Spanish journalist Mela Chércoles sat down with Álvaro ahead of the first official test of the 2012 season which gets underway at Sepang this week to ask him a few things about last year, this year, Honda, Suzuki, CRT, Simoncelli and rekindled passion. Below you can find the complete translation.

Alvaro Bautista arrived on Saturday in Malaysia for the Sepang test, starting on Tuesday, “with renewed enthusiasm”, the result of having left behind the calamities of Suzuki to ride a bike like Stoner. The Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur again welcomes Bautista, but this time the Talaverano brings a suitcase filled with more hope than ever. In his box at Sepang the promising 1000cc Honda RC213V, inherited from Simoncelli, awaits him instead of the slow train that was the Suzuki.

First pic of Álvaro's 1000cc Honda in Sepang. Photo: Twitter Álvaro Bautista

You’re radiating a sense of complete bliss. Is that the case?
I have renewed passion, because this season is a big change in my career and I face it with great enthusiasm, very eager to start and with the goal to ​​continue working as usual, but now with a good base before I even begin. That’s always more motivating than when you know you start on the back foot. With the Honda this is not the case.

Did you feel the winter was very long?
Honestly no, because I’ve been very focused on preparing as good as possible and had to undergo surgery to remove the nail which they put in in the fractured femur from Qatar.

And what a nail. It was like 42 centimetres, right?
Yes, it was huge. The size of the femur. For people to get an idea, it was like my whole thigh, from knee to hip.

How did everything go?
Very well and I’m at 100% now, even better than when I had the nail, because I’ve gained some mobility in the leg. I am recovering from the limitations I had.

How did you test that?
Basically with some motocross – carefully, because we already know that it’s dangerous – and cycling, fitness and flexibility exercises. No Supermoto, because now the asphalt is very cold and I do not want to risk a crash. I’m getting stronger, because with the 1000cc I do not know what I’m going to find.

Has Honda already shelled out and given you a Honda CRF for Motocross?
[Laughs] They’re going to.

What goal have you set yourself for this test in Sepang?
I think I’ll have to slow myself down a bit, to curb my enthusiam. [Laughs] The tests in Sepang are very tough – three days, very hot, with a lot of humidity and especially coming from three months without riding a MotoGP bike. Added to this it will be a 1000cc with more power and as on the first day I’ll do laps at the maximum, on the third I’ll be drained, because the muscles are not used to it. We must get the body and mind used to the speed again. Besides, I’ll get to know a new bike and a new team. I didn’t set objectives. Just getting the feeling and enjoy riding. There will be time to push. Now we have to go from little to more, not wanting more than what’s possible.

That’s all fine, but the fastest in this test last year was Simoncelli and that gave him a tremendous motivation…
[Laughs] It’s always nice to be ahead, even if it’s only in a test. But right now I have still a lot to learn, because it is a new bike, 1000cc instead of 800cc, and a new team. Moreover there’ll be the novelty that I will ride the forks and rear suspension from Showa instead of Öhlins, as the others. And to that you also have to adapt.

Álvaro on the 800cc Honda during the Valencia test in November 2011. Photo: Gresini Racing

Are you worried that your Honda uses Showa and not Öhlins like Stoner and Pedrosa?
It is a proposal they made and, after thinking it through, it may have more pros than cons if all goes well, because Showa has been the suspension for Honda forever, except the last two years. The bad thing is that we will not have data from other riders. I’ll be the only one and have to make my way alone, but I’m used to this after my two years at Suzuki. Now it won’t be a whole bike, only the suspension and I made the final decision.

It helped the decision that your crew chief Antonio Jiménez has experience with Showa…
Yes. He has worked extensively with Showa and when he was with Melandri he saw that there was not much difference between Öhlins and Showa, neither regarding laptimes nor the feeling for the rider. Also, Showa is almost owned by Honda and its suspension brand of a lifetime.

