For the 2012 season, Dorna Sports SL has developed a brand new application to enhance how MotoGP™ fans experience the World Championship, with a brand new interface and a range of functionalities. The MotoGP Live Experience is the only official application to offer access to Live Timing of each practice, qualifying session and race, but also to a wide range of contents.

The MotoGP Live Experience app allows users to follow the 2012 season with Live Timing and real-time tracking from all 18 rounds of the MotoGP World Championship – so the user knows what is going on at the circuit and how their favourite rider is performing at any point throughout the Grand Prix.

The key features of the app are real-time tracking which allows users to follow any rider in real-time around the track, and the live timing which charts each session and race as it unfolds with extensive live timing data.

During the sessions and races from all three classes – which will be available live and on demand – there is also live text commentary giving updates on the key moments of each race/session, with rider and incident notifications.

Apart from the Grand Prix coverage, the MotoGP Live Experience includes a lot of additional data such as a MotoGP Guide with statistics and information about the events, riders and teams, and also access to all the latest news, photos and videos coming straight from motogp.com, the Official Website of the MotoGP World Championship.

Available in English, Spanish and Italian for iOS devices on the iTunes App Store and for Android devices on Google Play, the MotoGP Live Experience application is the perfect way for fans to follow the World Championship, and is also an excellent resource for motorsport professionals, journalists, team staff and riders alike!

Download the 2012 MotoGP Live Experience now on iTunes or on Google Play.

Source: motogp.com

Tissot will remain the Official Timekeeper of the MotoGP™ World Championship in 2012 – its 13th consecutive year – and to commemorate the forthcoming season the Swiss watchmaker has released its two official MotoGP™ timepieces.

The Tissot T-Race MotoGP Limited Edition 2012 watches are available in automatic and quartz versions, with the automatic edition limited to 2012 pieces and driven by the revolutionary C01.211 chronograph movement. The quartz edition has been produced in a series of 8,888 pieces.

Both models draw inspiration from the MotoGP™ machines and incorporate a dynamic black based strap with a yellow aerodynamic T-line, a dashboard-inspired dial, a bezel resembling a bike’s brake disc and have carbon composites. Both editions are also presented in a MotoGP™ chequered flag collector’s box.

Source: motogp.com

Ahead of the final preseason test in Jerez next week, motogp.com took the opportunity to interview Álvaro about his expectations for this season, how the preseason went with his new team and more.

Upon his return from Italy, where the San Carlo Honda Gresini team’s ambitious 2012 project was officially presented this week, Álvaro Bautista spent the last few days working on his fitness. After a prolonged Supermoto session on Friday morning, Bautista spoke about objectives for his third year in the premier class, work at the official test in Jerez next week and the challenge to pick up the baton on the team which was formerly led by Marco Simoncelli.

How was the presentation in Milán? What was the atmosphere like in the team?
“It’s a unique situation with respect to last year. In 2011 I was the only rider for Suzuki and this year I’m on the Gresini team, which has a presence in all three classes in the championship. I had the opportunity to get to know the sponsors, the people that work on the team, and over there everything was really positive. After the final race of last year, which was really difficult, it seems like everyone really wants to return to racing and getting good result and the atmosphere was really positive.”

This year presents many changes for you, not just the engine capacity, but because you are on a new team and riding a different bike. How has it been to far fitting all the changes into the preseason?
“So far the testing has gone really well. The capacity is different, but so is the bike. It’s quite different from the Suzuki that I rode until now in MotoGP. There are far more electronics and I had to learn how to ride it with them. It now also has a lot more power than the 800cc. The conclusion so far is positive, because every time I have ridden it, I’ve gone better. It’s a good feeling. There is still a lot of work left to do but I think we are on the right track to continue to improve.”

You left the second Sepang test satisfied despite the weather keeping you in the garage for a lot of the test. What do you have left to work on at the final official test in Jerez next week?
“At the last test we didn’t get out on track much because of the bad weather and a problem we had with Pedrosa’s engine [which caused a recall of the engine and prevented all Honda riders from riding on the second day of testing]. We would have liked to try some things with the geometry of the bike to let me be more comfortable and that’s what we have pending for Jerez. Overall there is a good base as far as electronics are concerned, because as I said, this bike has many more parameters than the Suzuki, I still need to understand what does and does not work for me. I’ll try to put everything in place and get a good base, because in two weeks it’s the first race of the season.”

