Valencia Photo Album - Part One

Alvaro Signs Off With A Great 2nd At Valencia

A tremendous final race in 250cc for Alvaro - fantastic to watch it in the stands with the Fanclub (and I'll aim to post up some personal pics form this very soon) - and definitely exciting to the last. Congrats also to Hiro on the title.

Here's Alvaro's words...
"I would have liked to have finished the year with a win but, bearing in mind the conditions that we were facing today, second is not a bad result. The wind was taking me off-track constantly, making it difficult to stick to my braking points. Yesterday we had some problems in the practice sessions, and this morning we went back to a setting that I preferred. In the warm up we were faster than we were on Saturday, so I knew that I could be up at the front. The only doubt that I had was whether the rear tyre would last the whole race. It may have gone off slightly ahead of time, and it was difficult to keep up with the guys ahead of me until the halfway point of the race. When I opened the throttle the bike started to slide. Second is nothing to be ashamed of, but obviously I would have been happier with a victory. I have spent a wonderful part of my life in the Aspar team, in which almost every moment has been good for me."

And here's the results...

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1. Hector Barbera Aprilia 44m10.601s
2. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 3.663s
3. Raffaele de Rosa Honda + 5.665s
4. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 5.680s
5. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda + 13.601s
6. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 13.697s
7. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 27.438s
8. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 35.097s
9. Roberto Locatelli Gilera + 35.866s
10. Shoya Tomizawa Honda + 40.176s
11. Shuhei Aoyama Honda + 49.095s
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 53.132s
13. Balazs Nemeth Aprilia + 1m06.014s
14. Mike di Meglio Aprilia + 1m18.692s
15. Valentin Debise Honda + 1m18.876s
16. Bastien Chesaux Aprilia + 1 lap
17. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia + 1 lap
18. William Dunlop Honda + 1 lap
19. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap



Retirements:
Jules Cluzel Aprilia 23 laps
Marco Simoncelli Gilera 20 laps
Axel Pons Aprilia 19 laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 11 laps
Hector Faubel Honda 7 laps

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 Third In Friday FP

Okay - today's Friday practice report comes fresh form the infield for a change... well, back at the hotel now, but watched from the infield on a slightly changeable afternoon, mixing sun and cloud, cool calm and wind. You could see some of Bati's exits onto the back straight looking a little wiggly at times, whilst other longer sweeps into the centre of the circuit and round out towards the big long penultimate curve looked gloriously smooth.
For now here's Alvaro's words...

"The conditions were a little strange today. The track surface was dirty and quite cool, so we had to ride carefully. The majority of corners here are to the left so when you flick right you can really notice the lack of grip. Anyway, as the weekend progresses I'm sure the track and the weather will both improve. I felt pretty comfortable with the front end of my Aprilia and we were able to try a few things with the rear aimed at getting more life out of the tyre. We still haven't found the perfect combination so we'll keep trying tomorrow. In general I'm happy with the job we've done and I felt comfortable out there so it's a good start."

And here, for the record, is today's top ten...


1. Barbera (Aprilia) 1min 36.185secs
2. Debon (Aprilia) +0.317sec
3. Bautista (Aprilia) +0.681sec
4. H. Aoyama (Honda) +0.739sec
5. de Rosa (Honda) +0.914sec
6. Simoncelli (Gilera) +0.980sec
7. Faubel (Honda) +1.028sec
8. di Meglio (Aprilia) +1.088sec
9. Wilairot (Honda) +1.241sec
10. Luthi (Aprilia) +1.621sec

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!

At Least One Thing Was A Piece Of Cake This Weekend...

Alvaro of course celebrated his 100th Grand Prix start this weekend.

So here he is with Gino Borsoi, Armando Guerrero and Jorge Martinez.

And a whopping great cake.

Alvaro Bautista: Post-Race Quote, Valencia

"It has been a difficult race because I couldn't brake hard and the front end was bouncing a lot. I went wide on a few occasions, and didn't have any other choice but to try and hold on to as high a position as possible.
At the end of the race Kallio fell and we had a little bit of luck to get on the podium, which we haven't had on a few occasions this year! Third place is not what I wanted, but neither did I expect to get it after the problems of the weekend.
The year hasn't gone as we had planned, and the slow start was what really hit us hard. We continued to work hard, and we have ended the season with some incredible performances. It was a tough year, but next season we have to continue with the confidence that we have shown at the end of 2008."

MotoGP - 250cc Valencia Grand Prix - Results

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 43:29.003
2. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 5.164
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 8.648
4. R.Locatelli Gilera + 15.605
5. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM + 20.991
6. Hector Faubel Aprilia + 22.212
7. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 23.199
8. R.Wilairot Honda + 23.321
9. Mattia Pasini Aprilia + 37.424
10. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 38.887
11. Mika Kallio KTM + 44.065
12. Alex Baldolini Aprilia +1:10.999
13. Imre Toth Aprilia +1:31.950
14. Daniel Arcas Aprilia +1:39.110
15. S.G.Giorgi Gilera +1:41.209
16. Manuel Hernandez Aprilia + 1 Lap
17. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 1 Lap
18. Federico Sandi Aprilia + 1 Lap
19. D.T.Pradita Yamaha + 1 Lap



NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Alen Gyorfi Aprilia 24
Alex Debon Aprilia 21
Julian Simon KTM 19
Fabrizio Lai Gilera 12
Lukas Pesek Aprilia 11
Toni Wirsing Honda 11

Bati 6th On Valencia Grid

Alvaro lines up 6th on the grid for tomorrow's Valencia GP - the last race of the 2008 season.
Here's what he said about the final quali session...