Inevitable question: Have you been in contact with Gresini and do you feel they’ve absorbed the loss of Simoncelli yet?
We’ve spoken a few times on the phone to send best wishes for the holidays, but I talked more with Toni Jiménez, who is my technician and has already been at HRC testing the bikes and told me about the feeling he had. It seems that the team is once again completely and very excited about this project. I noticed that also with the sponsors. It’s always hard to forget what happened last year, but right now people are eager to smile again.

Will you carry a 58?
Of course, Marco’s 58 will be on the bike, leathers or helmet.

Does it give you a bad feeling to be the substitute for a deceased rider?
Wherever Marco is, he’d want the best for the team with which he made his debut in MotoGP and with which he took his first podium. It doesn’t give me a bad feeling at all. These things happen and that’s it. We don’t have to delve into it. Marco is in our memories and in our hearts, so we try to do a good season and dedicate it to him. The day I get my first podium in MotoGP it will be for him. Now we must prepare well to try to get on the podium in this category.

Last year you were well-liked among the grid and most were glad of your good results with Suzuki, the fifth places. Is that no longer so?
[Laughs again] Yes, sure I saw that some were glad when I took a fifth place with Suzuki, but I don’t care what people think of me. Moreover, I hope this year they won’t get along with me because I beat those who say: ‘Oh look, how nice, the poor little thing has finished seventh’. But let’s see how I feel with the Honda. I have worked hard during the winter to prepare as good as possible.

—-

Bautista also talked about the arrival of the CRT, the bikes with engines derived from the series and a prototype chassis. “The CRTs will be a test. They want to cut costs, like in Moto2, and if that’s successful it’s not a bad idea. I’m not saying they are dangerous. If they are too slow, then in a race they’ll get the blue flag and will be passed. It will be more or a problem in practice… But what matters is not the bike but the riders, because some coming to MotoGP lack the experience for the category. We’ll see what happens.”

And about the 1000cc: “I don’t know how much will change. They tried to cut costs and everything’s been a lot more expensive. The 800cc was a pocket rocket and I don’t know what I’ll find with the 1000cc, but it seems “too much bike” for the show. The people want that in the corners and it’s unnecessary to go 360km/h on the straights. The spectators want passes and see group fights in the races.

Source: AS.com

From the plethora of interviews that Álvaro did just after his first run with the Honda RC212V at the end of last season, we bring you another one [it should also be the last one], courtesy of BikeRacing.it. Yes, it’s slightly dusty by now [conducted before Suzuki's official withdrawal], but also slightly different in range of questions and regarding his answers. Below you can find the complete translation.

After he spent two seasons in the official Suzuki MotoGP team, Alvaro Bautista joined Honda Gresini for 2012. The Spaniard will be riding the RC213V, to finally join (after the positive signals during the final part of last season) the upper parts of the world rankings. BIKEracing.it met up with him during the International Bicycle and Motorcycle Fair in Milan (EICMA) at the REV’IT! stand, where he gave his first impressions in this interview.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday you have reached an agreement with the Gresini Team: What led you to this agreement and why have you decided to leave Suzuki?
“Mainly because the project that Suzuki presented to me was to stay with the 800cc, so I tried to get a 1000cc for next year and there was the opportunity of joining this team. Because of this we chose to go with Fausto. Suzuki still didn’t know when it would enter the 1000cc, but I wanted to have the same bike as the others to fight with them.”

You tried the Honda for the first time, even if only the 800cc. What did you think of the bike?
“It’s very different to ride, but I quickly felt very good and very comfortable. I have not ridden a lot, I didn’t want to change the bike but instead simply ride a bit, work a little with the team.”

What guarantees on the technical level did you get when you signed with them?
“Theoretically the four Hondas will start next year at the same level and it’s like the four bikes are official. Then, once the developments come, they first go to the Repsol team. But the results may change the situation inside Honda.”

What was your first impression of the team and your new chief mechanic Antonio Jimenez?
“I knew Antonio from before. One of the reasons for me to join the team was that he is there. He is good, very experienced and we quickly got along very well. The team is almost like a family, very well put together. What is missing now is to start working together.”