How are you doing physically right now?
“Very good. This year I wanted to prepare myself well, because the engine is a 1000cc. I hope that this hard training will help me on the bike so that I will be less tired and can perform my best.”

This year you will be on the same RC213V as Stoner and Pedrosa. Are you going to compete with the exact same bike as them or will your bike have some differences from the official factory team?
“In theory, there are four Hondas. Two on the factory team, Bradl’s and mine, and they all start with the same base level of parts and electronics. The only difference is that my bike will have Showa forks and shock instead of Öhlins and the brakes will be Nissin. Those are the only differences. Showa wants to return to the World Championship and they proposed that I be the rider for the brand and develop it. So, the bikes will start equal and as changes are made obviously the factory riders will take precedence.”

You are starting the championship with an unusual black fairing, a tribute to Marco Simoncelli…
“Yes, it’s a small showing of respect. We are starting with black fairings, as you know in other years the bike was completely white, so this year as a sign of respect to the team, a sign of mourning so to speak, I’m starting with a black bike. Throughout the season it will change color and at the end it will turn white.”

How do you manage the fact that you are occupying the place of a rider who has left such a big void in the MotoGP community and among fans?
“Well, I am trying not to think about it actually. I’m on a really profesional team and focusing on my work. There is always the wake of the rider who came before you on a team, but this is a different situation. I am working with different technicians and mechanics and it’s not quite the same situation, I don’t feel like I’m taking on all the weight and responsibility. I have this opportunity here and have to try to make the most of it.”

Do you believe that the technical level of the team and the bike you are on this year will allow you to make a big step in terms of your results?
“Yes, I’m on this team for this reason, to make a step forward. This team has always had good support from HRC and got good parts. This year we have the support of Honda and in principle we’ll have the parts to try to fight for good results. I trust the team and the team trusts me, so together with the support of Honda I think we can do well.”

As for the lists of title favorites, as nice as it would be to be there, at the moment you are not on the list.
“At the moment this is so. The logical favorites are the reigning champion, Stoner, the runner-up, which is Lorenzo, Pedrosa, who also needs just a small step to get there, and Dovizioso, who was third. I think those are the candidates for the championship… Our goal is to be there, but for the moment the ones who have to defend their status are those who are the favorites. We will try to get there, but for now we are still behind them.”

Source: motogp.com

The official presentation of the 2012 Gresini Team in the Galleria del Vento at the Polytechnic University of Milan came with a bit of a surprise today when the new black livery was unveiled in front of the media. The main sponsor San Carlo had been with the team from the 2008 season and since then the Gresini team had run a white livery. However, this year they turned the main colour into the opposite. On the one hand the aim of the design change is to really make a fresh start after the tragedy from last year and on the other hand also to honour the late Simoncelli, as team boss Fausto Gresini told the press.

The team will run a regular Honda satellite bike with Álvaro in the MotoGP class plus a CRT effort with his new teammate Michele Pirro, as well as a new Moto3 entry with Italian youngster Niccolò Antonelli.

Below you can also find a short video from behind the scenes at the San Carlo photoshoot this weekend.

Álvaro Bautista: “I’m very happy about this day spent in Milan for the presentation of the San Carlo Honda Gresini team. This starts a new adventure for me and I think we have every reason to do well in this season that’s about to start. I’m content after Sepang, because the was very positive and now we’re going to Jerez to finish the job and try to find an even better feeling with the Honda RC213V.”

We’ve completely overhauled our E-Cards section.
It’s easier to use than ever and contains a fab selection of over 100 classic Alvaro images.
Just click on the button beneath the image you want to send, fill in the ‘to’ and ‘from’ details, write your message – and press ‘Send’.
That’s it!
So easy – and loads of fun – you’ll really light up someone’s face with one of these fantastic E-Cards.
Click here to send an Alvaro Bautista E-Card now….

As the new season approaches and testing gets underway we thought we’d add to your fever with a very funky set of icons by site editor stv21.

There are 30 in all – ideal for forum avatars and messenger apps etc.
Just click here to download them.
We’ll be givgin them a permanent slot on the Downloads page soon too – and if you’ve never been there do go and look as there’s some great icons and wallpapers.

