Álvaro Bautista is back in his homeland of Spain for the next round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship, this time at the Aragon circuit in the north-eastern part of the country.

The Rizla Suzuki squad are in a confident mood following very promising results in both practice sessions and races at recent events. Bautista had a tough battle at Aragon last year before finally securing an eighth place finish in the circuit’s inaugural Grand Prix. He is determined to improve on that and believes that the strong performances and the information from last season will enable him to push for a high placed finish at the Spanish circuit. Bautista is also looking forward to competing in-front of a home crowd again and is sure the added incentive of that will help to spur him on.

The Motorland Aragon circuit is situated near Alcaniz, approximately 120kms from Zaragoza. It is an ultra-modern facility which has its roots firmly established in a solid history of street racing in the nearest town of Alcaniz – which hosted events between 1963 and 2003. The track was built in 2009 and was used as a MotoGP venue for the first time last year after being announced as a replacement for the Balatonring on the 2010 MotoGP calendar. Aragon was already in place as a reserve event, but the Spanish circuit has its own place on the calendar now following an agreement with Dorna to make it a permanent venue until at least 2016. The circuit is 5,077m long and has 17 turns, it was roundly praised by riders and team alike after its first Grand Prix in 2010 and was rewarded with the IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year award, the first time a circuit had received the prize in its debut year.

Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday morning for a free practice session, followed by a further practice in the afternoon and another on Saturday morning. Bautista will be looking to secure a good grid position in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying for the weekend’s main event. The 23-lap race will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 18th September.

Álvaro Bautista: “This was a really good event last year and I am looking forward to going back. It’s a fun track, a fantastic facility and a circuit that I think we can go really well at. I am feeling very confident that we can run well right from the start and get a good qualifying position. It’s great to race at home again, I do it four times a year, but each one seems special to me. I want to put on a good show for all the Spanish fans and think that we have the package and data to be able to do that.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki has made a quick transatlantic dash to Misano in Italy following last weekend’s Grand Prix in America, for the 12th round on this season’s MotoGP calendar.

Álvaro Bautista will be looking to continue with the form he showed in Indianapolis – where he raced to sixth position – at a circuit that should suit both his riding style and the performance of the Suzuki GSV-R. Bautista’s result in America was achieved after the strong potential shown by rider and machine in previous races, and the Spaniard now believes the team can go from strength-to-strength and produce even better results as the season continues.

Located near Rimini on the Adriatic Riviera, the Misano World Circuit is a track that features many slower corners taken in first and second gears and where overtaking is very tough. It has a long sweeping curve with two very high-speed right-handers that certainly make for exciting action and is not a circuit where ultimate top-speed is essential, although a consistent and smooth riding style certainly plays a part in mastering the layout.

Bautista will take to the track on Friday 2nd September for the first of two free practice sessions on that day, with a further practice on Saturday morning. Qualifying on Saturday afternoon will see the Suzuki star aiming for the best possible grid position for Sunday’s 28-lap race, which is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista: “I think we have a good reference at Misano from last year and we had a good race there in 2010. I want to improve on that and think that we can. It is a track that has every type of corner, it involves lots of hard braking and plenty of changes of direction – it is a real fun track to ride. I want to start with a similar rhythm to that which we had in the race last year and try to be as close as I can to the top as early as possible. I believe we have the package now to do that and we will keep working hard until we achieve our goals.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki is on its way Stateside for the 12th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship which will be held at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway in America.

Álvaro Bautista will be looking to continue with the huge potential that has been shown by him and the Suzuki GSV-R is recent races. He looked likely to fight for a top-five finish last time out at Brno, before lady-luck robbed him of the opportunity and he crashed. He is in a determined and focused mood to get a good qualifying position on Saturday to give him a better chance of getting away with the quick group come race-day and show what both he and the Rizla Suzuki are capable of.

Indianapolis will be staging a MotoGP for the fourth time in its illustrious history when the bikes take to the track on Sunday 28th August. The ‘Brickyard’ is more usually associated with Indy Car and NASCAR racing, but the two-wheeled event has quickly become a highlight on the circuit’s calendar. Known as the ‘Brickyard’ due to over three million paving bricks that used to cover the whole surface, now less than a metre of these bricks exist at the start line of 4,216m track. This fascinating symbol to the old days of racing is now simply known as the ‘Yard of Bricks’. The circuit has a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000 people and a big crowd is expected this weekend when MotoGP rolls into town. The fans will also be entertained by not only the on-track excitement, but many other off-track events, both at the ‘Brickyard’ and in downtown Indianapolis – making this one of the party Grands Prix of the year.

Rizla Suzuki will be rolling out on to ‘Gasoline Alley’ on Friday for two free practice sessions. This will be followed by another practice on Saturday morning and then the all-action qualifying session in the afternoon. Sunday’s 28-lap race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (18.00hrs GMT) when Bautista will be going all-out to add his name to history books of this famous circuit.