"The truth is that today was pretty much our first session in the dry but I had a problem with my first bike and had to take the second one. At the end of the session I ran into a bit of traffic and wasn't able to get a good lap together. I'm not too pleased with sixth place but I'm confident we can improve the engine and set-up of my number one bike. This is our home race and we can't let Simoncelli win here. I'll be going out tomorrow to beat him and win the race. It's an important one and the tactic is to win it whatever way we can. I'll be doing my part with that. The KTMs are also going really well at this track and I think it will be a group race. It is difficult to escape here so we'll try and run with the front group and I'm sure it will be a scrap."

And here's the final quali sheet in full...


Pos | Rider | Nation | Team | Lap time
1 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera 1'35.408
2 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia + 0.010
3 J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc + 0.556
4 M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.786
5 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.859
6 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.011
7 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 1.160
8 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 1.165
9 H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.227
10 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 1.246
11 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.424
12 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 1.433
13 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 1.484
14 M. PASINI ITA Polaris World + 1.639
15 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 1.992
16 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 2.047
17 S. GROTZKYJ ITA Campetella Racing + 2.395
18 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 2.837
19 F. SANDI ITA Zongshen AOS Racing + 3.184
20 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 3.233
21 M. HERNANDEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 3.466
22 D. ARCAS SPA Blusens Aprilia + 3.774
23 D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia + 5.185
24 A. GYORFI HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 5.667
25 T. WIRSING GER Racing Team Germany + 6.566

Alvaro Joins In Celebrations Of 10 Years Of Valencia Circuit

Above: Alvaro joins Jorge Martinez and all the Team Aspar riders, amongst others, at the big 10th anniversary celebrations of the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste on Thursday, ahead of this weekend's Grand Prix.

MotoGP - Valencia - Eurosport TV Schedule

Friday 24th October

24/10 12:00 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 125cc practice session

24/10 12:45 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix MotoGP practice session

24/10 14:00 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 250cc practice session

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Saturday 25th October

25/10 12:00 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 125cc qualifying session

25/10 12:45 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying session

25/10 14:00 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 250cc qualifying session

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Sunday 26th October

6/10 07:45 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix warm-up session

26/10 08:15 - Eurosport
A look ahead to the Valencia Grand Prix

26/10 08:45 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 125cc race

26/10 10:00 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix 250cc race

26/10 11:15 - Eurosport
The Valencia Grand Prix MotoGP race

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A Sense Of Perspective

It would be easy to feel a bit down about today’s race; Bati binning it whilst in a great 2nd position and a fine chance of finishing the season with a 1st.
(So easy in fact, that I’d admit to being a tad down about it myself...)

Nonetheless, whilst it’s easy to dwell on single results - especially at a season end where you’re in danger of remembering little else for the next few weeks - it’s far more healthy, and correct, to take a moment like now to put things in perspective:

Alvaro has performed brilliantly as a 250cc rookie. It’s his maiden season, and he took his first victory at six races in at Mugello. Not only was it a victory but it was a spectacular victory, filled with totally balls-out racing and a nerve-shredding last lap passing Lorenzo (who flung himself into some gravel in disgust) and de Angelis.
And amidst plenty of podiums he took a second victory at Estoril where he made up for a scrappy start by heroically carving through the field and simply heading off into the distance ahead of Lorenzo and Dovizioso.
He’s wound up 4th in the overall championship with a very creditable 181 points, and such a strong first season - and the evidence of our own eyes of how beautifully he rides and how passionately he races - suggests that next season will be even better.

Shit happens sometimes. As it did today. But do what Alvaro does; keep a smile on your face; cos he’s given us a brilliant season’s worth of excitement, and he’ll do it again in 2008.

Have a good rest and a good off-season Bati :)

And all you Bati fans out there - get over to our BatiFans.com Alvaro Bautista Fan Forum where we’ll be all winter till the next season comes. Come and chat with other fans, and join in with our fun and comeptitions; including some with excellent Bati prizes...

Eurosport TV Coverage - Valencia MotoGP

Big downer that it's the last GP of the season, but go see it out in style by following all the action with Toby and Julian on Eurosport...
Here's the weekend's coverage:


Friday, 2 Nov 2007
7:00pm - 8:30pm (1 Hour 30 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice

__________________________________________________

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
11:00am - 11:30am (30 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
11:30am - 12:00pm (30 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: Introduction

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
12:00pm - 12:45pm (45 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: 125cc Qualifying

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
12:45pm - 2:00pm (1 Hour 15 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Qualifying

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
2:00pm - 3:00pm (1 Hour )
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: 250cc Qualifying

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
6:10pm - 7:00pm (50 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Qualifying

Saturday, 3 Nov 2007
9:45pm - 11:30pm (1 Hour 45 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Qualifying

__________________________________________________


Sunday, 4 Nov 2007
8:00am - 8:45am (45 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Qualifying

Sunday, 4 Nov 2007
9:15am - 9:45am (30 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: Introduction

Sunday, 4 Nov 2007
9:45am - 11:00am (1 Hour 15 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: 125cc Race

Sunday, 4 Nov 2007
11:00am - 12:15pm (1 Hour 15 minutes)
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: 250cc Race

Sunday, 4 Nov 2007
12:15pm - 2:15pm (2 Hours )
Eurosport (British Eurosport)
Valencia Grand Prix: MotoGP Race