Alvaro Bautista: Post-Race Quote, Sachsenring

"With the worn tyre I could still feel very comfortable, but I had an early problem. The bike was sliding about and I couldn't feel at ease riding, so I had to regain my feeling step by step. I wasn't fully comfortable until the middle of the race; when I caught up with Barberá I saw that he was going faster than me, I decided to let him take me up to the front.
When we got to Hiroshi and Faubel It was difficult to pass because of Aoyama's late braking, and there were only a couple of places at which I knew that I could pass him. I tried to overtake with two laps to go, but I saw a yellow flag and couldn't make the move. I got through later on and saw Álex ahead, and knew that catching him would be tough. I was with him on the last lap, but a move would have been risking things. Third is a good result, and Aoyama finished behind me which is important for the title fight."

Bautista Takes 3rd & New Sachsenring Lap Record

With mixed conditions, an initial red flag and then a load of faffing around over tyre choices before the restart, you could be forgiven for being a bit worried about how chaotic the (reduced) run might go, but it turned out pretty well actually, with Alvaro finally coming home a fine, respectable and close third.
Sideshow Bob was first and Alex Debon just behind, with just 1.2 seconds covering the first five riders over the finish line.
After a lacklustre start, Alvaro soon warmed up - spending most of the race swapping places with Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera - and finally took Aoyama heading into the first corner, and then went on to break the circuit lap record on the last lap.
Triffick!


CLASSIFIED:

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 27m11.034s
2. Alex Debon Aprilia + 0.479s
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia + 0.528s
4. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda + 0.866s
5. Hector Barbera Aprilia + 1.260s
6. Hector Faubel Honda + 5.972s
7. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia + 8.721s
8. Thomas Luthi Aprilia + 8.762s
9. Raffaele De Rosa Honda + 19.176s
10. R.Locatelli Gilera + 27.950s
11. Alex Baldolini Aprilia + 29.601s
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia + 38.299s
13. Shoya Tomizawa Honda + 51.940s
14. Jules Cluzel Aprilia + 52.919s
15. Bastien Chesaux Honda +1m06.786s
16. Axel Pons Aprilia +1m20.573s
17. Toby Markham Aprilia + 1 lap
18. Imre Toth Aprilia + 1 lap
19. Joakim Stensmo Honda + 2 laps
20. Valentin Debise Honda + 4 laps

NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider | Bike | Laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 16
Mike Di Meglio Aprilia 16
Karel Abraham Aprilia 8
Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 0
R.Wilairot Honda DNS

FASTEST LAP: Bautista, 1m24.552s on lap 19

Alvaro - Post-qualifying quotes; Sachsenring

"We made a few changes to the wet set-up for qualifying but I didn't feel comfortable, to the point that we just went back to the configuration we had last year and I felt better straight away. It is a shame that I ran into a lot of traffic and couldn't get into a rhythm. I only got on decent lap in but that was enough to get me on the front row. I think if I had the opportunity to get into a flow I could have gone faster.
If it is dry for the warm-up tomorrow I'll try what we know works - the same geometry we had for the wet at the end of this afternoon, which gives me a better feeling on the front. Whatever the weather tomorrow we'll be giving it our best shot - we'll try and get a feeling from the start and run at the front. It is important to be on the front row because the first turn tends to get busy here. It is also a circuit where it is very difficult to pass so the nearer you are to the front of the grid the better."

Alvaro Third On Grid For German GP

After not looking terribly confident for most of the drenched and piddling down Qualifying session for tomorrow's German GP at the Sachsenring, and possibly seeming a shoe-in for a slot somewhere down on the second row, Alvaro suddenly right at the end bunged in a great lap that puts him up in third behind Dumb & Dumber.
Quite what the weather will bring tomorrow who knows, but hopefully he can ride smart and as usual be aware of the terrible twosome lined up next to him...


Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap
1. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1m32.962s
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1m33.105s + 0.143s
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1m34.246s + 1.284s
4. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 1m34.285s + 1.323s
5. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1m34.312s + 1.350s
6. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1m34.333s + 1.371s
7. Alex Debon Aprilia 1m34.632s + 1.670s
8. Hector Faubel Honda 1m34.660s + 1.698s
9. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1m34.718s + 1.756s
10. Mike di Meglio Aprilia 1m34.804s + 1.842s
11. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1m35.019s + 2.057s
12. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1m35.355s + 2.393s
13. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1m35.427s + 2.465s
14. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 1m35.637s + 2.675s
15. Jules Cluzel Aprilia 1m35.889s + 2.927s
16. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 1m36.078s + 3.116s
17. Raffaele de Rosa Honda 1m36.097s + 3.135s
18. Shoya Tomizawa Honda 1m36.387s + 3.425s
19. Imre Toth Aprilia 1m36.767s + 3.805s
20. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 1m36.880s + 3.918s
21. Valentin Debise Honda 1m37.633s + 4.671s
22. Toby Markham Aprilia 1m37.939s + 4.977s
23. Bastien Chesaux Honda 1m39.234s + 6.272s
24. Axel Pons Aprilia 1m40.422s + 7.460s
25. Joakim Stensmo Honda 1m42.138s + 9.176s
26. Robin Halen Aprilia 1m41.581s + 8.619s
27. Marcel Becker Yamaha 1m46.868s + 13.906s

Alvaro - Friday Quotes; Sachsenring

11th Álvaro Bautista 1.25.836 (30 laps):
"We usually have set-up problems at this circuit and today I tried a couple of new configurations, one of which I like quite a lot. Being a second off the pace is a big gap but it could have been worse so we have to stay optimistic and be prepared to improve tomorrow. Sachsenring is a difficult circuit in that the faster you try to ride the slower you end up going, and you find yourself with more and more work to do. Let's wait and see if we can improve things tomorrow, mainly on the front end. The key to it is in T2 and if we can improve through there we will be much closer. We knew things wouldn't be easy here and now we're even more determined to work at it tomorrow. I have confidence in the team and we'll all give 100% to improve the set-up of the bike for the race."

Alvaro Looks Ahead To The German GP

"We head to Germany full of motivation and strength, having left with the taste of honey on our lips at the last Grand Prix. We have to respond to what happened there but without losing our heads. Even though we lost the championship lead there is no need to panic because the gap is not a huge one and it is important we just continue to work as we have been doing, picking up as many points as possible.
The Aprilia is perhaps not best suited to the Sachsenring circuit and the Honda will definitely be a more effective package here so we have to work as hard as we can on the set-up to make sure we are ready for Sunday. It is a twisty circuit that is more suited to go-karts than motorcycle racing. I've spent the last two weeks relaxing and putting the Assen crash behind me, having taken a heavy blow to my elbow. I've also been able to keep up my training regime and stay in good shape."

Alvaro 2009 Caps Available From Speed Genius

Although we've yet to see the full *2009* range of Alvaro Bautista official fan merchandise showing up on the Speed Genius website, a couple of items from the new stuff are certainly there; including two kinds of baseball cap.
They're pretty sharp looking, and feature the "new" squiggly graffiti style of Bautista logo on the black which makes up the side panels and rear of the cap, plus of course a big yellow "19" on the hot red of the cap front and peak. Well worth a look, and certainly decent value especially if you combine the postage with a couple of other items. We'll aim to let you know as soon as new items are released onto their website (we're not only anticipating some nice new Alvaro Bautista shirts and tops, but also some other items like rucksacks, flags, helmet bags and umbrellas) but for now, we reckon these are really nice pieces of fan gear and well worth investigating...

MTECH Leathers - Great Poster Giveaway!

MTECH - the company which supplies Alvaro's leathers - has very kindly donated 50 extremely cool A3 sized posters for us to give away to our forum members over at BatiFans - The Alvaro Bautista Fan Forum.
To find out if you're one of the lucky winners in PART ONE of our great giveaway click here - and if you're not a member, then come and join in! We're a delightful bunch, and we have lots more competitions and giveaways coming up for our members.

PS: Thank you MTECH - we love you!

MTECH Leathers Launches Special "Racing Service"

MTECH, as you may know is a partner to Alvaro Bautista, supplying him with leathers for the 2009 season - and it's with this kind of involvement with the sport globally, that MTECH has this year launched its “Racing Service”.

A truck equipped with all accessories to service the riders is ready on all Road Racing World Championship tracks, starting every Thursday before the race. With this initiative, MTECH has reached its goal of “being” on the tracks with a dedicated service, managed by its qualified technicians.
In this way MTECH ensures that it is always near the riders, that it gives them the best assistance and gets their feedback and tips to continuously improve and increase the garment performance.

The pictures show the "Racing Service" truck, and also a set of Alvaro's MTECH leathers being given attention onsite by MTECH's expert crew.

Sorry Alvaro. Wish It Ended Better.