You decided to leave Suzuki over the uncertainty of their sporting programme, but did you think that despite the recent good performance there was not much room for improvement?
“With the 800cc we did a good job, at the end of the season we got close to the top of the standings, despite the bike still being far from Honda. We were working well, but about halfway through the season they stopped the development. I don’t know what they would do a year after they stopped developing. So we worked with what we had and got the most out of it.”

You’ve never tried the 1000cc. Do you think you’ll like it and that it is the right solution for the future?
“Obviously I don’t know why they changed from 1000cc to 800cc, then go back to 1000cc! I talked to other riders and they told me that it is nicer to ride because it has more power, especially from the bottom, so out of the corners you don’t need a lot of revs to have power. The bike definitely has more top speed on the straights, but I don’t think the bikes should have too much power on a straight line, because the spectacle is in the cornering and overtaking. The future is the 1000cc, even though in the future they want to do something like Moto2-Moto3.”

Speaking of which, what do you think of the CRT?
“I think it’s a good formula, because the difference is made more by the rider than by the bike. Now it is the opposite, if you don’t have a good bike it is hard to be in front, but I think if all the bikes were closer in performance it could be a chance for riders who otherwise would not have a good bike. I think it’s a good idea for the future, for next year I think if you don’t have a MotoGP bike you can’t be near the front.”

How strange and/or difficult is it for a rider to find yourself struggling, because with the package available you’re unable to get the results you want?
“It’s strange because I arrived from 250cc where I fought for victory in every race and for the championship, but after coming here I found myself without the possibility of doing this. So in these cases it is good to keep in mind what your potential is, otherwise you end up depressed. It’s important in these cases to stay focused on the development work of the bike, take it to the best level possible and learn everything there is to learn as a rider. In the end, when I got good results, I can say I earned it myself. It’s important to know what you have in your hands and get to what you can do with what you have.”

Do you think this has made you a stronger rider than before?
“It did, because it has shaped my character. I grew a lot in these two years as a rider, especially because through my work with the team we have now brought back a bike that was almost given up on, no one wanted it. But now they all say ‘The Suzuki is not bad!’, this is certainly also due to me.”

On Twitter Paul Denning wrote “Interesting to see that Alvaro wasn’t as fast on the Honda as @RandydePuniet14 was on our bike, and in better conditions / more laps. Hmmm.”
[Laughs] Honestly I do not know what to think. Everyone is free to write what he wants, they’re his thoughts and so he wrote it. It’s strange because our relationship ended very well. The important thing was not the first day of testing, but finding the right harmony with the team and do well this season. I have always been happy with the Suzuki team and all the boys, if it had only been up to them I would have never left the team.”

Source: Valerio Piccini for BikeRacing.it

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

As we’ve promised, here’s another translation of one of the many interviews Bati gave at Valencia and afterwards.
This one was done by Laura López and Laura Ramos for sport.es at the test in Valencia. But the questions go very much beyond that, talking about Simoncelli’s accident, how the season went for Álvaro overall and how he sees the future of the sport.

Alvaro Bautista has become one of the most sought-after riders of the MotoGP grid. His solo effort to develop the Suzuki and make it competitive has not gone unnoticed among the greats. Before announcing his future the Talaverano looks back at the key points of a season that ended in tragedy.

In the moments before the fatal accident in Malaysia, you and Marco Simoncelli were the protagonists of a dramatic battle. How do you remember that day?
I saw him fall, but I did not see what happened next, I thought it was just another crash. Already in the box, when I saw the replay of it, I thought he was hit in the back. I panicked and thought “He’ll be paraplegic!” But what I hadn’t noticed was the helmet. When Carmelo came to tell the riders about the status of Marco, one by one, I broke down, I was not expecting that.

In this profession the danger exists, but nobody ever thinks it’ll happen to them…
My friends and family can attest that I came back from Sepang without strength, without motivation for anything, not even to eat… Me, who’s always laughing about everything. I didn’t have any smiles left.

Since your time in 250cc you had your best and worst with Simoncelli, what do you think of that?
On the track I had many polemics with him. Without a doubt Marco was a very, very aggressive rider, very tough. It was very difficult to win and in fact the last memory I have of him is the lap in Sepang, where we were fighting, that when you pass him, he’ll repass you again… I enjoyed that and I think Marco also enjoyed our battles. I’ll take that memory with me.

