MotoGP and F1 team members joined family and friends at a service of thanksgiving this week for the life of Rizla Suzuki’s Operations Manager Charlie Moody, who sadly passed away last month.

Nearly the complete 2011 Rizla Suzuki team was present at the service, held close to Moody’s home in Gloucestershire, England. The church was overflowing with members of the MotoGP and F1 paddocks, in addition to his family and numerous friends. Moody had succumbed to Motor Neurone Disease following a short spell in hospital after contracting pneumonia; he was 55 years old and leaves his wife Arlene and sons Wil and Nic.

Charlie Moody was a native of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire and after leaving Sheffield University joined Walter Wolf in Formula One as a mechanic. He worked with Jody Scheckter, James Hunt and Keke Rosberg during this time and stayed with Rosberg as the Finnish driver moved to Williams and won the F1 World Championship in 1982. Moody’s next progression was to run the Benetton test team and he then moved to Leyton House in the same role, before becoming its Race Team Manager. Moody then moved to Simtek Grand Prix as Team Manager before heading to the British Touring Car Championship to run the Janspeed team, afterwards returning to Formula One to run the Williams BMW F1 test programme. Amongst his many achievements, Moody was also the very first person to strap Ayrton Senna into a Formula One car in the Brazilian’s inaugural Grand Prix test at Donington Park in 1983.

Moody then turned his attention to two-wheels, joining Kenny Roberts’ MotoGP organisation and he became an important and integral part of the company, before moving to Rizla Suzuki in 2009. He was an instantly recognisable figure in the MotoGP paddock with his long hair and trademark jacket, worn in even the hottest of conditions! He had an infectious and warm personality as well a thoroughly determined streak to get the job done. His many achievements and fun-loving character were summed up in readings at his memorial service. Charlie will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him.

Charlie Moody will be remembered as being a true gentleman, as well as a gentle man.

‘Charlie’ – Charles William Moody 1-7-56 – 22-11-11 R.I.P.

Donations given in memory of Charlie Moody are for ‘Motor Neurone Disease Research’ and can be either sent to:

E. Taylor & Son
21 Corbett Road
Carterton
Oxfordshire
England
OX18 3LG

Or online at
http://www.mndassociation.org/get_involved/donations/make_a_donation.html

First Japan, then Phillip Island, then Sepang. Now the Valencian Grand Prix in Cheste this weekend is truly and inevitably the last opportunity for Suzuki to finally make a decision and announce the plans for their 2012 project in the MotoGP class, determining the main impact on Álvaro’s immediate professional future.

After the tragic events in Malaysia just over a week ago the much anticipated decision was understandably delayed once more as there were more important matters on everyone’s mind, mourning the loss of a fellow rider.

But since then no information has come forth from Suzuki and the official press release of the team gives no hint on what the future may hold, both of which might not be a good sign. Waiting until the last Grand Prix of the season to decide whether or not to stay in the class at all and if so, with what kind of bike, for one doesn’t show a very strong commitment of Suzuki to the class and secondly doesn’t indicate that much effort has been put into the 1000cc bike to be ready in time for next season. If they had, surely there would have been an announcement made much earlier.

All of which would lead to the assumption that it’s more likely now for Suzuki to quit their MotoGP project for the time being and that Álvaro would subsequently move to the LCR team with a factory Honda RC213V, which at the moment looks to be a very competitive bike once again and certainly would be a good opportunity to Álvaro to convert his potential into regular podium challenges on competitive machinery.

As pointed out previously, moving to the LCR team would still only be the second option for Álvaro despite the competitive bike, simply because it’s a satellite team and he’d like to stay with a factory and have direct input on the development. Moreover, the LCR team is not too well-funded, especially after the abysmal season they had this year, and to be able to finance the factory-spec Honda, Álvaro might have to attract a few new sponsors for the team. Finally, with regards to the bad year the 2010 Moto2 world champion Toni Elias currently has with the team, some negative rumours about the communication between rider and crew chief as well as the mindset of the team have surfaced throughout the season, throwing a slightly darker light on the team’s ability to support their rider to achieve the best results possible. However, these are only rumours and if Álvaro was to move to LCR it’s not known whether he could possibly even take any of his current crew members with him.