Enjoy

And share…

Before the 2012 season starts in earnest with the first official test of the year in Sepang at the end of January, Solo Moto journalist Borja González sat down with our favourite racer and asked him many, many questions about working with Suzuki, almost wandering off to Superbikes, joining Gresini after tragedy hit and everything else. Below you can find a complete translation.

One of the great attractions of 2012 will be to watch the performance of Álvaro Bautista with the Honda. After two seasons in MotoGP, characterized by injuries but also by his great work on the Suzuki, the Spanish rider faces one of his biggest challenges.

The best bike in MotoGP. That’s the dream of all riders, and one that could happen to Bautista this year, provided that Honda confirms the power that’s already been hinted at in the first test of their 1000cc. But it also needs to be said that the youngster from Talavera de la Reina is not taking the place of Marco Simoncelli at HRC as he will not have the official status, although he will have a machine at his disposal which will show where he stands as a rider.

Solo Moto: How did it make you feel when you heard the announcement that Suzuki won’t continue in MotoGP after two years with the factory?
Álvaro Bautista: Sad. That Suzuki disappears from the world championship is not just sad for me but for everyone. For me especially after two years of working with them. It’s been two difficult seasons, because I’ve been injured during both, but I learned a lot; we have developed a motorcycle that was hard to compete with when I arrived and when I left it was normal and you could even think about getting good results with it. In the 800cc era Suzuki had taken a big step forward and I think now they had found a way to work from and they knew how to keep on working to make the bike more competitive. It’s a shame that they stopped now when it seemed like things were going well; also without as much money as for example Ducati works with. With what we had we were always improving, with a good way to work on and a fairly clear path to take, which is sometimes the hardest part. On many occasions you start doing things, but if you’re not sure where to go you can not get anywhere. I especially feel sorry for the great team they had, very professional and like a family, they all worked at one hundred percent. They were people who were on the team almost since it first appeared. We hope they return.

SM: There is a dilemma. At Honda, for example, they always insist that the bikes are developed by the engineers, not by the riders. There are also examples of riders who have shown the way forward. Who do you think develops a bike: the engineers or the riders?
AB: Man, the bike has to be developed by the factory and the engineers, they are the ones who really know. But the one who gives the direction, who says which way to take, is the rider; he’s the one who gets on the bike and in the end has to have the feeling for it.

SM: But in your case, did you say what happened or what you thought should be done?
AB: A rider has to be a rider, he has to go out on track, open the gas and ride the bike. There are many who get off the bike and, for example, say: “Make it stiffer, its too flexible.” I do not do that. I say, “This is what happens”; it doesn’t matter that I know the bike is too soft, I won’t tell them to make it stiffer, because I’m not an engineer, I am a rider. With experience you learn many things, so when something happens you know what it is. But I just mention it and they, the engineers, are the ones to say “then it’s because of this.” When what I think it is is the same they tell me, it is easy. Although there are times when I say something and the answer doesn’t add up for me, then I ask them to let me test the bike again to see how it goes. In the end, the ones who develop the bike are the engineers. To build a chassis, you ask me how to do it and I have no idea, not the stiffness, not the other… No idea. I just say: “With this chassis I feel like this” or “With this I feel better.”

SM: Is this a way of working that you brought with you from before you joined Suzuki or have you learned it within the team?
AB: I’ve always been like that. But before [Suzuki] I said how I felt on the bike and been told “it is what it is”. Now I had the opportunity to do things to improve it.

SM: When you joined Suzuki, I imagine that the input came from the side of Loris Capirossi.
AB: Exactly.

SM: He’s a racer with a peculiar style of riding. Was it hard for you to adapt to what he was doing or to impose your will to do things more for your side?
AB: I’ve never tried to say that they should pay more attention to me because I knew more than him. Never. In contrast to all the experience he had I was just in my first year. But yes, it is clear that Loris has a slightly peculiar riding style, he is a very, very brave rider. When I saw his telemetry compared to mine I was shocked, because the guy would open the gas to the limit, and I said: “I don’t know how to do that”. It was because of his riding style, it was helped a lot by the electronics, it was different. At first I worked in the direction he had set, but it seemed a bit stagnant. So I took another direction, not to say that I was doing the wrong thing, but simply because of my feeling on the bike, because there were things that didn’t feel right. That’s when the engineers said “let’s make this drastic change”. And suddenly we saw that it was better. I just did my job, and eventually there’ve been times, well, in those moments almost always, when Loris set up the bike similar to how mine was.