How did it feel to get back on the bike at Valencia?
It was like a liberation, it took a big weight off of me, because the death of Simoncelli was very hard for me and for everyone in the paddock. Since Sepang I was going it over and over again too many times in my head. The only way to turn the page and change the mentality was returning to ride the bike. He will be missed but we must continue…

How did your season go?
Difficult. I had to develop the bike by myself and this has a positive side, which is that I could make it according to my taste, but with references from a teammate it would have gone faster. Also after a good preseason I had the misfortune to be seriously injured in the first race, in Qatar. It took me months to recover physically and mentally to get back to the level from before and since then everything has gone better and better… I have finally started to feel like a MotoGP rider.

The podium was a goal that you couldn’t reach…
Being in the front positions with the Suzuki was complicated, but at times we reached the leaders. Maybe we didn’t finish the weekends enough, often because of bad luck, like with the crash in Cheste… but the overall conclusion is positive.

Do you agree with the CRT project?
It is logical to look for ways to achieve more equality on the track, because the MotoGP bikes right now are too expensive. This year, for example, the Honda was so fast that for the rest they were almost impossible to catch. We are going to become a category with more riders, without so much development… although, of course, the factories are not interested in that, because they want their bikes to win. Moto2 is a success, they have lowered the costs and bring a show.

What about Moto3? What do you think of the new category as a former 125cc world champion?
Personally I feel sad about the disappearance of the 125s, the only two-strokes. In Qatar, when you notice that peculiar smell, you think “Now I’m at the races”. But Moto3 is the logical step to four-strokes, like the other classes.

Is Marquez the future?
Sure. And Viñales. The youngsters are pushing stronger every time. For me Marc has been the best in Moto2. He did an incredible season although Bradl is the champion.

Is he right to stay in Moto2?
Yes. He is only 18 years old.

Source: sport.es
Photo: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

El Pais published an interesting little Q&A with Álvaro today, chatting about superstitions and some of the psychology of racing in MotoGP.

Álvaro Bautista. Born in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) in 1984. Motorcycle rider in the MotoGP class, finished the 2011 championship in 13th, riding a Suzuki. Next season he’ll race with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini, a team where he will take the place of the late Marco Simoncelli.

Are you superstitious? I try not to be, but it is inevitable. Although mine is only a small private ritual, I do some stretching before each race.

So having finished the championship in 13th position doesn’t affect you. Ah, not at all. I don’t care.

And taking the place of Simoncelli, either. I do not take his place. That is impossible. I will try to honor his memory.

How important is luck in the career of a rider? Very much, just like everywhere else in the world. I am dedicated to this because of luck. In 2001 I was about to leave due to a lack of money and got an offer from a team in the last minute.

What relationship does a rider have with his bike? Me, personally, like a couple. You are alone with it in the middle of the track. You have fun with it and make yourself comfortable.

Therefore, is the change of team something traumatic? No, what matters is not the brand, but your bike. It is the only thing that’s important.

It’s a crucial moment when you first meet. Sure, you’re nervous. You do not know each other, you have to like each other from the start, have good vibes …

After so many years it will be difficult. Well, if you keep trying, I don’t think so. It can be very difficult. There are times when, however much you try, you do not get along and that’s it, no way.

What is the most important quality for a rider? Ambition and desire. You may be better or worse, but above all it is important wanting to win.

How’s that with you? More than enough.

Source: El Pais

As we promised you earlier, we’ll bring you some more interview translations over the next few days of the several interviews Álvaro gave at the test in Valencia and throughout the still young off-season so far.
The following is an extensive interview with Jaime Martin from Marca (conducted before the official confirmation of Suzuki’s departure).

Alvaro Bautista (Talavera, 1984) could have been left without a bike now after the departure of Suzuki. But instead he has the best package for 2012: the Honda. Twist of fate… and result of his good work. He goes to a team which is badly affected by the death of Simoncelli, but has now regained the spirit. He talked to Marca after showing his support for OID.

Seeing the situation of Suzuki, which is practically out of MotoGP, it’s better that you left, right?
Before I left, the situation was unclear. In fact, the decision to leave was because of that. In principle we would have competed with the 800cc bike in 2012 and until 2013 we wouldn’t get the 1000cc. But it was not one 100% confirmed. That was the reason why I started to go around and look for other options. Right now there is only a slim chance for them to continue next year. It’s a shame for them, because it is a great team, they are a great people. They have worked very well with me these two years. They don’t deserve to be out of the championship. Suzuki is a very important factory. They should make an effort. I hope we see them in the world championship. If not next year, then to return for 2013.

After two years of struggle to make the Suzuki competitive, what is your feeling? Sadness, disappointment, frustration?
A bit of everything. We worked hard, we have solved some things about the bike. In the end the bike was not bad, it was quite competitive. Maybe not up to the level of Yamaha and Honda, but it had much improved. They were at the peak of the 4-stroke era and that’s when they pulled out. So, yes it makes me a bit sad and also frustrated for all the developments that are now gone. I would’ve wanted them not to waste it.

For you personally, you’re starting a period of motivation with perhaps the best bike of your life. Is this almost as much as what can be achieved in MotoGP?
I think the change has been very positive. For 2012 we have good material, if not the best. We are in a very experienced team. I’m very excited and motivated. We have a very good basis to start from, with references from other riders. But that does not guarantee anything. You have to work, to focus 100%. You have to keep doing things like I have done the last two years, never rest, always wanting more. If I can do that this year, I am able to achieve good results. The base material will be good. What it needs is a good setup that allows me to fight with the front guys.

In Valencia you could see firsthand that the 1000cc Honda is going well. That gives you motivation, right?
Valencia is the worst circuit for the 1000cc as it is very twisty. But they showed that they are at a fairly high level, better than the other 1000cc bikes. It also motivates you. You think, “If they are able to ride well, why shouldn’t I be able to do it?” That gives you opportunities.

In terms of expectations: You just get on it and everyone is already saying you have to be on the podium every day.
Everyone tells me: “Now that you don’t ride with Suzuki, you have to win all the races.” But all the riders who are here have very good quality. It is not easy to beat them. To be ahead, you have to have everything in place and have a good day. The first one to demand good results from me is myself. There is a required step before that which are the tests this winter. I have to use the full potential of the bike. This winter I will try not to test under pressure. I won’t say: “I have to make a good test.” They will serve me to get to know the bike and adjust my riding style and adapt it for me.

Does it make you proud to hear that the vice-president of Honda, as well as Gresini and your new crew chief Antonio Jimenenz all say they wanted to work with you for a long time?
Yes, it gives you a lot of motivation. The people inside the championship know perfectly well what everyone brings. They have seen my work, which was not easy to develop a bike alone. I am proud that already before what happened to Marco they wanted me. I will try to pay them back for the trust they put in me.

The Gresini team has been through very hard times after the death of Simoncelli, but they have already said that your arrival has restored part of their spirit and motivation. Does that also motivate you?
Yes, Fausto told me that he regained the enthusiasm with this project. Also the sponsor is quite happy. It is very important that everyone is motivated. That will make it easier to get good results.

Talking to psychologists after what happened with Marco, they said that the riders have to face that pain, which includes watching the crash several times. Have you done this?
Inevitably I have seen it. They showed it everywhere, all the time. It should be very clear that this is a risky sport and that these things, unfortunately, can occur. Luckily it rarely happens and hopefully it won’t happen again. You lose your motivation and energy a little. I’ve been sad for days, fucked up, pardon my language, but that’s how it was. When we got to the week before Valencia I tried to change the mentality, be more positive. When I felt in a better mood was after I got on the bike. I returned to just forget everything, as I always do. It was very positive, because your perspective changes. From then on everything was back to normal. It was good that we had another race, because if the championship had been over it would have been a hard winter for everyone.

