Originally written in German by Maximilian Kroiss and translated very poorly by Dave

Spain’s Alvaro Bautista is convinced his move to the 800cc class came at the right time.

Since Suzuki has no satellite squads, Alvaro Bautista will start immediately with a factory ride in MotoGP

After three less-than-successful attempts at a 250cc world title, 2006 125cc champion Alvaro Bautista is making his move to MotoGP’s Rizla Suzuki factory team. Before the season starts; however, the 25-year-old, eight-time 250cc race winner and his MotoGP classmates head to the highly anticipated pre-season test at Sepang.

“The 2009 season was extremely difficult for me,” said the new Suzuki factory rider. “I was pretty confident at the start of the season.  Positive results came right away, and I felt very comfortable with my machine. But the crash at Assen cost us important points, and I was unable to come back as a result.”

As the season progressed, Bautista found himself faltering in practice and qualifying as well as during the races. “In some races, I had to risk even more [to get to the front] because the other riders had qualified so well.”  For the last four grands prix, Bautista mounted a final attack.  ”When we arrived in Portugal in early October after the long break, I prepared myself to go on the offensive,” says the young man from Talavera de la Reina, near the Spanish capital of Madrid.

“I did very well in Estoril, Sepang and Phillip Island – races where I like the circuits very much – but the technical malfunction in Portugal probably thwarted my last chance to win the title,” continues Bautista. “I was very annoyed because I was very fast the entire weekend in Estoril.  After that race, there was only one option for me: I would have to win all remaining races. But in the next race I wanted too much. After the slip in Australia, I still finished tenth, but by the Sepang race, I knew my season was over. The 2009 season was very strange for me! ”

In both of the past two seasons, Bautista finished second in the points standings, first to Marco Simoncelli in 2008 and then to Hiroshi Aoyama last year.  ”Even at the start of the 2008 season, I was fixated on winning the championship,” he says “Although the opening few races of the season went disastrously [with a series of crashes and mechanical failures], in the closing races, I stood on the podium.” (Alvaro’s podium streak lasted from Catalunya to Malaysia, but he was already too far back in the points race to catch Simoncelli).

“In 2009, we thought if we approach the season calmly and regularly finish near the top, nothing should really go wrong. But at mid-season, the conditions had changed. Sometimes it was really hard for us to fight for the win, since we had come with the bike noticeably in trouble and I lacked the confidence I had at the beginning of the season. I also lacked confidence in the bike, especially since we were having problems getting it set up correctly. ”

The reasons for the set-up problems, Bautista believes, were the constant changes within his mechanical crew. “Every year in the 250cc class, I had a different crew,” he said.  ”In 2007, I worked with my team from previous years, but before the 2008 season my team was completely changed and again at the beginning of last season. It’s not necessary to have every team member back again, but it takes some time before everything begins to come together. ”

Bautista became accustomed to the Suzuki during testing at Estoril

Bautista is full of emotional turns, but he quickly cheers up when asked about his first impressions with the factory Suzuki GSV-R after the tests last November in Valencia and Estoril. “I am very happy about my move to MotoGP.  It’s exactly the right time for me. Riding the current generation of MotoGP machine is comparatively easier than the 250cc. At first go I had a good feel for the machine. Also, turning into the corners is much easier than with a 250 motorcycle. ”

The Iberian is most impressed with the bike’s traction control. “Even in the 250s, we had electronic riding aids. But, compared to MotoGP, that system offered little help. When you rolled the throttle, the bike would slide wildly. The MotoGP bike almost runs by itself; it’s just unbelievable: Twist the throttle and ‘wrrrrrr,’ the bike takes full control on the exit! ”

If you have any corrections or comments about my translation capabilities (that means you, David Emmett), please include them in the Comments section. Thanks.

Tacoma, Washington’s Jake Holden has been an AMA pro racer for ten years.  He’s raced for Michael Jordan Motorsports and Corona Honda in the SuperStock and Superbike classes, and is an extremely capable Supermoto rider as well.  This past weekend, Jake added another impressive finish to his racing resume. As a privateer competitor, he raced at the Phillip Island round of the Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Championship. Riding a privateer Honda CBR1000, Jake finished fourth overall and first in the Privateer Cup riding a track he had never visited until last week.  Motourage caught up with Jake after he returned from his trip, and asked him a few questions about racing and life in general.

Jake Holden talks racing at the Corona Honda meet & greet during the Big Kahuna Nationals weekend at Virginia International Raceway

M: Pretty impressive showing at Phillip Island.  What was it like trying to quickly adjust to a track you’ve never seen, much less raced on?
JH: Phillip Island is on one of my Video games, so I tried to do some laps on the video game before I went over, and it did help me a little bit.  But, when you’re actually going 180mph on the track everything changes.

M: How did the atmosphere at the track and in the paddock differ from what we see here in the States?
JH: In the pits over there it was run pretty close to what AMA does when they run here with MotoGP.  [The ASBK guys] get pushed to the back of the pits and run on a limited time frame due to MotoGP, but I thought everything ran really smooth.