SM: Have you worked only with the English people in the box or also with the Japanese?
AB: With both. I have worked with the English guys, but the one who does the chassis is Japanese and also the engine and the electronics, although that’s done by 2D, the whole mapping was also done by a Japanese. Directly my technician was English, but we met a lot with the people from the factory. When I arrived, with Loris, always, after every session, we had a meeting. This year we didn’t have that. It is important to give information, but there are other times when you have nothing to say; then I prefer to work with my technician directly and he talked with the engineers. In other cases I talk to my mechanic, but I also go to tell those things to the engineer because he wanted that information, if I considered it very important you go there directly, without intermediaries.

SM: That’s the bonus you get from working with a factory.
AB: Yes, because normally you can only talk to the technician, but being in a factory you can even get to talk to the engineer who made ​​the chassis. That’s the advantage.

SM: Now you turn the page.
AB: The good thing that I have now, changing the bike, is that I have the reference of the Suzuki. You can learn from everything. When we start testing, if I see that the Suzuki was better at something, I can comment on that. I’m not going to work directly with the factory, but if I can contribute something to help all Hondas, make it a little better… At best the factory takes notice and decides to listen to me. Although I don’t work directly with them, all four bikes start from the same base, with the factory behind them.

SM: With that sense of working with a factory, what can you say about the year of Valentino Rossi? Do you think he went crazy trying to change the bike?
AB: There is no doubt that Valentino is still Valentino and for me he is the best in history, not only for what he has won, but for the way in which he achieved it. The number of fans has grown a lot thanks to him and maybe the bikes are more important now than before he started, because of his charisma, his personality. This year, I guess he thought it would be easier with Ducati; in fact, I remember that last year in Valencia Burgess said that in a few seconds they could make the bike good. Although it appears to take longer… I don’t know what problems they have, but what’s obvious is that Ducati stands 100% behind him. The life-long philosophy of Ducati, which is to use the engine as a part of the chassis, has been changed only because of him. Will it bring success or not? Time will tell.

SM: But you think he still has the speed to win?
AB: I think so, but what happens now is that MotoGP is so equal, the difference is so small and the level is so high… In reality he’s not that far behind, but in a race, with 0.7s a lap, you finish over 20 seconds behind.

SM: And that he has crashed a dozen times?
AB: It shows he’s going to the limit. This year he’s crashed more than in almost all his life…

SM: And there is a curious fact that Nicky Hayden crashed twelve times last year when he partnered Stoner and this year only twice.
AB: When you have Stoner there, who also crashed several times last year, you think “Fuck, my teammate is pushing me hard, so I have to push as well”.

SM: Was the first contact with the RC212V more than just a form of taking action?
AB: Honestly, when I got on it, it was like saying “that’s it”. Those days were very tense, since Sunday after the race… well, the race, I mean the straight that I managed [laughter]. They were tense days, we had to talk to many people and it was tough. The situation was a little odd. If I had to endure that two more days I’d have gone mad. And on Wednesday, finally, when they told me I could ride, above all I felt I could relax. It was also a way of saying “I’m here now”. You talk, but until you ride the bike it’s not for real. It helped me to meet the team and little else, because the bike has nothing to do with what I’ll be riding.

SM: Did you get an explanation of why things were so slow and why it was so hard to finalize your move to Honda Gresini? I suppose Suzuki wanted you to stay, but the project seemed increasingly bleak.
AB: What I know is that Suzuki wanted me, but what they offered me was not interesting. I would have liked to stay with them, but with a bike with which we could follow in the direction of work that we had. Have a 1000cc and continue working. The first one to want that was me. What they offered me didn’t motivate me, didn’t give me any excitement. I wanted to find something that motivated me; I don’t know if there were any conflicts, but luckily I spoke directly with Sahara-san [Shinichi Sahara, head of Suzuki MotoGP] and explained that with what they offered me I had no motivation and that I had difficulties to move to Honda and didn’t know if they could do something about it. I told him that if I couldn’t go to Honda, I wouldn’t continue with Suzuki, that I could find something else. We would have MotoGP, CRT and the 800cc, three categories. Against whom would I fight? I was going to be alone and I was not interested in that. When I told him that if I couldn’t go to Honda I’d look for a life elsewhere, in SBK, he realized that I really did not want to stay with them for this project. It is not his fault, it came from Japan; he is responsible for the races, but the boss of Suzuki is the one who decides.