Álvaro Bautista: “We have certainly made some big steps with the GSV-R over the last few races, but we still need to work on things at Indianapolis. We need find out what the true potential of the bike is and I need to improve my qualifying session performance. It is difficult to see if we can compete with the guys at the front if I am starting at the back of the grid and I have to use so much time and energy to get up to them. These are things that we are determined to do and if we are successful in them then who knows what the bike and the team are capable of producing. I finished eighth at Indianapolis last year and I know we can do better than that now with the package we have. I will be pushing right from the start and trying to make all the hard work we’ve done in recent races give us a good end result in America.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki will resume the 2011 MotoGP season at Brno after a short summer break with a double-headed assault at the Czech Republic circuit.

Álvaro Bautista will be joined by Wild-Card John Hopkins as the Spaniard plans to continue with the good vein of form that he has shown in recent races. Bautista looked to be heading for a top-six finish last time out at Laguna Seca – to follow his seventh at Sachsenring the weekend before – until a crash ended his hopes. Bautista has grown in confidence over the last few events and is now showing the kind of form that he displayed in pre-season testing, before a serious leg injury at the first race in Qatar halted his season before it had begun.

The Automotodrom Brno is situated in the south-east of the Czech Republic in the area of Kyvalka, about 16kms from Brno city centre. Its close proximity to Austria, Hungary and Poland, enables Brno to be one of the best attended races of the season, with approximately a quarter-of-a-million fans expected to pass through the gates over the weekend. The present 5,403m Brno Grand Prix circuit was built in 1987 and is located in woodland near to the old street circuit which previously staged the event.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track with Bautista and Hopkins on Friday 12th August for the first two free practice sessions, with another 45-minutes of practice on the following morning. Saturday afternoon will see the all-important qualifying session where grid places will be decided for Sunday’s 22-lap race. The Brno event signals the start of the second half of the 2011 season and round 11 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 14th August.

Álvaro Bautista: “I’ve been relaxing since the last race with a few days at the beach and now I’m training hard and looking forward to Brno. The last two races have been very positive and I think as a whole we are in the best position we have been since I’ve been in MotoGP. We need to continue with the progress we’ve made recently and the results will start to come. I had an injured back at Brno last year and couldn’t ride at my best, but I’m 100% now and will be pushing from day one. I hope John has a good weekend and enjoys himself; it will be good to have him there as it will give us the chance to push each other along. I’m sure we can work well together to get a good setting for the GSV-R and it will be nice to have a team mate again! I’m excited about the Brno race – I will be giving my maximum!”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki has made a transatlantic dash to ‘The Golden State’ of California in The United States of America for the 10th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.

Álvaro Bautista is in a confident mood following his impressive seventh place last time out at the Sachsenring. He is planning to continue with the same vein of work that the team produced in Germany and move closer to the top-six. Bautista will certainly be looking for better luck on his second visit to the American circuit – his first race at Laguna ended unceremoniously last year when he was knocked off by another rider on only the third lap. The Spaniard will be determined this time to make up for that as he continues to build on his form from recent races.

The Laguna Seca circuit is situated about 160kms south of San Francisco near the towns of Monterey and Seaside. The area was originally a field artillery target range and manoeuvre site belonging to the US Army and the circuit is actually built on a dried-up lake. The 3,610m layout features 11 corners – four right and seven left – and includes probably one of the most incredible turns on any racetrack in the world: the famous ‘Corkscrew’ is a left and right hand combination with a huge drop in elevation that gives a feeling of falling off the edge of a cliff as the riders approach it at high-speeds.

Rizla Suzuki has three 45-minute practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning, followed by an hour of qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s race is round 10 on the MotoGP calendar and the excitement will get underway for the 32-lap race at 14.00hrs local time (21.00hrs GMT) with Bautista hoping to follow in the footsteps of early pioneers and find gold in the Californian hills!

Álvaro Bautista: “I have a good memory of Laguna from last year – except for the race! It is a nice track and very difficult. I am really looking forward to it after Sachsenring because I am very confident we can continue what we are doing and make further steps. The whole team is in a good mood and we believe we can make a good result in America.

“Before we arrive at Laguna, I will travel with Paul to visit our friends at Troy Lee Designs – I think they have a big surprise waiting for me, I know they are working on a special paint design for my Shoei helmet! Then we go to Suzuki America to visit the staff and meet the riders from the American road-racing and motocross teams. It should be a fun week!”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki will be at Sachsenring in eastern Germany for the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship with Álvaro Bautista looking to take the positives from Mugello last time out.

With his fitness back to 100%, Bautista is looking for a confidence-inspiring ride at the German circuit to propel him into the second half of the season. He was challenging for a top-six finish at the Italian Grand Prix before a huge front end slide put paid to his ambitions as he ran off the track and lost valuable time. Bautista completed almost 90-laps at Mugello in a post-race test and made some significant advances with the set-up, handling and electronics on the Suzuki GSV-R, all of which he hopes will assist him for the remainder of the season.