M: Do the fans in Australia know as little about American road racing as most of the U.S. fans know about the ASBK, or did you find you had your fair share of followers over there?
JH: Yeah, I had never really followed the ASBK series until I was getting ready to fly over.  I did a little homework to find out who I was racing against – I had recognized some of the names, but only like two.  I got over there and not one person on the team knew who I was, so I didn’t feel a lot of pressure.

M: In the past year, we’ve seen an increase in the number of AMA riders who are expanding their racing horizons – everything from WSBK and MotoGP wild card rides to full-time WSBK and – now – Moto2 contracts. Do you think AMA competitors are getting more respect than you’ve had in the few years prior?
JH: Ben Spies has shown that the AMA racers can go overseas and ride, which is pretty cool. So yeah I think we are getting a little more respect.

M: It has been a few months since we last caught up with you during the Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR.  Overall, what are your thoughts on the 2009 season in general, and specifically, your performance and the effects of the changes in the AMA rules?
JH: My 2009 season performance was ok for me, but I was on my own personal bike that I paid for and I only had one bike – if I had crashed it I had to pay to fix it.  I funded my season by myself so it was a tough year, but I did have a couple of good finishes, and I do have the track record at the new track in Topeka.  The rule changes made for better racing; I don’t mind the changes for the Superbike class, but I hope that they don’t push the factory teams out of racing.

Jake finished 10th in the AMA Pro Superbike standings in 09 despite minimal financial backing from Honda and Corona Racing

M: Besides racing in Australia, what have you been up to since the end of the AMA season?
JH: Not much just getting ready to do a supermoto and shifter kart trip down to Louisiana and Arizona, so I’m looking forward to leaving Washington.  It’s too cold up here!

M: We know you’re an avid supermoto rider, but what else do you do to stay focused on racing and keep in shape when you’re not racing superbikes?
JH: I’ve been into bicycling, so I keep up with that, and I plan on training down in Arizona over the winter, so it should be good for next year.  I’m ready to come back stronger than ever.

M: Last month, Honda announced it was removing all support for AMA Pro Road Racing for 2010, but you’re no stranger to doing things on your own and getting some pretty good results from your efforts.  Can you give us the inside scoop on any details about what’s in the works for next year?
JH: Yeah, I saw that Honda pulled out, but there are still a lot of teams up in the air for next year.  I haven’t heard much for next year as far as rides or teams signing racers, so it will be a silly season for sure.

M: One of Motourage’s goals is to help bring more fans into the sport of American motorcycle racing.  In your opinion, what sets racing apart from other sports in the ways that it’s more accessible to fans?
JH: My dad is a huge sports fan – like basketball, baseball and football – and I could care less about those sports, so I told him that all those sports only use one ball and to do my sport you need two.  But really why is NASCAR bigger than motorcycle racing?  It’s because everybody has a car in the United States but not everybody has motorcycles.  I believe that is why Europe is different.  I’m sure outside-industry sponsorship would help too, so in order for that we would need better TV time for racing.  DMG – which is a part of NASCAR – owns our series now, so why can’t we get a race or do a demonstration for the NASCAR fans?  I think something like that would grab the attention of more racing fans.  That’s just an idea from a motorcycle racer; I’m sure there are a lot of smart people out there who could come up with a better idea.  I just hope I can race in 2010 without going broke.

Much thanks to Jake for taking the time to answer a few questions for us.  The team at Motourage and all his fans in the U.S. – and around the world – wish him the best of luck in 2010 and beyond.

Melissa Paris

Motourage presents our exclusive interview with AMA Pro Road Racing’s Melissa Paris. The Daytona Sportbike competitor dished about the good, the bad and the ugly on racing, crashing, life and the origin of her lucky number 13.

Race two proved to be even more ominous, not only for Melissa, but for many Sportbike competitors. Immediately following the start, something went horribly wrong for a group rounding out of turn one on that first lap. A couple of riders didn’t quite make the turn. When Melissa’s attempt to split two of the riders and avoid the wreck failed, she hit the brakes and tried to stop her 300 pounds of bike before it rammed into the fallen riders. Unfortunately, she took a direct hit to the leg from another oncoming bike, breaking both her tibia and fibula. Rumor was, you could hear her shouting expletives of pain for miles around. Turn one was too far for us to see what was going on, so we waited with fear and anticipation as we watched the ambulances, firetrucks and other rescue vehicles make the run back and forth to turn one. By the time we heard Melissa had a broken leg, I think we were all just thankful it wasn’t worse. Looking back at race two, only 38 of the original 46 entries made it to the grid. Out of the 38 that started, only 23 finished. Five of the DNFs were due to the crash on the first lap. It certainly proved to be a miserable weekend for Melissa and many other riders.

