As he did last year, Álvaro continues to report from his experiences during the MotoGP race weekends in his column for AS. Below you can find the complete translation of his thoughts from Jerez.

A big hello to all of you! The first thing I want to do is thank the fans who came to Jerez and never stopped the support, despite having to endure rain, cold and wind. I hope you all got back home well even though the conditions were not the best. About the race, sixth is not bad, but I hope to bring home a great result from Portugal.

Thank you, fans. Hello! How are you? How was the way back home for all those who came to Jerez? I hope there were no problems, because the conditions were not the best to travel on the road. I have a slighty strange feeling about the weekend, it’s as if I haven’t experienced the Spanish Grand Prix like in previous years. I think because of the desastrous weather we had in those three days – whether it rained, stopped, the sun came out or it was cloudy, we never knew which adjustments we had to go out with in every session. Before going on about that subject, I’d like to thank the fans, with the bad weather you had to endure, that you were here to support us. I did not care about getting wet, cold or uncomfortable with the wind as you were cheering us on at all times. THANK YOU!

“Hopping”. In practice the conditions were the worst. If it rains a lot and the track is completely wet, with the rain setup and tyres you can ride well. But if the track is half wet you can’t go out with the dry tyres, but the rain tyres will be destroyed in a few laps… And with 250 HP you can imagine how much the tyres slide. Personally, I had quite some problems when the conditions were neither wet nor dry. I had many problems with hopping. What is that? It’s when under braking the limiter from the engine, which is managed electronically so that the rear wheel doesn’t lock up when shifting down, creates an effect which makes the bike start jumping at the back and you transmit it to the front. In the end you’re hopping all the time, I actually crashed in FP3 because the front wheel jumped, I slipped and could not do anything to save it. I also had the problem with the tyres, they degraded quickly, but that happened to almost everyone.

Qualifying. At least we could do that in the dry, with some parts still wet and the threatening rain clouds. So our strategy was to get out and push hard from the start, in case it rained again, and we were among the top positions all the time. Midway through the session it began to drizzle and we decided to put on new tyres to take advantage and get a good time. We did, but it did not rain and we ran out of new tyres for the end of the session when the track was improving gradually. In the end it wasn’t bad, because I started from the third row. It only remained to be seen what conditions we would have at the time of the race. I of course wanted it to be dry, because in the wet we had many problems.

Sixth in the end. In the end it was dry but with some fairly wet parts. You had to take care in the early laps to not risk too much and make a mistake, but you couldn’t slow down either, because you’d lose the chance of a good result. Maybe I started pushing harder a little too late and so when I passed Bradl and Hayden I was too far from Dovi and although we were riding the same laptimes I couldn’t reach him. Sixth is not a bad result, but I am ambitious and I want more, we can be closer to the front and we will work to achieve it. I came to Jerez wanting to do a very good result, but the weather thwarted my plans.

The other races. All three races were really in very difficult conditions. In Moto3 there were many crashes and run-offs. Rins was fantastic. Too bad for the crash, because he could have fought for victory with Fenati, who surprised us all with winning in his second race. Very good race also by Salom, who finished second. Moto2 as always hard-fought and with a Spanish double of Pol (Espargaró) and Marc (Márquez) which I think will be repeated more than once this year. They will fight out the positions. And in MotoGP with Stoner’s victory it could be seen that it’ll be a pretty tight year, hopefully I can get in the fight for the podium positions sometimes, right? I say this so we don’t always see the same guys on the box, hehe!

Another suitcase. Well, as I write this, the laundry is done. I’ll pick up the clothes I washed from this weekend and put it back into the suitcase to go to Estoril. I like races that are right after the other, it’s like it’s only been one but you change circuits, still having the fresh memory and feelings of the first one when you get on the bike for the FP1 of the second. Let’s see if Estoril is as lucky for me as in previous years and we can get a good result. You know that, as always, I’ll give 100%.

Source: AS

The MotoGP World Championship paddock makes the 600km trip directly from Jerez to Estoril this week as the season gathers pace with the third round of eighteen. For Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista the Grand Prix of Portugal provides another opportunity to build up his confidence on board the Honda RC213V, having struggled for dry track time at his home event last weekend. Estoril proved to be a quite successful track for him in the past, having won three successive Grand Prix races there so far, one in the 125cc and two in the 250cc class, though he is not a fan of the circuit, which itself is often hit with weather challenges.