The historic Sachsenring track is situated near the town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal, about 80km from Dresden. The original street circuit was incorporated into a new purpose built track in the 1990’s, but modifications and alterations to the layout have meant that no part of the original track is now used. The 3,671m configuration of 13 corners is certainly a circuit of two halves; the first part is as tight-and-twisty as anywhere on the calendar, before the anti-clockwise layout opens out to include a scary right-hand blind crest taken at over 200km/h on to a fast downhill section, some sweeping bends and 700m long finish straight.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two 45-minute free practice sessions, followed by a further practice session on Saturday morning, with an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 30-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista: “I cannot wait for the race to come – it will not be soon enough for me! I made some really big steps at Mugello in both the race and the test. We now have all that info to use at Sachsenring and the rest of the tracks this season. I think we are capable of running with the top-six or seven at most tracks now and just need a little bit of something to get us there – I don’t know if it’s luck or what it is, but we will keep trying until we find it! I like the Sachsenring circuit and I’ve been on the podium there three times. It is not an easy track to get the bike set-up right for, but when you do it’s great fun to ride at. It’s about a lot of edge grip, so we will have to work on that and get the bike set-up as quickly as we can.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki has made a trans-European journey to Italy from The Netherlands for the eighth round of the MotoGP Championship to be held at the beautiful Mugello circuit this weekend.

Álvaro Bautista will be looking to find a solution to the grip issues that he struggled with last time out at Assen. He is hoping that warmer weather conditions and the new surface at Mugello will assist him as he aims to make himself and the Suzuki GSV-R more competitive this coming weekend. Mugello sees the MotoGP circus enter the second half of its exhausting run of six Grands Prix in eight weeks and the Italian track will give the Spaniard a chance to move forward at a circuit he has tasted success at before, winning in the 250cc race in 2007 and finishing in a podium position on two other occasions.

Mugello is located just north of Florence in the stunning Tuscan countryside. It is one of the ‘must-see’ events on any motorsport calendar. The fabulous backdrop of the mountains coupled with the natural amphitheatre of the 5,245m long circuit and the always enthusiastic and colourful Italian fans, makes this event a truly memorable occasion. The Mugello circuit is one of the fastest tracks in the world, with average lap speeds of almost 175km/h attainable over its 15 corners and a top speed of 350km/h achievable down the 1.141m long start/finish straight.

Rizla Suzuki, Bautista and the rest of the MotoGP gladiators take to the track on Friday for two 45-minute long free practice sessions, plus a further practice on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon will then stage the all-important qualifying session, where riders will determine their grid positions for Sunday’s 23-lap race that gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on the 3rd of July.

Álvaro Bautista: “I really like the Mugello circuit; it is very fast and great fun to ride at. It holds a lot of good memories for me because it is where I won my first 250cc race in 2007 and I have also been on the podium there a couple of times. Last year I was still struggling with my shoulder injury, but I am going there 100% fit this time and determined to do well. The track has a new surface and hopefully that – and hotter weather – will help us to make the bike more competitive, we are all trying hard and the whole crew deserves a bit of a change of luck, so that we can start to move forward.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki is on its way to ‘The Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing’ as it heads to the Netherlands for the Dutch TT in Assen, and round seven of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.

Álvaro Bautista is in a positive mood as he travels to the 4,542m Dutch circuit – a track that he tasted 250cc GP victory at in 2008 – following a confidence-building display last time out at Silverstone. Bautista performed well in the cold and wet conditions at the English circuit and he is convinced the Suzuki package has made a major step forward, which will enable him to push forward and get the GSV-R a lot nearer the front of the pack.

Assen is the only venue that has staged a Grand Prix every season since the start of the championship in 1949 and is unique in being the only race staged on a Saturday. The track is located in the north of The Netherlands, near the town of Groningen, and although the circuit has undergone some changes to make it safer in recent years, it is still a very technical, twisty layout with little room for error and one that riders really enjoy racing at. The Assen circuit was originally constructed in 1955 – previous to that the races were run on the open roads around the area – and it is the only road-racing circuit in the MotoGP series that was specifically designed for motorcycle racing. It is commonly known as ‘The Cathedral’ of motorcycling to fans and racers alike as it is held in such high esteem by both.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to track on Thursday this week for two free practice sessions, followed by another practice and qualifying on Friday. The 26-lap race gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT) On Saturday 25th June.

Álvaro Bautista: “We will be looking to continue with the same progress we had at Silverstone when we get to Assen this week. We made big steps in England, because it was very cold all weekend and we were able to be competitive and went a long way forward from where we were last year. It was cold at Assen in 2010 and we struggled, so we are hoping that what happened last week will help us if the conditions are the same – I hope it’s a lot warmer though and that won’t be an issue! The two circuits are quite similar, they are very fast with some good corners and it will be like continuing our work from where we finished at Silverstone. I won at Assen in 2008 and although it will be tough to try and repeat that, I believe we now have the package to start to run nearer the front on a regular basis.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP