Rizla Suzuki MotoGP are already targeting next week’s Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona after a difficult race at the Dutch TT in Assen today left the team with a lot of work to do.
Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista finished in 13th and 14th places respectively and this result was well below what they were expecting at the 4,542m Dutch circuit.

Bautista did the best he could today as he struggled with his injured shoulder around the physically demanding circuit. He began the race in severe discomfort and although he tried to push hard he couldn’t find that strength to battle it out with other riders. He rode a lonely race before bringing his bike home safely after 26 gruelling laps.

The Dutch spectators filled the Assen circuit today for the 80th running of the Dutch TT; with 97,146 fans at trackside to witness Jorge Lorenzo take his second successive victory to increase his lead at the head of the riders’ championship.

Rizla Suzuki now makes the European cross-continental trip to Montmelo near Barcelona in Spain for the next round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship, to be held at the Catalonian circuit on Sunday 4th July.

Álvaro Bautista:
“This has been a very bad race for us for a couple of reasons. Yesterday in qualifying it looked like we had improved the bike, but when I woke up this morning I felt more pain in my left arm. I think that yesterday I did too much and today my left arm was very tired and painful. This was a bad start for a race, but I tried to be positive and have a good race. From the first lap though it felt very difficult riding the bike, because it felt like the tyres were still not warm enough, so I tried to push and find my rhythm like in practice, but the bike just moved around much more than it did in practice – I don’t know why. I struggled a lot in the race and I just tried to do the best I could. I hope that the feeling is better for the next race because it is my home GP. I have a week to get some more strength in my arm and try to recover a bit more and hopefully get a better result in Barcelona.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“Things have been very difficult this season and they didn’t get any easier today! Álvaro’s potential is unclear, based on the fact that his injury restricted him so much again today. We hope that the layout of the Barcelona track will be a bit kinder to his body and allow him to push harder. I want to say sorry to Loris and Álvaro that we couldn’t give them a competitive machine today, Loris especially is incredibly frustrated and that frustration is shared by all of us. We have to keep working hard and keep focused to find the key that will allow the riders to perform to the best of their abilities.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Not a good race for Alvaro. He started a bit slow, losing a few positions to the first corner and for some reason lost a lot of time in the first laps, quickly being over 5 seconds behind the group going up to 10th place. He later started to improve his pace to be even faster than the guys in front of him for some time, but the gap was already too big and he never had the chance to battle it out with anyone at Assen.
It was expected that he might run into some troubles towards the end of the race with stronger pain in his left arm and shoulder, but at the moment it is not clear what his problem was in the first laps that made him lose so much time.

Pos. Rider Team Km/h Time/Gap
1 Jorge LORENZO Fiat Yamaha Team 171.5 41’18.629
2 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 171.3 +2.935
3 Casey STONER Ducati Team 171.0 +7.022
4 Ben SPIES Monster Yamaha Tech 3 170.6 +13.265
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team 170.5 +15.323
6 Randy DE PUNIET LCR Honda MotoGP 170.4 +15.772
7 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 169.7 +25.867
8 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 169.5 +28.991
9 Marco SIMONCELLI San Carlo Honda Gresini 169.1 +35.658
10 Aleix ESPARGARO Pramac Racing Team 169.1 +35.837
11 Mika KALLIO Pramac Racing Team 167.7 +56.769
12 Hector BARBERA Paginas Amarillas Aspar 167.7 +56.890
13 Loris CAPIROSSI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 167.4 +1’00.615
14 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 166.9 +1’08.074
15 Kousuke AKIYOSHI Interwetten Honda MotoGP 163.4 1 Lap

Motocross really seems to be the one sport that MotoGP riders should never, ever do. Because, obviously, THEY GET HURT, the whole damn time. And now it’s been Alvaro’s turn apparently.

He broke his collarbone during a training accident, riding motocross, but already had surgery this morning. The doctor says he’s okay to race in Le Mans next weekend, but we’ll have to see how fit Alvaro can be with only one week of recovery.

We’ll keep you updated on any news regarding his injury, but for now we’d just like to say: Get well soon, Bati!

Source: motogp.com

Update: Rizla Suzuki will publish an official press release later today, once they know the exact nature of the injury. For now it’s said to be 99% certain that Alvaro WILL race in Le Mans, despite very early reports that he’s about to be out for a extend period of time. But if there’s a chance for Alvaro to race, the team and Alvaro himself would be very eager to do so. Therefore we have to wait on the final verdict of the doctor.