His two years in the MotoGP class have not been as productive, but his proven record of success should serve him well as he rides the San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V in Portugal for the first time. Bautista shook off a practice crash in Jerez to finish sixth in Jerez, a progression of one position on is finishing position in Qatar.

Alvaro Bautista “It was a difficult weekend at Jerez because of the weather and my crash in practice but thankfully we found some confidence for the race and picked up a result that gives us a platform to build on in the next round. We need to build my confidence still further with this bike at a circuit that I don’t particularly like even though I have three wins here, one in 125 and two in 250. It is a circuit with some hard braking and the grip levels aren’t great but I have had luck there in the past so hopefully that will prove to be the case again. It is important for us to get through a whole weekend without problems so that I can build the confidence I need to push the bike as hard as I want to.”

Fausto Gresini “We don’t have much time to sit down and reflect on the last race with the next one coming around so quickly but we are all keen to improve on the performance from Jerez. Alvaro has the potential to do that and by working with the team with the same amount of determination and calmness he can do that. A weekend of consistent weather and no crashes would certainly be a big help in terms of finding the confidence required to take another step forward.”

Source: Gresini Racing

A selection of photos from Álvaro’s home Gran Prix at Jerez last weekend. The weather was the biggest variable throughout the weekend, wreaking havoc with everyone’s setup work and threatening to spoil the MotoGP race with more rain.

Below you can also find a short video of Álvaro at the pre-event, joining Pol Espargaro, Romano Fenati and Stefan Bradl on a horse-drawn carrier.

Photos: Gresini Racing / Milagro, Honda Pro Images

Following an enthralling race weekend at the inaugural European round in Jerez, the MotoGP™ World Championship heads across the border to contest the Gran Prémio de Portugal Circuito Estoril.

With all three races going right down to the wire, the riders have just four days to recover before testing their machines on the Estoril track, which combines a long straight, some tyre-punishing corners, heavy braking zones, and a tricky chicane in between. Challenging enough as it is, riders and teams will be hoping for greatly improved weather conditions compared to the Spanish round, which provided different track conditions for almost every session.

Championship Leader Jorge Lorenzo, who won three years in a row at the Portuguese circuit between 2008 and 2010, will be looking to replicate that kind of form on board his Yamaha Factory Racing machine, as he looks to hold off the challenge from Repsol Honda Team pair Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

For Stoner, who won last weekend´s Jerez round just fractions ahead of Lorenzo, this is now the only track on the current MotoGP calendar where he has not yet recorded a premier-class win. As well as wanting to make it a full house, taking the championship lead off his Yamaha rival will be top of the agenda for the Australian. Teammate Dani Pedrosa took the win at Estoril last year ahead of Lorenzo and Stoner. Despite not running with the pair at the front in Jerez, Pedrosa is looking in good form.

Monster Yamaha Tech3´s Cal Crutchlow, who continues to be the revelation of the season after almost getting the better of Pedrosa in Spain, will be seeking his first ever podium finish in the premier class. Coy about his performances so far, the Britain will no doubt be boosted by his latest showing. His team mate, Italian Andrea Dovizioso, is still getting to grips with the Yamaha, yet will be buoyed by his fourth place finish at the Portuguese track last year.

Lorenzo´s team mate Ben Spies, who has endured two tricky first rounds, will not want to finish last Yamaha for a third time in a row, and has vowed to bounce back in the next race, after showing much promise in pre-season testing aboard his bike.

San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Álvaro Bautista and LCR Honda MotoGP´s Stefan Bradl have been consistently fast on their satellite Hondas in the first two rounds of the season. Last year at this point, Bautista was still recovering from a broken femur and finished last, while Bradl won the Moto2 race.

Ducati Team pair Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden have not had an easy start to the season, yet have been boosted by some glimpses of hope in Jerez; Hayden by putting his Ducati on the front row of the grid, and Rossi by discovering some good form in the wet. Tyre wear and handling continues to be an issue, yet the team feels it is now heading in the right direction.

Pramac Team´s Héctor Barbera, who has tussled with Rossi the previous two races will be looking to get one over the Italian in Portugal. Second satellite Ducati rider, Cardion AB Motoracing´s Karel Abraham, has had a disappointing start to the season and will be looking to turn his fortunes around this time out.

The new Claiming Rule Teams (CRT) did not have it easy in Jerez, having to adapt to the ever-changing weather and track conditions with little previous data to go on. The coming round will not prove and awful lot easier, as Estoril is a track which is renowned for providing set-up complications due to its highly varied nature. Power Electronics Aspar´s Aleix Espargaró finished top CRT last weekend, after his teammate Randy de Puniet retired towards the end. Paul Bird Motorsport´s James Ellison and San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Michele Pirro suffered a similar fate, whilst Came IodaRacing Project´s Danilo Petrucci recorded a positive 13th place for his team. Joining them will be Speed Master´s Mattia Pasini, NGM Mobile Forward Racing´s Colin Edwards, as well as Avintia Blusens pair Yonny Hernandez and Iván Silva, who will once again be gunning for top CRT spot.

The Grande Prémio de Portugal Circuito Estoril takes place from May 4-6th, and the MotoGP bikes will be on track for the first practice session at 10.10am local time on Friday morning.

Source: motogp.com

Alvaro Bautista improved on his result from Qatar by one place today as he took sixth place in his home Grand Prix at Jerez at the end of a difficult weekend.

The Spaniard had an early battle before establishing a comfort level that allowed him to move swiftly forward, after
which he found himself alone for most of the race.

Bizzarre weather has thrown a spanner in the works of the teams and riders ever since first practice on Friday but for Bautista this result is an important platform to build from as the series heads on to the next round at Estoril in just a week’s time and a positive way to celebrate his 150th Grand Prix appearance.

Alvaro Bautista (6th) “It has been a difficult weekend because of the weather, but finally we got dry conditions for the race even though there were a few spots around. It was really important to be patient over the opening laps, but maybe I was too careful over the opening laps and I wasn’t able to get involved in the battle at the very front. Once I got comfortable with the track conditions I was able to pass Bradl and Hayden, but Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Crutchlow were too far ahead by then and I just had to defend the position I was in. We have gone one better than Qatar and improved our confidence with this bike, which are the main things we take away from the weekend. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done especially in such challenging conditions this weekend.”

Fausto Gresini “Alvaro had a good race after a very difficult weekend because of the weather. He struggled a bit at the start, but after his crash yesterday it was important he stayed upright over the opening laps and managed to bring home the kind of result I was expecting. Maybe if he’d been more decisive in the opening stages he could have fought with Dovizioso, but he rode well anyway and we’re happy because we’re on an upward curve.”

Source: Gresini Racing

The weather continued to be the main protagonist for the MotoGP race at Jerez this afternoon with rain starting to fall halfway through the Moto2 race and prompting a red flag. Once the MotoGP riders lined up on the grid about an hour later, there was no more rain, but certainly a few damp patches on the track again. Regardless of that all riders opted for the slick tyres as it was declared a dry race.

Álvaro got off to a decent start, staying in 8th position throughout the first few laps but sticking with a large group up to first place, with lots of passes and re-passes delighting the crowd. After about a third of race distance the positions started to settle in, Casey Stoner taking over at the front and trying to shake off Jorge Lorenzo while Álvaro had passed Stefan Bradl for 7th and afterwards closed in on Nicky Hayden for 6th position.

He remained in that position until the finish line, looking to possibly close in on Andrea Dovizioso in front of him, but finally completing a rather lonely race with big gaps towards Dovizioso in front and Hayden and Bradl behind him. He did keep the gap to Dovizioso steady and posted very similar laptimes for the second half of the race, but the large gap didn’t allow for a possible fight for 5th place.

However, 6th place is another solid result for Álvaro after struggling somewhat with the difficult weather conditions at Jerez and with the race also under the constant threat of further rain, unsettling riders and teams a little bit.

The next race will take place at Estoril next weekend. Alvaro had considerably success at the circuit in the past, scoring three wins in the 125cc and 250cc class at the Portuguese track.

