Qatar GP - Alvaro Takes Pole

1. Bautista (Aprilia) 2min 0.677sec
2. Aoyama (Honda) +0.100sec
3. di Meglio (Aprilia) +0.436sec
4. Barbera (Aprilia) +0.497sec
5. Faubel (Honda) +0.959sec
6. Talmacsi (Aprilia) +1.016sec
7. Pasini (Aprilia) +1.022sec
8. Debon (Aprilia) +1.036sec
9. Luthi (Aprilia) +1.061sec
10. Locatelli (Gilera) +1.162sec

Qatar GP - Friday Quotes From Alvaro

2nd - Alvaro Bautista 2.01.943 (16 laps):
"We are a little far off the times that we did at the beginning of the week. The track isn't in the best of condition and this is definitely affecting our setting, as I haven't really felt comfortable on my Aprilia. It was vibrating a lot on the front when we entered the corners, so tomorrow I hope that when the other classes clean the track we can get a better grip from their rubber.
The wind has also been a handicap. We all have good data from the test, so we've been able to ride in similar times, but we need to see who is able to carry on improving when the times really drop. Tomorrow we first need to check the state of the track, and then try to improve. If the track is as it was during the two days of testing, then we will be able to continue with our original setting."

Qatar GP - Friday QP 1

1. Talmacsi 2min 1.902sec
2. Bautista (Aprilia) +0.041sec
3. Pasini (Aprilia) +0.294sec
4. Aoyama (Honda) +0.444sec
5. Barbera (Aprilia) +0.481sec
6. Wilairot (Honda) +0.481sec
7. Luthi (Aprilia) +0.524sec
8. Cluzel (Aprilia) +0.799sec
9. Pesek (Aprilia) +0.862sec
10. Faubel (Honda) +0.880sec

Yaaay! The New School Photo!

But don't you just hate it when they make you sit next to the school gimp....?

Qatar GP - Eurosport TV Coverage

Friday:
125cc = Practice: 1830 (Eurosport2) LIVE
MotoGP = Practice: 1930 (Eurosport2) LIVE
250cc = Practice: 2030 (Eurosport2) LIVE

Saturday:
125cc = Quali: 2000 (Eurosport2) LIVE
MotoGP = Quali: 2100 (Eurosport2) LIVE
250cc = Quali: 2200 (Eurosport2) LIVE

Sunday:
125cc = Race: 1730 (Eurosport) LIVE
250cc = Race: 1915 (Eurosport) LIVE
MotoGP = Race: 2200 (Eurosport) REPLAY

(*Times - BST)

Qatar Test - Day Two - Tuesday

1. Alvaro BAUTISTA APRILIA 2:00.496
2. Hiroshi AOYAMA HONDA 2:00.873
3. Mike DI MEGLIO APRILIA 2:00.946
4. Hector BARBERA APRILIA 2:01.061
5. Karel ABRAHAM APRILIA 2:01.094
6. Raffaele DE ROSA HONDA 2:01.129
7. Thomas LUTHI APRILIA 2:01.152
8. Roberto LOCATELLI GILERA 2:01.203
9. Mattia PASINI APRILIA 2:01.391
10. Ratthapark WILAIROT HONDA 2:01.479
11. Lukas PESEK APRILIA 2:02.026
12. Gabor TALMACSI APRILIA 2:02.207
13. Alex BALDOLINI APRILIA 2:02.249
14. Hector FAUBEL HONDA 2:02.293
15. Shoya TOMIZAWA HONDA 2:02.781
16. Imre TOTH APRILIA 2:03.733
17. Alex DEBON APRILIA 2:03.788
18. Axel PONS APRILIA 2:05.293
19. Vladimir LEONOV APRILIA 2:07.115
20. Aitor RODRIGUEZ APRILIA 2:08.559

Qatar Test - Day One - Alvaro Quotes

2nd - Alvaro Bautista 2.01.121 (58 laps):
"This first day has been a little complicated because the track didn't have much grip and it has taken us a little to get a good rhythm. While we were riding we finally found a solution for the front part of the bike, which really caused us the most problems.
With some small variations we made great improvements, and progressively I've been able to ride more comfortable and the conditions of the track also improved. If we continue this line of work tomorrow then I am convinced that we will improve and I will gain confidence.
Most important thing about today is that little by little I have found some feeling on the Aprilia, although there is still room to improve with the suspensions."