SM: This slowness of Suzuki left you with a strange view. You missed the option with Yamaha, you also had an offer from Pramac and then you stood between going with Lucio Cecchinello or the alternative of Gresini.
AB: Time went by and some options went with it. The first, and really a very interesting one for us at that time, was going to Yamaha. But Suzuki was not yet clear about what to do. We gave our vote of confidence and they asked us to please wait and we went ahead and lost that opportunity. Suzuki’s decision was delayed and it began to look like if we kept hoping we would be out on the street or left with something we wouldn’t like.

SM: With Honda you ended up with two options. It seemed clear that it would be yes for Gresini and not for Cecchinello.
AB: No, it was actually Cecchinello who came, well, after Dovizioso said he was going to Yamaha, and offered me his bike. So I had Suzuki or LCR, because in the end the choice of Pramac, over time, also vanished. We were in talks with Cecchinello, seeing what he offered me, if the factory would be involved… After what happened in Sepang this seat [at Gresini] was free. It’s tough to say, but it’s like that, life goes on. And that became another option. We had some things already talked through with Cecchinello and for us he was the favourite. Then at one point Lucio had to withdraw the offer, he was forced to withdraw the offer, on Sunday morning. We called and he said it couldn’t be.

SM: Because of Suzuki?
AB: He was called by Honda. So he told us, half crying, we should forget about it, that it’s not depending on him, that it’s depending on the higher ups and that he couldn’t do anything. And then we didn’t have anything. [His manager, Armando Guerrero, interrups to clarify that if Cecchinello had signed Álvaro, Honda would have withdrawn the financial support for his team.]

SM: A phrase that is heard a lot since it was announced you had signed with Gresini is “Bautista on Simoncelli’s bike”. Does that bother you?
AB: No, look. I know it gives people chills, but I do not see it that way, because in reality I won’t use anything from Simoncelli. I’ll be with the same team as Aoyama was, I will work with the technician of Aoyama, the mechanics of Aoyama, the 1000cc that has nothing to do with it and I’m not an official Honda rider. So it’s not the same situation. If I had taken his place, I’d have signed a contract with the factory and there’d be three official riders, not two as it will be. It’s not his place.

SM: Do you change anything when you’re going to work with a Spanish crew chief? In 125cc you started with Christian Lundberg, who one could say is Italian-Spanish, but from then on you had two Italians and a Brit.
AB: In the end what’s important is that the technician knows what he’s doing. Yes, maybe you can communicate small details in your language that in English or in Italian you couldn’t explain in the same way. But I don’t thing that’ll change much. The important thing is that he knows, that he understands, and when I tell him what I feel, that he interprets it together with the data and helps me. That we both follow the same path.

SM: What do you expect from the 1000cc?
AB: I really don’t know, I want to get on the bike, but don’t know what I’m going to find. There can’t be much difference. The 800cc is a bike with lots of power, the 1000cc I don’t know, a little more, but still I think it’ll be fun. It will be a little heavier and that will affect the behaviour, but I don’t really know.

SM: And the athletic expectations? Knowing how the Suzuki was, a bad weekend could be justified because the bike was not the best. Now you ride with what is supposed to be the best bike on the grid.
AB: Now I have to find another excuse, if the bike doesn’t do it anymore… [laughs]

SM: It’s almost like you’re about to take a school exam.
AB: An exam… It’s a year, it’s 18 races, and the first to go and find out if the bike goes well is myself. I think now at least we have a bike that we know works. Last year it was only me.

SM: I was going to say that, now you have the same bike as someone like Stoner.
AB: I’m convinced that winning against Stoner is not easy, but I trust that if the bikes are the same and I am able to adjust it to my liking and get used to it… In the past I’ve been fighting with Lorenzo, with Dovizioso, and I’ve also won against them. I fought with Stoner in 125cc and I’ve beat him in some races, so why shouldn’t I be able with the same bike, or a similar one, to be fighting with them? My goal is this, to be fighting with the best. I think no one is invincible. Let’s see if I’m luckier with the injuries this year and can do a full season without interruptions of recoveries, something that has slowed me down a bit. If all goes well, I’m confident to be on a good level.