Pos. Rider Team Time/Gap
1 Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team 45’33.897
2 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing +0.947
3 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team +2.063
4 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +2.465
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +18.100
6 Alvaro BAUTISTA San Carlo Honda Gresini +21.395
7 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP +28.637
8 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team +28.869
9 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team +34.852
10 Hector BARBERA Pramac Racing Team +35.103
11 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing +38.041
12 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar +1’12.728
13 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project +1’18.669
14 Mattia PASINI Speed Master +1’29.142
15 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens +1’32.478
16 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing +1’40.577
17 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1 Lap

Not Classified
Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 2 Laps
James ELLISON Paul Bird Motorsport 3 Laps
Michele PIRRO San Carlo Honda Gresini 9 Laps

Not Starting
Yonny HERNANDEZ Avintia Blusens 0 Lap

More rain arrived at the Jerez circuit overnight but stopped in time for the three warmup sessions to start on Sunday morning. Even after both the Moto3 and Moto2 class had finished their sessions, the track was still very damp as the MotoGP riders went out and with some dangerous wet patches at various points around the circuit.

Dani Pedrosa was again the fastest man on track in these conditions, but laptimes naturally being far off what was possible in qualifying yesterday. Álvaro had a dismal session, finishing the warmup in 20th position which was last of all riders since Casey Stoner did not post a lap. Álvaro didn’t look comfortable on his Honda RC213V at any moment and didn’t seem to be able to improve his laptime at all. Warmup certainly is not the place to take unnecessary risks and his warmup crash in Qatar as well as his crash in FP3 yesterday will have made him more cautious as well. But he didn’t appear to be very confident in the mixed conditions all weekend, so he’ll surely be hoping for a dry race later today.

The chances for that are not very good, light drizzle being forecast for all three races, but still with a lot of uncertainty.

Pos. Rider Team Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’50.860
2 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1’51.340 0.480 / 0.480
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’51.477 0.617 / 0.137
4 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1’51.983 1.123 / 0.506
5 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team 1’52.061 1.201 / 0.078
6 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1’52.368 1.508 / 0.307
7 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing 1’52.392 1.532 / 0.024
8 Hector BARBERA Pramac Racing Team 1’52.491 1.631 / 0.099
9 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’52.711 1.851 / 0.220
10 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 1’52.968 2.108 / 0.257
11 Michele PIRRO San Carlo Honda Gresini 1’53.074 2.214 / 0.106
12 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’53.145 2.285 / 0.071
13 Mattia PASINI Speed Master 1’53.455 2.595 / 0.310
14 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens 1’53.534 2.674 / 0.079
15 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project 1’53.820 2.960 / 0.286
16 Yonny HERNANDEZ Avintia Blusens 1’54.074 3.214 / 0.254
17 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’54.483 3.623 / 0.409
18 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1’55.241 4.381 / 0.758
19 James ELLISON Paul Bird Motorsport 1’55.322 4.462 / 0.081
20 Alvaro BAUTISTA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1’55.399 4.539 / 0.077
Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team

Mixed conditions again threatened to spoil the MotoGP action at Jerez today but in the end the rain stayed clear long enough for a dry qualifying practice.

The session began on a dry track under puffy white clouds. But the clouds darkened on the horizon as they moved east and threatened to turn the session into a wet one. A very light rain fell on parts of the track, but the rain dampened the riders’ enthusiasm for pushing as much as it did the track. And after some time, the clouds left and the battle for the pole began.

Alvaro Bautista’s day didn’t start out in the best possible fashion with a crash in the wet final free practice this morning but the Spaniard recovered his confidence to qualify eighth fastest in the afternoon. The Spaniard found an unknown vibration in the front end, which caused him to lose the front and crash. Bautista put that behind him in qualifying, while being careful to avoid the damp patches that caught a number of riders out. His strategy was to not take unnecessary risks, and starting from the middle of the third row was his reward.

Alvaro Bautista (8th 1’ 41” 447) “Today was another difficult day. This morning we worked on solving our issues from yesterday but only made slight improvements. Then when we were trying a new setting the bike was vibrating a lot into the first turn and I lost the front and crashed. We were able to use the slick tyre this afternoon even though there were still some damp patches out there with the threat of more rain. After my crash this morning I didn’t want to risk more than necessary so a third row start isn’t bad and if we get a good start we can be fighting for a good result. ”

Fausto Gresini “To be honest we expected better today, especially from Alvaro, but we haven’t been able to solve our problems from yesterday. The crash didn’t help matters but I am still confident for the race because Alvaro always finds a little extra and I am expecting a good result from him.”

Source: Gresini Racing / Honda Pro Racing