Qatar Test - Day One - Monday

250cc
1.H.Barberá 2.00.545
2.A.Bautista 2.01.121
3.K.Abraham 2.01.406
4.H.Aoyama 2.01.685
5.T.Luthi 2.02.805
6.R.Locatelli 2.02.252
7.G.Talmacsi 2.02.279
8.A.Debon 2.02.442
9.M.di Meglio 2.02.469
10.L.Pesek 2.02.575
11.R.Wilairot 2.02.580
12.R.de Rosa 2.03.522
13.M.Pasini 2.03.708
14.H.Faubel 2.03.959
15.A.Baldolini 2.04.410
16.I.Toth 2.04.889
17.S.Tomizawa 2.05.051
18.A.Pons 2.06.151
19.A.Rodríguez 2.12.536

The Challenger

With the Qatar tests underway, and the race at Losail kicking off the 2009 season this weekend, it seems an opportune time to go over the tech specs for Alvaro's bike...

ENGINE
Type: two strokes
Configuration / number of cylinders: one cylinder
Diameter: 54x54,5
Cubic capacity: 124,5
Compression: 18:1
Admission: rotary side valve
Gear Box: 6 gears
Clutch: dry multidisk

CHASSIS
Chassis – manufacturer and material: Aprilia/aluminium
Front Fork – Type, manufacturer: inverted/Ohlins
Rear Suspension – Type, manufacturer: Pro-link/Ohlins
Direction shock absorber – Type Manufacturer: Ohlins

BRAKES
Front brakes: two disks/ Diameter 218:steel/manufacturer: Brembo/ Clips: 2 Brembo
Rear Brakes: one disk/ steel/ manufacturer: Brembo/ Clips: Brembo

TYRES
Wheel rim: 17/ Aprilia/ Carbon
Front: Dunlop 95/70-17”
Rear: Dunlop 120/70-17”

DIMENSIONS
Distance among axles: 1230 mm
Total distance: 1830 mm
Height seat: 760 mm
Dry Weight: 72 kg
Tank capacity: 14 litres

BatiFans.com Announces RACECARD '09 Competition

A sure sign that the fun's about to begin in MotoGP is the announcement of the annual BatiFans.com RACECARD Competition...
It's dead simple - for every 250cc race in 2009 you can enter your qualifying and race predictions for how Alvaro Bautista is going to do. You get 5 points for a correct qualy prediction and 10 points for a correct race result.
We keep an eye on the scores, and at the end of the season one lucky winner walks off with some great prizes, like a rare Alvaro Bautista photo-biography, a diecast model of his 2005 Seedorf Honda, and a superb documentary about Alvaro on DVD.
It's free to enter and open to all members of the BatiFans Forum and adds an extra bit of fun and excitement to each race weekend.

Just get clicking on the link to find out more about the RACECARD 2009 Competition...
Sign up, join in, and bag yourself a bunch of fun across the season - and possibly a great prize at the end of it.

"What Do You Think Of Your Rival?" "He Has Long Hair..."

A gloriously understated and mischievous take on 'Sideshow Bob' from Alvaro - although it's actually only part of a longer and far more interesting answer. That, and a whole pre-season interview translated by stv21 from the original Solo Moto article can be found here on the BatiFans.com fan forum where Bati talks about the season ahead, the end of 250s, and his future in MotoGP...
Enjoy!

OPINION: Two Downsides To The 2010 Regs

The FIM has today released the full official version of the regulation changes based on their Jerez meeting of 28_03_09, as agreed by the Grand Prix Commission....



MotoGP Class

For immediate application (2009)

