Another postseason interview with Alvaro has just been published by soymotero.net. They sat down with Alvaro after his visit to the Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos in Toledo earlier this month (we reported) and tried to get a little preview for next season.
Let’s risk a look into the future.

Alvaro, after the tests in Valencia and Portugal, how do you see the adaptation to the GSV-R?
To be honest, very good. From the beginning it felt easier than I had thought. Of course once you arrive at the limits it will be harder to improve from there, but it felt like a very different bike, more bike than the 250s. All the electronics, the brakes and above all the power when you come out of a curve… it is difficult to control it, but frankly I had a very good feeling with the bike and I am very satisfied, because every time I rode it I improved and every time I was able to control it a little better.

Some riders like Vermeulen have commented that Suzuki has a problem with power compared to the rest of the field. Do you think that this point will be solved for 2010?
Man, I do not know. For me it has too much power right now, but there will come the moment when I need more. Right now I am on a level where I still haven’t reached the limits, neither with the engine nor with the chassis or anything else, so at this moment it is difficult to me to think about that.

So far everything has been new for you. Regarding the tyres, one of the most important aspects for the Suzuki, what is your impression with the change from Dunlop, with which you have always competed, to Bridgestone?*
They are a little different, it is the same tire for everyone and each bike works different. What has surprised me the most were the first laps, because they have very little grip with the cold rubber and you must ride carefully, but once they are warmed up it is impressive how much you can lean in and how fast you can enter a curve, but at the beginning you really have to be very careful until they are warmed up.

What about the physical aspect? Do you think that you will need a special training to adapt to MotoGP?
I was surprised about that, because when I moved from 125cc to 250cc I noticed that I needed more strength because the bike was heavier and it was harder for me to move it. But when I changed to MotoGP you won’t believe it, I didn’t notice much difference compared to 250cc. Regarding the physical level I think that it is going to be more or less the same work as with 250cc, there is not so much more strength needed to ride this bike.

I imagine that besides the tests your great day will be April 11th in Qatar, it’s already soon, but what will Alvaro Bautista feel in his first MotoGP race?
It’s still a long time, I must learn a lot about the bike and find all the limits, there’s everything to learn. In the first race we will see what happens at the start, the first curve, the first laps with all the people of MotoGP… In the end it’s a race just as in 125cc or 250cc. I don’t know what I will feel at the start of the race or even the first laps until you find your place, because quickly enough you’ve done several laps and are in your spot, but at the beginning…

What goals do you have for your first season in MotoGP?
We have to see what level I can reach with this bike, but above all I think the main goal is to enjoy myself. I want to ride the bike as I did in 125cc or 250cc where I had a lot of fun and it was all in my hands; from there we will see what results I’ll be able to achive. Of course I will give one hundred percent and it is a learning year, because at all the circuits I have to find new references and everything will be new for me; also the team is new and I need to get more kilometers on this bike and with this team to see where we can go.

Now that you have ended a chapter of your career, what balance can you draw about your time with the Aspar Team?
The most important at a professional level was the 125cc world title. But overall I valued that in the four years I have been with them we were always fighting at the front, we won races, we had a lot of podiums, we fought for the championship and that is the important thing, the good moments we had.

And on a personal level, what feeling do you take with you?
At a personal level I think that it is a fantastic team. From the first day that I met the team they tried to take me in as one more, I got along brilliantly with the mechanics who were not only my mechanics, but also my friends. To be honest I am enchanted with that team, because they have helped me a lot. Also of course Jorge, I only have good things to say about them.

Interview and pictures by soymotero.net
Translation by the crew of www.alvarobautista.co.uk & www.batifans.com

*We’d like to correct this statement. Alvaro has in fact not always been racing with Dunlop tyres before his switch to MotoGP.  He’s been using Bridgestone his entire first 125cc season in 2003 with the Seedorf Racing Team.

A new interview with Alvaro has been published on the Spanish website as.com today. It appears to be from the first MotoGP tests last month and focuses on Alvaro’s feeling with the bike, the difference to 250cc and his prospects in the new class.

What feeling do you have after the first kilometers the Suzuki?
It is a motorcycle very different from the 250s. It is bigger, with much more power and electronics. The test was meant to get a rhythm with it and get accustomed to the new feeling. The team also is new and little by little we grow together and understand what each other needs. I like the new category and I can’t wait for February when I can ride the bike again. If it was up to me, I’d ride again tomorrow.

MotoGP is another world?
Yes, MotoGP is another story. There are a lot of differences compared to the small classes. There is much more professionalism, accuracy and attention. And the electronics make everything more difficult, because you need some time to understand it. And added to that is that the engine is a four-stroke instead of a two-stroke… It is still a motorcycle, but it is quite different.

