season. I had a week off relaxing in Mallorca and it was nice to get a total break from racing.
It has been a positive thing to have a month off to focus on these last four races and get over all the fuss that came on the back of the announcement about my future. It has also been good to have a month of training and I think I'm in the right shape to finish the season at full power. Estoril is a circuit with a lot of hard braking, where you need good acceleration to get out of the corners well, and in some areas it will favour the Honda whilst in others - like the long straight - it will be better for the Aprilia. It will be difficult to win but that won't stop us from trying."

Alvaro - Post Race Quotes; San Marino

“Obviously I started the race thinking that I could be up there at the front. Simoncelli fell halfway through the race, but at the same time my rear wheel was giving me problems and starting to slide about a lot. When I saw Di Meglio and Aoyama ahead I decided not to settle for the place that I was in, so my goal was to overtake them if possible. I fought hard for it, and it was a tough battle because Aoyama was racing each corner as if it were the last lap. We showed that we wouldn’t back down, that we are strong and willing to take risks too, and that we wanted to win. We have cut three points off the leadership advantage, which is a small amount but helpful in morale for the team and myself. From now on the key is going to be winning and continuing to earn more points than Aoyama, at one hundred percent at all times. I think that this month off is going to be good for me to disconnect and return stronger and more refreshed in Portugal.”

Alvaro Quotes: Post-Qualy, San Marino

“To be honest I don’t know why we were able to set 39.5s this morning and not this afternoon. For some reason in qualifying I couldn’t get the front to turn into the corners but we haven’t changed anything from the morning – I don’t know what it is but we’ll have to examine it tonight. Tomorrow’s race is at the same time as free practice today so hopefully my Aprilia works the same and I’m comfortable on it. It’s nothing to worry about but we do need to make sure we cover all bases. I felt confident this morning so I’m disappointed with the grid position because I hoped for much more so hopefully we can solve our problems in the morning and be in good shape for the race.”

San Marino GP - Alvaro's Friday Quotes

"With the exception of Héctor, who had a great session today, everybody else we pretty close. The track was obviously slower today than it was last year because the pace in all three classes wasn't as fast. We have worked well using last year's set-up and I felt more or less comfortable throughout, apart from in a couple of corners in the final sector. We can't afford to back off and we have to squeeze the most out of every session to prepare for the race. We have a full day tomorrow and we need to fight to improve at all cost. I did a practice start today and if I get chance I'll do one at the end of each session to make sure I'm ready for Sunday."

Alvaro Quotes Ahead Of Misano

“We’ve been on the podium at the last four rounds but that doesn’t look like being enough. The championship is very finely balanced, with three riders very close together, and nobody wants to concede any ground. As far as we’re concerned we’ll just have to work even harder because third-place finishes are not going to close the gap. We have five races left and we’re likely to lose points in some but make them up in others – I can see it going that way until the end of the season. The important thing is that we stay in the fight for the championship and give everything we have to make sure we’re still in it by the time we get to the final race at Valencia.”

Alvaro Quotes: Post-Race, Indy GP

"It hasn't been a good weekend for us if we are talking about the world title, because Simoncelli is closer to us and Aoyama is now further ahead. I had a lot of problems in practice, just like at Brno where I didn't feel at all comfortable on the bike. I didn't manage to find that decent setting that I needed. Yesterday afternoon I felt more confident, and believed that today I could fight at the front. It was a pity that I made such a slow start, because I got stuck behind Debón and it was hard to pass him. When I got through I tried to regain ground with the front two, but they were already too far away. I tried to push at the limit, but on such a bumpy track it is hard to feel comfortable enough to do that when you know that you could fall easily. It hasn't been the weekend that we expected, but at least we didn't lose too many points in the standings. We'll see if at the next few races we can work better in practice, in order to have a setup ready for Sunday."

Indianapolis GP; Alvaro Quotes, Friday

"It looked as though the track was drying but then it rained again, which made it a difficult session because it was impossible to get into a consistent rhythm. I tried to gradually get a feel for the track and the conditions and I got more and more comfortable until we had to stop early because the engine temperature dropped too low. By that time the conditions were really bad anyway and the bike was aquaplaning. The old part of the circuit is quite bumpy but has good grip, whilst you have to take care on the part they re-laid last year because it is slippery. Hopefully we get a dry day tomorrow so that we can check out how our settings from last year work."

"The only good session this weekend was the race. Fortunately everything worked out okay for us when it came to the crucial moment. It took just two laps for the tyres to degenerate, and that was a warning for me not to push things and look out for points. The weekend was a tough one for us, because we never had the right setup. I could have tried to follow Simoncelli and Pasini, but it looked to be too risky and I concentrated on Aoyama instead. I've closed the gap on him in the standings, and if we continue like this we can catch him. I left it until the warmup to choose my setting in the suspension, and I didn't have as much chance in this race, so I'm happy with third."

Alvaro - Czech GP - Saturday Quotes

Alvaro starts 8th on the grid... He found his best setting ten minutes before the end of the free practice - but also had a difficult afternoon, losing the front end of his Aprilia on turn five just minutes before the end of the session, leaving him on the asphalt and unable to get the bike back out in time for a final attempt at pole position. Luckily he suffered no injuries in the lowside crash, and will aim to challenge for the lead from eight on the grid. He predicts a tough battle on Sunday, in which he will be going all-out for points as the title race heats up and after losing ground to Aoyama in the standings.

"The crash was totally unexpected, as I had already put two laps on the new tyres. I got into turn five and everything seized up, causing me to fall. This morning we did various tests on the front suspension and found some things that worked, then we continued with the front end in the afternoon but lost our way.
The changes in place at the end of the practice are the ones that I would favour for the race and I am sure that if we had done more laps with this setting then we would have done better today. We will go back to it tomorrow in the warmup and try again. In the race I wil have to start well in order to be at the front and fight like I have done this season. I will have to take risks if necessary, because I can't afford to lose more points."