British Grand Prix - Donington - Event Schedule

FRIDAY, 20 JUNE 2008
09:00-09:45 125cc Free Practice 1
10:00-11:00 MotoGP Free Practice 1
11:15-12:15 250cc Free Practice 1
12:20-12:50 MotoGP2
13:10-13:40 125cc Qualifying Practice 1
13:55-14:55 MotoGP Free Practice 2
15:10-15:55 250cc Qualifying Practice 1
16:05-16:35 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Free Practice
16:40-16:55 Thundersport GB2 Cup Qualifying Practice 1
17:05-17:35 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Qualifying Practice 1
17:40-17:55 Aprilia Superteen Challenge Qualifying Practice 1
18:05-18:35 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Qualifying Practice 2
18:40-19:05 Suzuki & Yamaha Cup Qualifying Practice

SATURDAY, 21 JUNE 2008
09:00-09:45 125cc Free Practice 2
10:00-11:00 MotoGP Free Practice 3
11:15-12:15 250cc Free Practice 2
13:10-13:40 125cc Qualifying Practice 2
13:55-14:55 MotoGP Qualifying Practice
15:10-15:55 250cc Qualifying Practice 2
16:20 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race (17 laps)
17:00-17:10 Aprilia Superteen Challenge Qualifying Practice 2
17:15-17:25 Thundersport GB2 Cup Qualifying Practice 2
17:30 Henderson R1 Cup Race 1 (10 laps)
17:55 ACU Suzuki GSXR Cup Race 1 (10 laps)
18:20 Thundersport GB2 Cup Race 1 (10 laps)
18:45 Aprilia Superteen Challenge Race 1 (10 laps)
19:10 Henderson R1 Cup Race 2 (10 laps)
19:35 ACU Suzuki GSXR Cup Race 2 (10 laps)

SUNDAY, 22 JUNE 2008
09:40-10:00 125cc Warm Up
10:10-10:30 250cc Warm Up
10:40-11:05 MotoGP Warm Up
12:00 125cc Race (25 laps)
13:15 250cc Race (27 laps)
15:00 MotoGP Race (30 laps)


*All times local - BST (GMT +1)

Alvaro Bautista: Quotes Ahead Of British GP

"Donington is my favourite circuit, in that I got my first track points and my first World Championship podium.
I also got the fastest lap in 2004 and in 2006 in 125cc.
For this event I can only hope that everything goes well; as well as in Montmeló and we can continue this streak, and have two consecutive good results.
I just have the desire to climb on the Aprilia and have fun on it as I have up until now."

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...

Pic Of The Day: Post-Race, Catalunya

Catalunya GP: 250cc - Post Race Quote From Alvaro

"At the start I had a good pace, but wasn't too strong to avoid any possible mistake. Little by little we went faster and faster. In the final lap I tried to close every gap, but made an error in the La Caixa corner; I hit neutral instead of first and Marco was able to pass me. Then there was no time for me to pass him again, with so little space before the line. I am a little disappointed, but they are 20 valuable points and I rode an intelligent race. The most positive point has been our speed."

WE SAY: Alvaro's absolutely right - although it was a regrettable error, it was a great race - and he was keeping the lap times tumbling, and it is a decent points haul. A victory would have been so sweet, but it's not right to be disappointed with such a great second. Let's hope he goes one better at Donington! :)

Catalunya GP - 250cc Race Result

A tiny but critical error towards the end of the final lap allowed Simoncelli to snatch the lead and take the victory.
Otherwise a great ride from Alvaro - and, hey, some much needed points ;)
Here's the results in full...