It’s been an extraordinarly long silly season this year and with the final race approaching there are still many seats free for taking. But after expecting a decision several times before, this weekend there really won’t be any more delaying and we’ll finally find out about what bike Álvaro will ride next year.

We’ll keep you updated.

Rizla will reveal a special one-off paint-scheme at the Misano World Circuit tomorrow morning to celebrate the launch of its new ‘Micron’ premium rolling papers.

The Suzuki GSV-R will feature an amazing chrome livery to reflect the design of the new Micron pack, and Álvaro Bautista will sport unique REV’IT leathers, Sidi boots and a special version of his Shoei race helmet to complete the package.

Rizla Micron is the thinnest, and therefore the most sophisticated and technically advanced naturally gummed rolling paper within the Rizla family. Rizla Micron will be launched this month in Italy and subsequently rolled out across the globe over the next couple of months.

The Rizla Suzuki ‘Micron’ GSV-R will be on display in the pit-lane at Misano on Sunday 4th September at 08.00hrs local time. This will be the first time this amazing Troy Lee Designs paint-scheme will be on view to the public and if you are not lucky enough to see it in the flesh, then Bautista will be on track at 14.00hrs for the San Marino Grand Prix, complete with his new ‘Micron’ machine and clothing. There will also be a gallery of images of the livery available on www.rizla-suzuki-motogp.co.uk from Sunday morning.

Source: Rizla Suzuki

Behind the scenes at a race weekend with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and its long-standing partner Bridgestone Tyres.

It all comes down to race-day. All the preparation, the effort, the blood sweat and tears are summarised each Grand Prix weekend in 45 minutes or 120 kilometres on Sunday afternoon. At least in the eyes of the outside world it is…

The reality, however, is that Sunday is just the culmination of all the hard work put in during the days and weeks before each race by the Rizla Suzuki Team and its partners, give or take a bit of luck or lack thereof.

An integral part of this preparation, and playing a crucial role in performance and ultimately results, are the Bridgestone tyres that Alvaro Bautista uses. The Suzuki/ Bridgestone relationship is the longest in the paddock, having started back in 2004 in only Bridgestone’s third season in MotoGP; and existed ever since, yielding multiple podiums and a win for Chris Vermeulen in 2007.

But how much can there be to the black hoops at each end of the GSV-R? Well, Bridgestone’s work with the team starts in earnest on the Thursday before each race. Yukihiko Kubo is the Bridgestone tyre engineer responsible for Alvaro and the Suzuki squad, and here he explains his task.

“I start working closely with Suzuki and Alvaro’s engineers on the Thursday at each Grand Prix” says Kubo. “It’s important that before Alvaro takes to the track everyone in the team knows and understands the tyre compounds we have at each race so this is where we start. I’ve been working with Alvaro since just last year but we work well together and have a good relationship, which is very important in establishing trust.

“I sit in meetings with the team engineers on Thursday to agree upon the plan for the weekend. I carefully explain the tyre compound choices we have, how they are different from the previous year and why we have made that choice. I then outline which front and rear tyre compounds we recommend for the race, and from that point we agree upon a plan of tyre usage and setup direction and the goal for the race.”

Bridgestone has been the Official Tyre Supplier to the MotoGP class since 2009 and under regulations imposed from that year; each rider is allocated 18 slicks (eight fronts and ten rears) and eight wet tyres per weekend. The FIM randomly allocate tyres to every rider on Thursday, at which point they are registered to each rider using each tyre’s unique barcode, recorded by both Bridgestone and the FIM.