You, like many Spanish riders, had many fights with him. Do you also regret, like Lorenzo, not having talked with him about things differently?
You have to put yourself in that situation. After the way he acted on the track in 2008 and 2009, I barely had a relation with him. We did not talk. But it’s true that following the issue with Japan, the riders had meetings and we returned to talk. You can say that we got along fine, we were more united. I’ve never criticized nor have I said bad things about him. I said what I had to say in the moment when it occurred. I didn’t go on about whether he’s more dangerous or not. I have discussed specific actions. Nobody could have imagined what would happen. It’s a complicated situation.

One could say that you go to a team of which two riders have died. Can that thought ever cross your mind?
I don’t think that. It’s been a coincidence. There’ve been more riders in this team and nothing has happened. Sete achieved very good results and nothing happened. It was in the same year when his teammate died. That’s it. No use for more laps or more explanations. Fausto had bad luck, it’s been a hard bit for him. No need to read more into it.

You said you were going to make a poster with your first pass of Rossi. Now with the Honda you won’t see him.
Hold on. It’s Valentino. This year, with the new bikes, no one knows what will happen. Currently you have to take all the rivals seriously. In particular Valentino. We already know what he can do.

Source: Marca

The Spanish version of GQ has selected Álvaro as their “Man of the Week” and published a short Q&A to go along with it in which Álvaro tells us some tidbits about his life and style off track.

It is surprising when you shake hands with Álvaro Bautista (Talavera de la Reina, 1984) that someone like him, registered in our minds as a man stuck in motorcycle leathers, can wear civilian clothes. And even with quite some taste and interest in fashion. It shows.

The MotoGP season has just ended and, due to a fractured femur before the first race with his Suzuki, the results have not been as good as expected: 13th overall in the championship and no podium. But it didn’t keep Honda, which had just lost Marco Simoncelli, from trusting in him to fill the gap for the next season.

He plays down the subject of superstition: “There are more accidents outside the circuits than on it. Everyone has to see for himself how he prefers to live. And I, frankly, I’d rather live with the bikes despite exposing myself to that risk.”

And this doesn’t make your family worried, Alvaro? Doesn’t it have more negatives (due to the risk) than happiness (for victory)? “Well, honestly the joy is bigger, because since my childhood I’m inside this world. They are happy because I do what I want and fulfill my lifelong dream. They don’t see it as better or worse, but as me doing what I want”.

Now, riding with his new team and bike, Álvaro wants to show that Spanish motorcycling doesn’t only live with the Lorenzos and Pedrosas of this world and repeat his 125cc title from 2006 in the big class. All the best, number 19!

1.Necessities in your closet
Skinny jeans and shirts.

2. An accessory
Belts.

3. Do you follow a certain image routine?
Occasionally I like to change my hairstyle, it depends how I feel. I like to experiment.

4. Your female icon
Angelina Jolie.

5. Gadget without which you couldn’t live
The iPhone.

6. Do you use social networks?
Twitter (@19Bautista).

7. A weekend getaway
I love going to the beach.

8. Your best vacation
Whenever I go on vacation I try to go to the Caribbean. The best I had I think was a summer in Punta Cana. It’s a complete contrast to the adrenaline, one week a year I like to completely relax and let time pass very slowly.

9. A movie
Any film by Quentin Tarantino, but especially Kill Bill.

10. A book
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

11. What are you reading now?
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

12. What do you listen to on your iPod?
I listen to almost everything except HipHop.

13. Your favorite TV show
Right now Otra Movida and La que se avecina.

14. A cocktail bar
Código in Talavera.

15. A restaurant
Mingote, also in Talavera.

16. The biggest treat you’ve given yourself
An extra-flat TV.

17. Your tactic of seduction
Make her laugh.

18. The GQ moment of your life
When I was named GQ Man of the Year.

19. What does a GQ man need to have?
Personality, a desire to live life and, above all, optimism and trying to reach his goals.

20. A GQ Man
Dani Martinez.

Source: Revista GQ

This week quite a few Álvaro interviews have been published, mainly stemming from the same interview appointment, but with different snippets being featured.

Álvaro also visited the headquarters of his personal sponsor OID last week and stayed for an interview about his season and the outlook for 2012.