1. Engine restriction from Czech Republic Grand Prix included:
a) A rider can use a maximum of 5 engines until the end of the Championship.
b) New engines have to be sealed before use (practices, warm up, race).
c) A new engine will be deemed to have been used when the motorcycle exits the pit lane.
d) All used engines will have the exhaust ports additionally sealed at the end of each event.
e) A sealed engine can be reused at any time.
f) The penalty for using an unauthorised engine will be a deduction of 10 points from the total point of the Championship ranking of the rider concerned.
2. 2009-2010 tests: 8 days in total. Venues and days will be announced.
3. Ceramic composite materials shall not be permitted for brake discs and pads.
4. Any pressurised hydraulic powered system is not allowed. Also engine lubricating oil cannot be used for any other purpose.
5. Electronic controlled suspension shall not be permitted.
6. EGR (Exhaust Gas Re-circulation) shall not be permitted.
7. Testing with non-contracted riders is allowed at any track, at any time, but it is subject to the following limitations:
a) Only tyres coming from the Tyre Supplier are allowed, and not more than 240pcs. per Manufacturer can be used from the 1st of January to the 31st of December including after-race tests.
b) After the MotoGP season has started, testing before a race included in the MotoGP Championship is limited to 2 tracks, and no later than 14 days prior to the race.
8. Testing for contracted riders:
a) Contracted riders are allowed to 2 after-race tests. The tyres used by the contracted riders will not be counted.
b) The winter test ban will be extended up to January 31st.


For 2010

1. Only one machine can be used during each MotoGP event.
2. A rider can use a maximum of 6 engines for the entire Championship.
3. A new event schedule will be announced.
4. Carbon composite front brake discs must be of one diameter only and two types of mass. The diameter will be 320mm only.
5. The maximum fuel injection pressure is 10 Bar.
6. MMC (Metal Matrix Composite) & FRM (Fibre Matrix Material) shall not be permitted.
7. Temperature sensor for the tyre will not be permitted.
8. From 2010 to 2012, the rim width shall be limited to 2 sizes for front and 1 size for rear for each manufacturer. Wheels diameter shall be limited to 16.5 inches only.
9. Variable exhaust system shall not be permitted.
10. Variable Valve Timing system and Variable Valve Lift system powered by electric and/or liquid, shall not be permitted.
11. Connecting rod shall not be a hollow structure but less than 2mm oil pass tunnel is permitted.
12. Twin clutch system (known as DSG) shall not be permitted.
13. Automatic transmission shall not be permitted. But manual transmission assisted by small force shall be permitted.
14. Consecutive Variable Transmission shall not be permitted.
15. Only DORNA can supply GPS unit just for entertainments such as TV broadcasting, which can't connect to CPU unit by any kind of system.
16. Electric/electronic steering damper system shall not be permitted.
17. Minimum weight of motorcycle shall be the existing one + 2 kg. (ex: 150 kg for 4 cylinders).
18. Only 5 persons can work on the machine in the pits.
19. Riders who enter the Championship for the first time (Rookies) must be entered by a non factory Team.

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



WE SAY: You can end up dissecting rule changes, their motives and their likely outcomes till the cows come home. This is particularly so in respect of the genuinely “technical” regs.
However, there are a couple of clearly *standout* points here; one of which is crucial to fans and another is crucial to Alvaro Bautista fans...

Point 3 of the 2010 changes states that “a new event schedule will be announced”. From ideas bandied around so far, it seems very likely that this is destined to mean considerably less track time each race weekend. For fans who attend the races - and also for fans who follow the events on TV and online - the reduction in activity is a definite downer. And it has to be said that it is likely to have a negative effect on the racing too... riders and bikes need to acclimatise to the circuits and conditions over as much time as possible ahead of qualifying.
It could easily be argued in fact that insufficient preparation may even make events more dangerous. It seems to be a case of "cost cutting - but at what cost?"...

Point 19 of the 2010 changes states that “riders who enter the Championship for the first time (Rookies) must be entered by a non factory Team”.
The implications of this on Alvaro’s MotoGP career should be obvious, and I’m certainly not impressed. It should be left to the discretion, experience and intelligence of individual teams, managers and riders as to whether a particular individual is ready for a particular ride. We know that Jorge Martinez has been strategically planning a route into the top class for some time, and that of course Alvaro would be his prime choice of rider. Surely he, and not an arbitrary regulation, is the best judge of whether that’s right.
Let’s be honest, on the whole Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo made fine debut seasons in factory teams (apart form Jorge’s injuries, and Dani’s Estoril indiscretion!).
There’s no reason why Alvaro would not do even better of course, and I for one resent the idea that he could be prevented from making the most of his move up to the top class without a genuinely comprehensible reason....
There's another take on this rule - from a broader and more political perspective; really good reading - here at motogpmatters which is less about the kind of partisan approach that I can't help but suffer from, but which equally foresees all kinds of issues coming in close attendance to such a change.