SM: Are you surprised by the ability of Stoner to go fast right away?
AB: In 125cc the guy was quick. Perhaps what surprised me, or what I remember well, is the first year in 250cc with Cecchinello. I thought, “Gosh, how this guy goes”. I remember he had some hefty crashes, but when he didn’t, he was going very fast. In fact, when he moved to MotoGP, the second or third race he took pole. He goes fast. When he switched to Ducati that gave him the confidence to win, although with Ducati each year the confidence was less. This year I think he is as good as when he was at Ducati, not better, but now the bike doesn’t hinder him. And Valentino has to ride faster than he was with the Ducati. Of course, the standard has been raised by Honda and Stoner, who pushes us all.

Source: Solo Moto
Photos by Jaime Olivares for Solo Moto

In November 2011 Spanish MotoGP star, Alvaro Bautista, joined 18 other adventurers, including grand prix legend, Randy Mamola, on an adventure of a lifetime. Alvaro saw how he and the other MotoGP riders are helping people in Africa receive reliable health care.
Riders for Health’s Experience Africa is not just the usual motorcycle tour. It is a chance to witness the extraordinary work of Riders for Health. Participants were raising money to support the organisation’s work in Africa and they used the same bikes that health workers use across Africa to deliver health care.

Alvaro talks about his experiences in Zambia:

“People often wonder what it is that MotoGP riders do during the winter when there are no races. Obviously there is lots of training to be done, but this November I was lucky enough to visit Zambia with the amazing charity, Riders for Health and take part in their Experience Africa adventure.
We arrived in Zambia and had a day to get used to the bikes that we would be riding. They weren’t quite as quick as the ones that I am used to, but they were just right for where we were going.

Our first day’s riding was from Lilayi lodge to the Moorings campsite, six hours away, and we were on the bikes before 9am. This was my first time riding through Africa and it was a real eye-opener. When you see how isolated the villages are and how bad the roads and tracks are, it is really obvious what an important job the motorcycles do, and how much they help the health workers.
The riding was great fun and the tracks and off-road routes were all twisting, undulating, fast in places, across a wide variety of surfaces. We road past savannah grasslands, maize crops and into forests.

We were riding for a week and finished our adventure in Livingstone, just a few kilometres from Victoria Falls. I thought that my first days riding had been amazing, but the last two were even better.
We rode through villages and met lots of people, and what amazes me the most is how happy the children are that we meet. Although they have so little, they are so pleased to see us. It is the kind of excitement and happiness that children get in Spain when they see Santa.

I always knew that it was important to support Riders for Health when I donated items to their auctions at Day of Champions and met with fans in the paddock and pit-lane, but to see what they do with the money they raise is amazing.
We visited a clinic and heard how hard it is for the health workers. We met people who had had to walk for many hours to visit the clinic, which had so little.

One of the health workers told us they cared for a village 80 kilometres away. Without a vehicle, how would they ever reach it? The roads are so bad, and the villages are so isolated, it means that it is so important to make sure the health workers have a motorcycle.
We were also told about how Riders for Health looks after vehicles so they never break down. It is easy to see how the rough roads could cause a bike to break. That is why the technicians are so important.

What I will always remember about Zambia was how warm and welcoming everyone was. The children would stop and wave to us. But it was sad to think that these children do not have the chance to be children. We saw one girl, who must have been no older than four or five, carrying her baby sister on her back. She had to look after her sister instead of having the chance to be in school or to play with her friends. In Spain we live to enjoy. In Zambia, they live to survive.

Riders for Health gave me the opportunity to take this incredible adventure, and I would like to say a big thank you to the wonderful friends I met on the ride. They were a fantastic team and I will remember them all.
It has been very important for me to see just how important the work of Riders for Health is, and how the support of all of us in MotoGP is making a difference. It is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

For more information about how you can join Experience Africa in 2012 email experienceafrica@riders.org
For more information about Riders for Health you can visit their website by clicking here