“So once we have decided upon the weekend plan, we have a clear idea of when Alvaro will use each tyre compound option” continues Kubo. “With a restricted number of new tyres it is very important to ensure that tyre usage is managed carefully to make sure Alvaro has at least one new set for qualifying on Saturday afternoon and for the race. New tyres have a distinct performance advantage, so this is critical in helping the team achieve the best possible grid position and then race result.

“At the end of each day I join the de-brief with Alvaro and the team engineers to discuss where we are in relation to the plan and what steps we take next. Throughout each day though we are constantly collecting tyre data in the form of temperatures and pressures as both of these are key indicators of setup – for example the rear slicks should be operating at above 100 degrees Celsius to provide maximum grip, and if the actual tyre temperature is lower, we know peak grip is not being reached and that therefore the bike, rider and tyre package is not working as well as it could. I am then involved with the engineers making setup changes to try and achieve this optimum. In the years of tyre competition, tyre manufacturers would produce specific tyre compounds for each rider and bike, but now in single supply, Bridgestone must work closely with the teams to help them get the bikes working best on our tyres.”

After all, two Bridgestone tyres are all that connect the Suzuki GSV-R to the tarmac and they play a key role in translating the efforts of the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team to race results. Even though tyre choices are now fewer in the era of single supply, Bridgestone’s role remains just as important and the relationship with Suzuki continues as strongly as ever.

Source: Suzuki Racing

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista has made a return to the seat of his Suzuki GSV-R, just two weeks after breaking his left femur in a high-speed crash.

The Spanish star visited his home Grand Prix in Jerez last weekend and, behind the closed doors of the team’s pit-box, Bautista could not resist getting into the riding position on the prototype MotoGP machine after his crash at Qatar just 16 days earlier. Bautista climbed aboard the GSV-R and settled into a racing position on the stationary bike, accompanied by a typical big smile from him and a round of applause from his loyal crew.

Bautista is now undergoing an intensive recovery programme back in Madrid, including the use of a hyperbaric chamber to increase the oxygen flow in his body to aid the healing of his injury. Although no date for Bautista’s full-time return to MotoGP is yet confirmed, he is working as hard as possible to be back on the grid at the earliest possible opportunity.

Álvaro Bautista: “It was strange for me at Jerez last weekend, because I was at the race, but not in the race! Once I saw the bikes on Saturday sitting in the garage, I just had to try and sit on one of them. I tried very slowly to get on the seat, which was a bit difficult, but once I was on there the feeling was not too bad. The most difficult thing was getting on and off, but it was good for me to try because now I know which parts of my leg I have to work on to improve my flexibility and strength to be able to ride – it was a good test for me to find this out! The healing is coming along very well, my doctor says it is very quick, but for me it already seems too slow. The movement is almost normal and the inflammation is coming down, so I think the over the next week I will be a lot better than I am now and will be able to start training so that I can get racing again very soon.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Alvaro also wrote about his Jerez experience in his latest column for AS, you can read the translation here.

The MotoGP community has moved to do all it can to support those in Japan following the recent earthquake and its after-effects. The 17 riders in MotoGP have put their signatures on a specially printed t-shirt with the message – We are for Japan!

The T-Shirt will be for sale at a range of circuits on the World Championship calendar, as well as being available from the MotoGP website weforjapan.motogp.com It can be purchased for €20.

The funds collected through this initiative will be presented to a humanitarian organisation during the Japanese Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on October 2nd.

Unite with the MotoGP community and buy this T-Shirt to help the people of Japan. Please forward this information to friends, relatives and colleagues across the globe using every outlet of social media to bring the MotoGP paddock and fans together with the message WE ARE FOR JAPAN!

Álvaro Bautista: “It is very important to show our support to all the people in Japan during this tragic time. My thoughts go out to everyone affected by this awful event. The Japanese are a very strong race of people, but I am sure they will also welcome any support and assistance we can give them during this very dark time. Please buy this shirt and show that ‘We are for Japan!’”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Rizla Suzuki will not be able to replace the injured Álvaro Bautista in tomorrow’s Qatar Grand Prix, after exhausting all possible scenarios to get the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R on the grid.