Update 2: Rizla Suzuki have issued an official statement by now, declaring that there’s currently no plan to replace Alvaro for the French GP and that he seems ready to race regardless of the injury.

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista has sustained a broken shoulder whilst training in readiness for next week’s French Grand Prix.

Bautista had a fall whilst riding his motocross machine on Thursday and underwent a successful one-hour operation today to repair what his surgeon describes as a simple break to the clavicle bone in his shoulder. His medical team is confident that Bautista can ride at Le Mans next week, although it may be with some pain and restricted movement. Bautista is also sure that he will be ready for the French Grand Prix and is 100% focused on competing at Le Mans.

Therefore, Rizla Suzuki has no plans at present to replace Bautista for the French Grand Prix on Sunday 23rd May and will update news on his condition as it becomes available.

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

As we’ve reported earlier, Alvaro and teammate Loris Capirossi visited the new Silverstone track last week. Rizla Suzuki have now published a press release with a few more insights from the riders:

Rizla Suzuki racers Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista joined members from the media at Silverstone in England recently to launch the build-up for next month’s MotoGP race.

Capirossi and Bautista rode Suzuki GSX-R1000 machines dressed in Rizla livery around the 5,902m circuit with the collective guests from the print, TV and internet worlds to give them a feel of the new layout at Silverstone. British Superbike Championship leader Tommy Hill was also on hand to give non-riding journalists a taste of what to expect when MotoGP comes to the Northamptonshire circuit next month. Hill gave them the adrenalin-fuelled opportunity of a pillion ride, whilst Capirossi and Bautista gave other journalists riding tips around the track. Ex-Suzuki racer and BBC TV presenter Steve Parrish was also at the event and rode a Suzuki RG500 from the era when two-wheeled Grand Prix bikes last raced at Silverstone.

Capirossi and Bautista were both really impressed with the work that has been done to make Silverstone the new home for British motorcycle racing, but are under no illusions that riding around the circuit will be a completely different affair when the MotoGP circus rolls into town for the fifth round of the 2010 season on Sunday 20th June.

Loris Capirossi:
“It was really interesting to go to Silverstone for a press day and see the new circuit. I was very impressed with what they have done and apart from a couple of corners it is very fast so I think it will be nice to ride there. I’ll have extra motivation when we come back for the race; it will be like a home Grand Prix for my crew because most of my team come from the UK and we will really be trying to do a great job when we get here. We were able to do a couple of laps on Suzuki GSX-Rs and it was a bit bumpy, but I still think it will be good to ride a MotoGP bike there. For the spectators it will also be really good because it looks like they will be really close to the action. The British fans always have a big passion – just like in Spain or Italy – and it will be great for me to race at Silverstone for the first time and I think there will be a big crowd. When we come to a new racetrack there is always a lot of interest to see what will happen and I am sure it will be the same at Silverstone.”

Álvaro Bautista:
“This is a very nice track and it seems very fast, there are also some very slow corners, but overall I think it will be very fast. There are some bumps in some of the corners as well, but I am sure when we come here for the Grand Prix that will be sorted. It is a big track and there will be opportunities for overtaking, so the racing should be good. We used some Suzuki GSX-R’s today and they have a lot more movement than our MotoGP bikes, so we couldn’t really tell what it will be like to ride here at racing speeds. I think it will be a very good MotoGP circuit and I am really looking forward to racing here.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Alvaro and his teammate Loris Capirossi had a little track day at Silverstone yesterday, going around the new MotoGP track with scooters and BSB bikes in Rizla colours.

The two riders, teammates at MotoGP’s only UK-based team, were joined by BBC presenters Steve Parrish and Jennie Gow, Worx Crescent Suzuki British Superbike rider Tommy Hill as well as Prodigy frontman Keith Flint and Stereophonics bass player Richie Jones to experience the Silverstone circuit first hand.

Loris Capirossi:
“The layout is really interesting and not so easy, but it’s beautiful – if a bit bumpy in places. I think it’s really interesting to do the race at Silverstone. It is completely different compared to Donington – this is a really quick track and I think for MotoGP it’s great. It’s really, really wide, so not so easy to find the best line to go quick, which is good. For sure we have many places where we can overtake.”

Alvaro Bautista:
“It is very nice and very quick. I like it very much. Some very fast and some hard braking and slow corners. It will be very interesting to come here in June. There are a lot of fifth and sixth gear corners, so I am looking forward to it. Surely it will be a very close race, we are only 17 riders, but we are very close in laptimes, so I think it will be a hard-fought race and I hope I can fight with them.”