CLASSIFIED:

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 41:01.859
2. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 0.039
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 11.291
4. Alex Debon Aprilia + 21.373
5. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 26.621
6. Mattia Pasini Aprilia + 26.720
7. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM + 35.818
8. Hector Faubel Aprilia + 36.321
9. Julian Simon KTM + 36.964
10. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 41.237
11. R.Wilairot Honda + 52.391
12. Yuki Takahashi Honda + 56.656
13. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 59.282
14. Manuel Poggiali Gilera +1:02.503
15. Fabrizio Lai Gilera +1:02.656
16. Eugene Laverty Aprilia +1:07.418
17. Russell Gomez Aprilia + 1 Lap
18. D.T.Pradita Yamaha + 1 Lap


NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Mika Kallio KTM 19
Imre Toth Aprilia 9
Karel Abraham Aprilia 7
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 2
Daniel Arcas Honda 2
R.Locatelli Gilera 0


FASTEST LAP: Bautista, 1:46.143 on lap 21

Catalunya GP: Final Qualifying, 250cc, Alvaro On Pole

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time

1. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1:45.636
2. Alex Debon Aprilia 1:45.767 + 0.131
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1:46.062 + 0.426
4. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1:46.295 + 0.659
5. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1:46.363 + 0.727
6. Hector Faubel Aprilia 1:46.594 + 0.958
7. Yuki Takahashi Honda 1:46.668 + 1.032
8. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 1:46.856 + 1.220
9. Mika Kallio KTM 1:46.952 + 1.316
10. Julian Simon KTM 1:47.121 + 1.485
11. R.Locatelli Gilera 1:47.190 + 1.554
12. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1:47.207 + 1.571
13. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:47.422 + 1.786
14. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1:47.510 + 1.874
15. R.Wilairot Honda 1:47.510 + 1.874
16. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1:47.666 + 2.030
17. Manuel Poggiali Gilera 1:47.728 + 2.092
18. Fabrizio Lai Gilera 1:47.818 + 2.182
19. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1:49.272 + 3.636
20. Eugene Laverty Aprilia 1:49.392 + 3.756
21. Russell Gomez Aprilia 1:49.618 + 3.982
22. Imre Toth Aprilia 1:49.776 + 4.140
23. Daniel Arcas Honda 1:50.186 + 4.550
24. D.T.Pradita Yamaha 1:50.450 + 4.814

Catalunya GP - Qualifying Practice 1 - 250cc

Alvaro on top :)

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap

1. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1:46.547
2. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1:46.755 +0.208
3. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1:46.764 +0.217
4. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1:46.784 +0.237
5. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 1:46.856 +0.309
6. Alex Debon Aprilia 1:46.922 +0.375
7. Mika Kallio KTM 1:47.220 +0.673
8. Yuki Takahashi Honda 1:47.292 +0.745
9. Hector Faubel Aprilia 1:47.346 +0.799
10. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:47.422 +0.875
11. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 1:47.510 +0.963
12. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 1:47.584 +1.037
13. Julian Simon KTM 1:47.631 +1.084
14. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1:47.666 +1.119
15. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1:47.700 +1.153
16. Manuel Poggiali Gilera 1:47.874 +1.327
17. Fabrizio Lai Gilera 1:48.100 +1.553
18. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1:48.568 +2.021
19. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1:49.272 +2.725
20. Eugene Laverty Aprilia 1:49.392 +2.845
21. Russell Gomez Aprilia 1:49.618 +3.071
22. Imre Toth Aprilia 1:49.981 +3.434
23. Doni Tata Pradita Yamaha 1:50.450 +3.903
24. Daniel Arcas Honda 1:50.845 +4.298

Alvaro Looks Ahead To Catalunya

"Moving on from Mugello, I have a great desire to arrive at Catalunya. I intend to continue with the same energy and hard work I’ve used throughout the championship. We are basically working well throughout the whole weekends, but we lack finish. Montmeló is a circuit with lots of fun and fast ups and downs, like Mugello, where with the appropriate setting, Aprilia can go very well."