The two riders most likely to replace Bautista – who broke his femur yesterday – are both unavailable, with John Hopkins in America and unable to get to Qatar in time and Nobuatsu Aoki in Japan where travel is very difficult due the terrible earthquake and tsunami tragedy that struck his country last week. The Suzuki management also made tentative approaches to several Moto2 riders that have MotoGP experience, but none of these riders were available due to commitments to their respective teams for the first race of the season.

Hopkins will join the team for the next round of the season at Jerez in Spain as a replacement for Bautista – while the Spaniard continues on his road to recovery.

Bautista is comfortable in hospital following the surgery to pin his left femur this morning, he plans to return to Spain early next week to begin his recuperation with a view to being back in MotoGP as soon as possible.

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“The 2011 season hasn’t yet started and to have this huge disappointment already is very difficult to deal with. The winter tests have been consistent and competitive, especially bearing in mind Álvaro’s ‘race-day’ mentality and his love of fighting with the other guys rather than just riding – we always expect more from him in the races than in the tests, so everything was looking good. The reason for the crash was quite simple – pushing too hard in this section without enough temperature in the new tyre – very similar to Rossi’s accident in Mugello last year. But the real reasons behind that – maybe feeling some pressure after losing track time on Thursday night with the arm pump, wanting to get back into the top group of lap-times as soon as possible – are more complex and unfortunately Álvaro paid a heavy price. This sport is very extreme, and the edge between success and disaster is very small. We are all disappointed, but he is the poor guy in hospital with a pin in his femur and a tough recuperation ahead. He has the strength of character and determination to come back from this, and on his behalf we’d like to thank everybody for their kind wishes and support, especially the doctors and staff of the Clinica Mobile who came to the hospital at 2.00am last night to check on the situation and lend their valuable advice and assistance.

“With regard to the Qatar GP, we really wanted to find a suitable rider and have the Rizla Suzuki on the grid tomorrow but the logistics for John or Nobu simply didn’t allow it. Also, the Moto2 teams who have riders with MotoGP experience, that we discussed the option with, were understandably reluctant to release a rider at the first round of the championship. Our reason to explore these options was simply to support the Championship, Rizla and all our partners, but ultimately it is a huge ask to expect any rider to jump for only qualifying and the race and expect too much – safety and common sense have to play their part as well and we fully respect those decisions.

“John isn’t happy with what happened to Álvaro, but I know he will do a solid job for us in Jerez, and we are hoping to arrange a shakedown test beforehand. Álvaro’s comeback timing isn’t clear, and John has BSB commitments that clash with Estoril and Le Mans, so we need to wait a while before any decisions for those races are made.

“Thanks to all Álvaro’s and the team’s well-wishers, we greatly appreciate it and we will do everything we can to recover quickly from this situation.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

New season, new livery. At least a slightly changed one. From afar it might look like not much has changed for Alvaro this year with the team keeping their trademark Rizla blue, but when you get up close… Fortunately for you and us, the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team has published a couple more studio shots of our very favourite smiley Spaniard where you can discover the new darker “metallic blue” tone of his leathers which also feature some cool stripes on the side of the chest and lots of black leather on the back of the legs, in colour and style matching the new livery of the Suzuki GSV-R perfectly.

You can also get another close up look at his shiny new helmet and the re-designed devil logo. The stylish and intricate design of his Shoei helmet has an immediate appeal to it and is a big change from last year’s version in bright blue-yellow-pink. In combination with the new leathers Bati’s livery for this year looks quite a bit darker than last season, but in a good way. In any case it’s a cool and grown-up design to attack his second year in the MotoGP class with.

You can download these photos and the rest of the photoshoot in high-resolution from the Rizla Suzuki official website here.