BBC commentator Steve Parrish, who got to ride around the new circuit on the RG500 he rode in the 1977 Silverstone British Grand Prix, had been consulted on the circuit’s layout and was pleased that the track matched his expectations.

“It’s excellent! I have to say I’m still learning it – it’s going to be one of those circuits that will take time to learn, which is great because that makes it more interesting. I love the old Woodcote. I just remember it – it’s like being here 25 years ago when I used to race here. It’s a proper man’s corner. And the left section (Farm Curve) before Village, again very, very interesting – terrific corner.
Bridgestone are going to have to do their sums because it’s going to be hard on tyres, which again is really good because it means that it’s about which rider can control their tyre wear as much as anything else. Straight away I can think of five different places I can pass – I don’t think any other circuit [offers] that many places to pass. The facilities are also impressive. Terrific run-off areas – very, very safe. And even riding around, you’re looking thinking ‘wow’ the spectators are going to have a great view. There are certain areas you can just imagine it – Pedrosa, Rossi, Stoner coming flying into the Luffield section, through Brooklands, Luffield and all round there. There are so many places to watch from. I think everyone’s going to have a ball here and really enjoy it.”

The new MotoGP face for BBC, Jennie Gow, also posted a picture on Twitter of Alvaro showing her the track on a Scooter, here.
And MCN posted a video summary of the day with a tiny bit of track footage with Alvaro and Loris at the very end here.

Press release and photo by Silverstone Circuits Limited.

A new interview with sport.es, conducted ahead of the Spanish GP in Jerez this weekend, gives some more insights into Alvaro’s world and his experiences in MotoGP.

He needs time and kilometers, so that the results arrive on the back of his Suzuki GSV-R. Alvaro Bautista (Talavera, 1984) faces this weekend in Jerez de la Frontera the second MotoGP race of his career. He arrives at the Andalusian track still short of time and kilometers, but he knows that the passion of the fans will push him higher.

Is this going to be a “Tremendo” [tremendous] year like your favourite song from El Canto del Loco?
More than tremendous it will be a year of learning. There are many new things for me, the motorcycle, the surroundings, tyres, the team, the way to work. I think there’s a big improvement margin and my goal is to go step by step and get closer to the front. I need to find my place. It is a difficult year and perhaps we won’t have the best results, but it is a big change.

Was this a big blow for you?
One millisecond is very little, but the fact is that in MotoGP everyone rides with the knife between the teeth from the first moment on. It is necessary to be already grown when coming into this category, because to scrape away one tenth is a whole world. It thought that it was going to be a little easier, but it’s not.

What has you surprised the most about the big class?
The power never stops! The first day that I got on the Suzuki I was freaking out. In 250 you could accelerate without problems but not here, because the bike wheelies all the time and you have to try and control this. The electronics also make you change your “chip” because in the corners you open the throttle and the bike helps you to get out of the corner even when you think you won’t make it. It’s important to work on that, because you must know about this and ride accordingly, without your head telling you something different.

And what do you have to work on?
Compared to other riders I can still improve the exit of the corners. I’m lacking a bit in acceleration because of the electronics and others manage them better, but this is a question of time.

Does riding in MotoGP require bravery?
For the riders who have been around for a long time these bikes are no longer such “beasts”, but for us newbies they are still real rockets. You need to have some guts riding them, but the laptimes throughout the field are still very close together.

One second means a world here.
Indeed. To file away tenth by tenth is a monstrous task and you have to ride as perfect as possible. Here an error is not allowed at any moment.

What advice can a veteran like Loris Capirossi give you?
I explain my feelings on the bike to him and our relation is very good. We don’t keep things from each other as it happens in some teams. The goal is to work for Suzuki and with him I can learn faster. He knows the bike well and gets closer to the limit than I am.

How is the Suzuki?
This might sound bad: It is a good bike, but it doesn’t have the pieces in the right place to make it work. What I mean is that we have all the pieces of the puzzle which we need to put together and when we did that it will be precious. It is not as bad as it seems, but we need to put the pieces together right. It can be competitive and its strength is the braking.

Did you leave Qatar angry?
The crash in the last lap did not bother me that much. What was worse was that they pushed me off track at the beginning and I had to do the whole race on my own without any fights.

Why did you choose Suzuki?
To work with a factory is better than to ride in a satellite team and to speak with the guys who built the engine or the chassis is a lot more direct than to just hope for improvements; they can change things for you when you need it.