Catalunya GP - Eurosport TV Schedule

Don't forget to follow the weekend with the gods themselves; Toby and Julian over at Eurosport...
Here's the schedule for both Eurosport and Eurosport 2, including repeats:

Friday June 6

Eurosport 2
12:00  Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 125cc practice session
12:45 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP practice session
14:00 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 250cc practice session
22:30  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP practice session

Eurosport
20:00  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP practice session

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

Saturday June 7

Eurosport
11:30  Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying sessions
12:00 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 125cc qualifying session
12:45 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying session
20:15  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying session

Eurosport 2
14:00 MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 250cc qualifying session
17:00  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 125cc qualifying session
17:30 MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying session
21:15  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP qualifying session

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

Sunday June 8

Eurosport
08:45  Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix warm-up session
09:15 Live MotoGP
An introduction to the Catalunya Grand Prix
09:45 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 125cc race
11:00 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 250cc race
12:15 Live MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP race
19:30  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP race

Eurosport 2
15:00  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix 250cc race
15:30 MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP race
21:00  MotoGP
The Catalunya Grand Prix MotoGP race


(*Listings courtesy of the excellent mindthezap)

Catalunya GP - Event Schedule

Friday Jun 6
125cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 09:00-09:45 
MotoGP :: Free Practice 1 :: 10:00-11:00 
250cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 11:15-12:15 
125cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:10-13:40
MotoGP :: Free Practice 2 :: 13:55-14:55 
250cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 15:10-15:55


Saturday June 7
125cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 09:00-09:45 
MotoGP :: Free Practice 3 :: 10:00-11:00 
250cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 11:15-12:15 
125cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 13:10-13:40 
MotoGP :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:55-14:55 
250cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 15:10-15:55


Sunday June 8
125cc :: Warm-Up :: 08:40-09:00 
250cc :: Warm-Up :: 09:10-09:30 
MotoGP :: Warm-Up :: 09:40-10:05 
125cc :: Race :: 11:00-11:45 
250cc :: Race :: 12:30-13:00 
MotoGP :: Race :: 14:00-15:00

(*All times local)

BatiFans.com Alvaro Bautista Fan Forum Upgraded To phpBB3

A quick update on our excellent BatiFans.com Fan Forum (join if you haven't already!)... we've just upgraded it from phpBB2 (the basic code structure that runs it) to the all-new phpBB3, which has many new features and is a definite improvement for users.
It's given us the opportunity to refresh the look of the forum too, the front page now featuring groovy icons to guide you into each section.
We've had to set aside the RSS feed for now till we can adapt a new hack for it, but the Spanish translation feature is retained - we've also installed language packs for Spanish, Catalan, and Catalan (Valencia).
The new forum is in a *slightly* different place - so you'll want to update your bookmarks to http://www.batifans.com/phpBB3/index.php but we have plenty of updated links and redirects in place so you should still be able to find us easily and quickly.

Why not get over there now in fact as we have some very special prizes up for grabs in this weekend's round of the RACECARD competition for the Catalunya GP!
Go on....

Italian GP, Mugello: Race Results - 250cc

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 40:19.910
2. Alex Debon Aprilia + 0.499
3. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 0.712
4. Mika Kallio KTM + 7.403
5. Mattia Pasini Aprilia + 12.542
6. R.Locatelli Gilera + 12.790
7. Karel Abraham Aprilia + 16.114
8. Hiroshi Aoyama KTM + 17.316
9. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 19.642
10. R.Wilairot Honda + 19.704
11. Julian Simon KTM + 19.751
12. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 47.360
13. Eugene Laverty Aprilia + 47.422
14. Fabrizio Lai Gilera +1:13.423
15. Imre Toth Aprilia +1:25.891
16. Russell Gomez Aprilia +1:36.557
17. D.T.Pradita Yamaha +1:48.224


Retirements:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Hector Barbera Aprilia 19
Yuki Takahashi Honda 17
Lukas Pesek Aprilia 9
Hector Faubel Aprilia 9
Manuel Poggiali Gilera 9
Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 6

Alvaro: Post-race Quote - Mugello

A terrible day for Alvaro, crashing out in the lead; here's what he said after the race...

"I've been having some really bad luck in the last few races. On every lap here I entered the turn in the same way, but that last time my front tyre lost grip and I crashed. The combination of tyres and setting were adequate, and we were doing well until the crash, so we just have to forget about it and move on. I'm going to turn the page and continue working towards Barcelona, because I'll be going for the win there. I would like to have a big say in matters at Montmelo, and leave this bad streak behind."