How do the electronics affect the riding?
With a four-stroke engine you break much harder than with a two-stroke and because of this when you go into a curve and gear down, there’s a lot of force and the rear wheel stays blocked. So with the electronics you can adjust if you want the engine to brake more or less. Then, when you open the gas, the traction control allows you a lot, because the electronics correct the power that is sent to the wheel…

What can a veteran like Capirossi contribute for you in the box?
I was very lucky with that. You’re always having an eye on your teammate to be, at least, the best rider in the box and in that sense it’s great that there is no problem with Loris, because he is here to further develop the bike and make it into a winning machine. It will help me a lot.

Has Hector Barbera thanked you for saying No to Aspar?
[laughs] Those are just the circumstances. After my decision Aspar had to look for another rider and this meant an opportunity for Héctor. I very am grateful for everything Jorge did, including at the end of the year when he let me test with Suzuki when I still had a contract with him. Suzuki is a step that I had to take in my life.

Pedrosa and Lorenzo won in their first MotoGP season. What about you?
At the moment I’m a little far from the level of the fastest, but with the tests that we have left I’ll certainly be able to get closer to them and if I have the opportunity to win I will fight for it with all I have. We will see what happens.

Interview by Mela Chercoles for as.com
Translation by the crew of www.alvarobautista.co.uk & www.batifans.com

If you’ve followed the silly season shenanigans closely in the off season, you will know that Blusens Aprilia 125cc refugee, Scott Redding, is currently without a ride for 2010, having been linked to a few fruitless talks with various Moto2 teams. Scott certainly has the talent to excel in the Moto2 class, but is currently suffering with a lack of sponsorship deals to land him a Moto2 ride.

In a gesture of solidarity with the Scott Redding Supporters Club, we’d like to take this opportunity to promote the new “Scott Redding 2010″ website, which aims to push publicity and interaction with the cause way beyond its core Facebook presence. With the “Scott Redding 2010” project one of our sister sites, MotoGPBrits.com delivered a website for the Scott Redding Supporters Club to help focus attention on their mission outside of the Facebook environment where it had largely operated before. Whilst over 300 million people use Facebook, over 6.7 billion people use the internet as a whole so it makes sense to ensure that the campaign to try and secure Scott a Moto2 ride for the 2010 MotoGP season reached as broad an audience as possible.

The site will serve as an ongoing news magazine to cover events and fundraising activities run by the Supporters Club, to ensure as many internet users as possible find out about the cause and to enable easy access to instant online donation mechanisms.
We believe it’s a brilliant cause, and hopefully one that will engage all those many potential fans and supporters who don’t use Facebook.

Please share the news and the link, and ideally make a donation too if you can – Scott’s a superb rider and *anything* that can be done to move his career forward is a good cause.

As we reported last month, Alvaro gave his helmet and leathers to an auction for charity which resulted in a highest bid of 2020 Euros. Today Alvaro personally delivered the cheque to the Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos de Toledo which specialises in the treatment and research of paraplegia.

Apart from the cheque Alvaro also brought some team shirts as presents to the hospital where he took the time for pictures with fans as well.

Picture copyright by soymotero.net

Today it’s been officially announced that the MotoGP bikes will make another switch in capacity in 2012, this time back up to 1000cc. This announcement is particularly interesting for next year’s class Rookies, including Alvaro, who will only have two years on the current machinery before another change is due. Since Alvaro has a two-year contract this also means for him that the Suzuki will stay the only 800cc bike he gets to ride in competition.

Following talks between MotoGP’s governing body the FIM, series rights holder Dorna Sports and the MSMA, the Commission agreed to change the maximum engine capacity of the MotoGP class to 1000cc for the 2012 season. A limit of 4 cylinders will also be introduced, with a maximum cylinder bore measurement of 81 mm.

Mr Ippolito said: “The main changes we have decided on are new rules for the MotoGP class. We will have four cylinder engines, 4-stroke of course, with a 1000cc maximum, and the bore of the cylinders will be 81mm. This base will give all the manufacturers the opportunity to start work. At the beginning of next year we will produce the new rules in a more complete format, but that is the basis; 2012 will be the year of a new era of MotoGP.”

Mr Ezpeleta stated: “It was a very important meeting to decide the future of the MotoGP class. From 2012 the bikes will have an engine capacity of up to 1000cc, have up to four cylinders and the maximum bore will be 81mm. It’s a very important measurement because with this we can have all the characteristics of the engine. This has been approved and between now and the start of the 2010 season we will have another two meetings to define the rest of the specifications for this new class.”

Source: motogp.com

The traditional end-of-season dinner was hosted by the new fanclub for the first time this year and it can safely be described as a roaring success.
Of course BatiFans had to be present as well. Here’s the story and pics from the weekend.

We landed on the Madrid airport Friday evening and arrived in Talavera around 9 PM. Coming in from cold Germany and England, the temperatures in Spain still felt pleasantly warm to us. After checking in our hotel we went out to have dinner and a quick stroll through the city. We took a look at the new Fanclub venue “La Sixtina”, but the place was absolutely packed. As was apparently every other bar or restaurant in the city! So we tried the old Peña bar “Las Tinajones” instead and found an empty table waiting just for us. After having some delicious tortilla and ham, the bar owners saw and recognized us and came over to greet us overjoyed. Soon our table was full with more Mahou beers, more drinks and those delicious wrapped Spanish cookies and it went on to be an unintended long night.

Sleeping in on Saturday we went to the shop of Alvaro’s dad Javier only around midday to give Bati the present we created with the help of our forum members. It is a poster with pictures of Batifans from all around the word spelling out a Birthday and Christmas message for Bati. When Alvaro arrived he was surprised and delighted that we brought him yet another gift (“Every time you come here, you bring me presents!”) and he absolutely loved the poster, as did his dad. They were surprised by the length of it (5 meters) and Bati joked that he could put it around his room three times. Everyone loved the idea and the display of all the fans Bati has around the world. Thanks again to everyone who participated, it really looks amazing and it’s such a great way to show him our support.

We had a quick lunch in the new Fanclub bar “La Sixtina” and then went back to the hotel to rest a bit before what would become another long night.
The dinner was set to commence at around 9.30PM. Bati and his family made a quiet entrance and the delicious food quickly found its way on our tables. It was an enjoyable meal and after the main dish there was a surprise waiting for Alvaro. Several men and women, us included, went outside to prepare for a very special ceremony. To the music of “Conquest of Paradise” from Vangelis, the guys then entered the room with torches and stood in a row, lighting up the dark, before the women walked down the line one by one with a rose for Alvaro. His girlfriend gave him the last rose before his mom handed him a roll of paper with some touching words from the Fanclub. It was a very emotional ceremony and caused a few tears to fall here and there. Cesar, the fanclub’s president, read the words for everyone to hear and afterwards Alvaro took the microphone to thank everyone for all the support in the good and the bad times and how much he appreciates it.

After the dessert and drawing the winners of some prizes (flags, boots, gloves, helmet) the evening continued in the disco, located in the basement of the same building. With all the fanclub members it was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun.
Around 3AM the place was about to close, so we went to another club in Talavera city to dance the night away. The place was PACKED and it was impossible to move without constantly bumping into someone, but we were with friends and we had fun.

We made our way back to the hotel some time around 6AM and tried to sleep for a few hours before having to check out from the hotel at noon. Another trip to Las Tinajones for lunch and then it was already time to head back to the Madrid airport and say Goodbye to Spain once again.

It’s hard to put in words everything you see, feel and experience in basically only one day in Talavera. All we can say is that it is an amazing and unique experience every time and that we are very grateful to be able to do this. We have to thank everyone who’s taken us into their midst just like friends, like family, and made us feel so welcome once again.
And of course many thanks to Alvaro, for everything.

Those who have met him on or off the track before know that he is no star, he’s a very down-to-earth and genuinely nice person. And this shows again when you visit Talavera. He told us that he really appreciates all the support a lot and how much it means to him when we make our long way down there. And he wanted us to know how important it is for him that we see that he is just a normal guy like us, he is only a member of the fanclub like we are. We all are on the same level and we are not there “for him”, but instead “with him”. And this is very true when you visit Talavera.
We think this is an important message for all his fans and it makes us support him even more, because he doesn’t put himself above us, but instead takes us along for the ride with him. Thank you so much for everything, Alvaro. Siempre contigo.

Earlier this year Alvaro was the special guest at the 50th anniversary of the historic La Baneza street race (we reported).
On the occasion of the anniversary there’s now a documentary about the history of La Baneza being produced and it includes interviews with champions like Angel Nieto, Champi Herreros and Alvaro Bautista.
The producers are still in the process of interviewing more people involved with the La Baneza race from all over Spain and aim to give a comprehensive view not only of the race itself, but also of the region around La Baneza.

A publication date for the documentary has not been announced yet, but we will keep you updated when we know more.

As we reported yesterday, Alvaro will participate in the festivities to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Spanish Constitution tomorrow.
The reading of the 168 articles of the Carta Magna will commence at 11 o’clock at the Congreso de los Diputados in Madrid.

Fortunately for those of you unable to attend the festivities in person, the Spanish Congress offers live streaming on their website of every event going on in the Congress and the current programme shows that this will include a live stream of the festivities tomorrow.
We have no information how long the event will go on, but if you watch the live stream through the link provided below, you will not only be able to see Alvaro read an article of the Constitution, but possibly also improve your Spanish and learn something about Spanish politics.

The Live Stream of the Congress can be found here: Parliamentary Channel.