Are the five Spanish riders in MotoGP talking among each other?
Mmm… we say “Hello”, “How are you?” and “See you”, that’s it. I’m not on bad terms with anybody, but there’s no need to talk more than that. It’s not possible to be friends with other riders. My best friend in the races is my bike.

I know you kiss the bike and treat it during each GP like a partner. Are you talking with it?
I try to take good care of it. I treat my bikes like they were my girlfriend. The greeting is just like you would greet a girl with two kisses. And sure I talk to it.

Pardon the indiscretion, but what do you say to it?
That’s private; these are things between a couple.

I understand. Did your life change in MotoGP?
Honestly no, I’m still the same, what has changed is the engine power… [laughs]

And the training?
I hasn’t changed as you might think. It’s more a question of riding the bike right around the track, which is why being stronger won’t help you going faster.

What can you learn from Rossi?
Everything. From the character to how he rides the bike, how he works, how he behaves, he’s one of the best riders in history. Every second you can ride behind Valentino on the track is like gold and I tried to hook on to him, but he makes it hard…

Do you think it’s a disadvantage that you didn’t race in Japan?
For me, yes. I would have preferred to race there, because I would have gone to Jerez with more data and a better feeling for the bike. I need time and kilometers.

And in Jerez, what are you hoping for?
It is more difficult than at other circuits, because everyone knows you, but I try to be in my world. I like it, because already before the race I feel the passion of the fans and something enters your body that lets you grow. You won’t hold anything back.

How would you define yourself?
I am how I am. There are more serious people than me, I like to get along well with everyone and it’s rare that I’m in a bad mood. It costs nothing to behave well with other people and when you treat them well, they will rate you highly.

What is a Bautista Sunday like in Talavera de la Reina?
I train in the morning and in the evening I get together with my friends, my people, my girlfriend. In a race I am not thinking about what I have outside of racing and reversely when I’m away from the track I don’t think about racing.

Source: sport.es
Translation by the crew of www.alvarobautista.co.uk & www.batifans.com and without any warranty. When in doubt, consult the source.

The Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team has published two more very interesting videos on their website. Following a very cool concept they’ve let their riders Alvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi interview each other about their career, riding style, MotoGP and more. Each interview is about 6 minutes long and well worth watching.

Video of Loris interviewing Alvaro here.

Video of Alvaro interviewing Loris here.

Loris Capirossi recorded a hard-fought ninth position on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R in the season opening round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.

Capirossi celebrated his 300th Grand Prix start by lining up for the race with his bike sporting the number 300, instead of his usual 65, as well as a gold-plated helmet. Capirossi got a solid start to the 22-lap race, but was boxed in early on and relegated to eighth by the end of the first lap. He was then involved in a long battle with Colin Edwards, before finally crossing the line just behind the Texan.

Alvaro Bautista had an entertaining, but ultimately fruitless debut race as he crashed on the very last corner when fighting for 11th place. Bautista got a poor start as he was hit by another rider, relegating him to last place. He took a few laps to get into a good rhythm, before recording several personal best laps during the mid-way point of the race. Bautista then set about making his way up to the riders in-front of him and as he chased down Marco Simoncelli on the last lap, he pushed too hard in the final bend and crashed.

The battle at the front of the race saw World Champion Valentino Rossi walk away victorious after pole-setter Casey Stoner crashed. Behind Rossi, an exciting three-way clash entertained the crowd, with Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso just squeezing out Nicky Hayden to the final podium positions.

The Rizla team will now travel to the home of Suzuki for the next round of the season, as the MotoGP circus heads to Motegi in Japan for the second race in the championship, to be held on Sunday 25th April.

Alvaro Bautista:
“This has been a disaster of a race for me! Seriously though, I had a bad start and Barbera pushed me out on lap two and I lost everything. I used the next part of the race like a practice because I had no other riders to fight with. In the middle of the race I got a better rhythm and it was not so bad. I caught two riders, but in the last corner I crashed. I feel like I cannot say that I have done my first MotoGP race because I never finished. The positive thing is that my rhythm was not too bad and for the next race we can only improve. We must continue to work hard and to try to make things better.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“For Alvaro it was certainly an interesting debut Grand Prix, but overall the whole team was very encouraged with his potential and his commitment. We are not at all worried by the result and neither should he be. I am pretty sure that if he had not been closing down a certain Mr Simoncelli by over a second a lap, with the chance of getting him on the final corner, then he would have finished!

“Alvaro won the 250cc Grand Prix at Motegi last year and it is a great track for Loris as well. So, we are looking for a much better weekend in Japan.”