Assen 250cc GP - Results In Full

Pos | Driver | Bike | Time
1. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 40m44.008s
2. Hector Barbera Aprilia +4.424
3. Marco Simoncelli Gilera +10.339
4. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia +11.383
5. Roberto Locatelli Gilera +11.596
6. Alex Debon Aprilia +14.265
7. Karel Abraham Aprilia +17.982
8. Hector Faubel Honda +19.012
9. Rattapark Wilairot Honda +20.926
10. Raffaele de Rosa Honda +21.033
11. Mike di Meglio Aprilia +32.128
12. Lukas Pesek Aprilia +41.329
13. Alex Baldolini Aprilia +1:05.321
14. Valentin Debise Honda +1:12.451
15. Imre Toth Aprilia +1 lap
16. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia +1 lap


Retirements

Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 22 laps
Bastien Chesaux Honda 19 laps
Axel Pons Aprilia 16 laps
Toby Markham Honda 14 laps
Steve Bonsey Aprilia 13 laps
Mattia Pasini Aprilia 13 laps
Thomas Luthi Aprilia 10 laps
Jules Cluzel Aprilia 5 laps
Shoya Tomizawa Honda 0 laps

Assen 250cc GP - Alvaro Wiped Out By Hiro

Less said the better quite frankly...
A brilliant run from Alvaro (on for second or first spot) cut short with about a lap to go when Hiro Aoyama amde a mistake in the final chicane, running wide and slowing right down only to come back onto the track to take out Alvaro who was on the correct line, very close behind.
It was an accident... yeah - I know... and it was by one of the *good* riders in the class... but that doesn't stop it from hurting - particularly as Hiro was able to nurse his bike to the win swapping Bati's 12 point championship lead over him to a 13 pint deficit. And that's galling.

Anyway, here's Alvaro's words on the race...
"My plan was to take it right to the end with Aoyama, because I saw that in the final sector I was quicker than him and I could try a pass. I think that I could have done it, but maybe he had a problem with the bike that stopped him in the chicane. I ran into the back of him and couldn't do anything. The crash is a pity because we could have taken at least twenty points, and the incident has lost us the leadership of the championship. We have to look at the good side though, we had a good race and showed that we are very strong. The results will keep coming if we keep working like we are now."

Assen GP - 250cc Qualifying Times

Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Laps
1. Hector Barbera Aprilia 1:40.019 22
2. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda 1:40.192 + 0.173 21
3. Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 1:40.210 + 0.191 22
4. Marco Simoncelli Gilera 1:40.320 + 0.301 19
5. Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:40.796 + 0.777 21
6. Alex Debon Aprilia 1:40.830 + 0.811 20
7. Raffaele De Rosa Honda 1:41.023 + 1.004 21
8. Mattia Pasini Aprilia 1:41.055 + 1.036 21
9. Mike Di Meglio Aprilia 1:41.072 + 1.053 19
10. Lukas Pesek Aprilia 1:41.190 + 1.171 20
11. Ratthapark Wilairot Honda 1:41.235 + 1.216 20
12. Roberto Locatelli Gilera 1:41.347 + 1.328 20
13. Hector Faubel Honda 1:41.462 + 1.443 16
14. Karel Abraham Aprilia 1:41.533 + 1.514 22
15. Thomas Luthi Aprilia 1:41.545 + 1.526 21
16. Shoya Tomizawa Honda 1:42.038 + 2.019 19
17. Jules Cluzel Aprilia 1:42.628 + 2.609 14
18. Stevie Bonsey Aprilia 1:42.697 + 2.678 13
19. Alex Baldolini Aprilia 1:43.075 + 3.056 13
20. Axel Pons Aprilia 1:43.470 + 3.451 21
21. Valentin Debise Honda 1:43.653 + 3.634 19
22. Imre Toth Aprilia 1:43.913 + 3.894 20
23. Bastien Chesaux Honda 1:44.704 + 4.685 21
24. Vladimir Leonov Aprilia 1:44.743 + 4.724 17
25. Toby Markham Honda 1:46.758 + 6.739 14

Alvaro Lines Up 3rd For Assen GP

"I had a few problems with the front end in corner entry this afternoon, which I think is because we were running a used front tyre and a new rear. About halfway through this afternoon's qualifying we started to make some progress with the bike and I began to enjoy myself. In the end it was a good session, with a good pace, so I hope I can keep riding like I want to tomorrow in both the warm-up and the race. We were really close to pole but the most important thing was to be on the front row and we've done that. I'd like to improve the bike a little more before the race tomorrow just to be on the safe side but I think the fight will be between the same people as Barcelona, with Aoyama and Barberá both looking good. This morning we tried a few things with the front-end set-up and went down the wrong route at one point, which is what led to the crash, but I'm not worried because we know what the problem was."