Jerez Test Times - Day Three - 27/03/09

Session 1

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM 1:43.205 -
2 Hector BARBERA PEPE WORLD TEAM 1:43.306 +0.101
3 Alex DEBON AEROPUERTO-CASTELLO-BLUSENS 1:43.397 +0.192
4 Marco SIMONCELLI METIS GILERA 1:43.417 +0.212
5 Roberto LOCATELLI METIS GILERA 1:43.702 +0.497
6 Hiroshi AOYAMA SCOT RACING TEAM 250cc 1:43.793 +0.588
7 Mattia PASINI TEAM TOTH APRILIA 1:43.877 +0.672
8 Gabor TALMACSI BALATON RACING TEAM 250cc 1:43.954 +0.749
9 Mike DI MEGLIO MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM 250cc 1:43.985 +0.780
10 Ratthapark WILAIROT THAI HONDA PTT SAG 1:43.995 +0.790
11 Karel ABRAHAM CARDION AB MOTORACING 1:44.012 +0.807
12 Thomas LUTHI EMMI - CAFFE LATTE 1:44.160 +0.955
13 Hector FAUBEL HONDA SAG 1:44.254 +1.049
14 Alex BALDOLINI WTR SAN MARINO TEAM 1:44.359 +1.154
15 Lukas PESEK AUTO KELLY - CP 1:44.421 +1.216
16 Jules CLUZEL MATTEONI RACING 1:44.746 +1.541
17 Raffaele DE ROSA SCOT RACING TEAM 250cc 1:44.816 +1.611
18 Imre TOTH TEAM TOTH APRILIA 1:45.355 +2.150
19 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP MOTO-GP250 1:46.269 +3.064
20 Bastien CHESAUX RACING TEAM GERMANY 1:47.379 +4.174
21 Vladimir LEONOV VIESSMANN KIEFER RACING 1:48.138 +4.933
22 Axel PONS PEPE WORLD TEAM 1:48.295 +5.090


Session 2

1 Marco SIMONCELLI METIS GILERA 1:42.477 -
2 Alvaro BAUTISTA MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM 1:42.674 +0.197
3 Jules CLUZEL MATTEONI RACING 1:43.078 +0.601
4 Alex DEBON AEROPUERTO-CASTELLO-BLUSENS 1:43.189 +0.712
5 Hiroshi AOYAMA SCOT RACING TEAM 250cc 1:43.244 +0.767
6 Roberto LOCATELLI METIS GILERA 1:43.425 +0.948
7 Gabor TALMACSI BALATON RACING TEAM 250cc 1:43.470 +0.993
8 Thomas LUTHI EMMI - CAFFE LATTE 1:43.611 +1.134
9 Karel ABRAHAM CARDION AB MOTORACING 1:43.658 +1.181
10 Ratthapark WILAIROT THAI HONDA PTT SAG 1:43.744 +1.267
11 Lukas PESEK AUTO KELLY - CP 1:43.837 +1.360
12 Mike DI MEGLIO MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM 250cc 1:43.847 +1.370
13 Mattia PASINI TEAM TOTH APRILIA 1:43.912 +1.435
14 Raffaele DE ROSA SCOT RACING TEAM 250cc 1:43.926 +1.449
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR SAN MARINO TEAM 1:43.928 +1.451
16 Hector FAUBEL THAI HONDA PTT SAG 1:43.982 +1.505
17 Imre TOTH TEAM TOTH APRILIA 1:45.994 +3.517
18 Axel PONS PEPE WORLD TEAM 1:46.767 +4.290
19 Bastien CHESAUX RACING TEAM GERMANY 1:47.233 +4.756

Jerez Test Times - Day Two - 26/03/09

1.Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia), 1.43.068
2.Héctor Barberá (Aprilia), 1.43.093
3.Marco Simoncelli (Gilera), 1.43.196
4.Mike Di Meglio (Aprilia), 1.43.358
5.Lukas Pesek (Aprilia), 1.43.467
6.Gabor Talmacsi (Aprilia), 1.43.515
7.Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda), 1.43.545
8.Roberto Locatelli (Gilera), 1.43.749
9.Alex Debón (Aprilia), 1.43.819
10.Rattapark Wilairot (Honda), 1.43.951