Melissa gets a ride from Josh

In happier news, we were able to catch Melissa while she was house-ridden with her broken leg (that only lasted a few days). She’s already back up-and-at-em and planning to rally for her 250 GP race, less than two weeks away.  She’s just a few points away from leading the Eastern and National USGPRU 250 divisions – we wish her luck and a speedy recovery!

Motourage: You compete in a variety of series, including AMA, WERA and USGPRU. Which series do you find the most challenging and which are the series you compete in for fun or to gain practice time?

Melissa: I do compete in a lot of different series! A big part of that is because I still have so much to learn, that I try to take advantage of any chance to ride. Obviously, the field in AMA is so deep… there are so many really fast people out there, that I always learn a lot, and it seems like I always take big steps at those event. But club racing with CCS and WERA is challenging too, probably because I expect a lot more out of myself. USGPRU… well, that’s so much fun, because I LOVE riding my 250 but I put a lot of pressure on myself at those races, because I know I’m capable of winning!! I’m six points out of the 250GP championship right now, so I’ll be trying to race at our next round despite the broken leg. I want that championship more than you can even imagine.

Meli playing in the dirt

Motourage: What’s in your garage? Based on all the divisions you’ve raced in, just in 2009, there are quite a diverse set of bikes involved. What bikes would we find if we peeked in your garage and if you’re racing others on occasion, where do those come from?

Melissa: Sadly, you wouldn’t find many roadrace bike in my garage!!! My R6’s and 250 stay on our truck on the road most of the time. Between Josh and I, our garage is packed with Yamaha motocross bikes though! I really love riding my 250 motocrosser SO much. It’s the most fun way to train for roadracing definitely. We also have a ton of bicycles (road, mountain, bmx) skateboards and a LOT of other fun stuff.

Motourage: You’ve mentioned you like to ride motocross for fun. Have you competed in motocross?

Melissa: I’ve done 2 motocross races I think… The first time I actually crashed and separated my shoulder, which sucked. The second time went a little better.. I won the girls class and I think I got second in the beginner class. It was so weird to me that they had a woman’s class… there are a lot more girls doing that than roadracing right now. And there are some STUPID fast girls racing mx too. So impressive!

Motourage: Over your lifetime, you’ve been involved in so many different sports; baseball, track, swimming, BMX and now motorsports. Looking back on your experiences, which do you think help prepare you most for your professional race career; either athletically or mentally?

Melissa: My parents always encouraged me to be involved in sports. I’m REALLY glad that I got try so many different things. I think my parents understood that you need to try to find your “thing.” For me, as a kid, that was baseball. I have four older brothers, but the one closest to me, Chris, used to practice with me for hours…  and I remember him practicing at BMX for hours as well. I think he taught me a lot about what it means to be dedicated and work hard at something!

Melissa's red hot number 13 Yamaha

Motourage: Looking at your race schedule, I wonder how you find time for anything else! What does a normal week look like for you, in terms of practices, workouts and racing?

Melissa: A normal week? Haha.. what’s that? I’m just off of a seven week straight run of racing where I didn’t get to come home at all. I loved it. Usually though, when we are at home, we try to either ride bicycles or motocross every day. It’s really rare that we don’t do anything at all. Chaz Davies stays with us right now, so its really good because when one of us is feeling unmotivated, there is always someone else to prod you along.

Motourage: After leaving SDSU, it appears you moved directly into the world of motorcycle racing. Did you have any other regular jobs before taking on motorsport?

Melissa: While I was going to school I was working full time in the accounting field (I have a degree in accounting). I started racing my third year of school, so I was REALLY busy; working, school, racing. When I graduated I took a really great job offer, but after a day I knew something wasn’t right. I remember calling my Dad and telling, him, “this isn’t me Dad.. I want to race.” He was so supportive. He told me to move home with him, while I figured out how I was going to get a job that would pay for me to race… then josh and I got engaged, haha!

Motourage: If you had not started a career in racing, what would have been your profession of choice and why?

Melissa: Its so hard to say. Even though I had a degree in accounting, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. Knowing what I know now, I think I’d prefer a job where I felt like I impacted people’s lives more. Doctors, nurses, teachers.. those are real heroes…  I tell Josh that after all I’ve learned about training and fitness I’d like to be trainer when I’m done racing. I think so many people have the wrong idea about what it takes to be fit!

Melissa and Josh at VIR

Motourage: Everyone probably knows you’re married to AMA Superbike rider Josh Hayes. Rumors are that you routinely give him a run for his money on practice days. Is this true?

Melissa: It depends what we’re practicing at! If we’re in go-karts.. yeah I might have a chance… I don’t think I’ll ever touch him on a mx bike.. He’s an animal. Swimming and roadracing, he doesn’t have a chance! I’m sure most would laugh, but I sure do PLAN on beating him on a road race bike one of these days!

Motourage: With the volume of travel required for your job I imagine finding time together as a couple can be difficult. What are some of your favorite things to do together as a couple?

Melissa: It is nearly impossible! Honestly, we really enjoy training together.. also, going to the beach is good!

Motourage: You describe yourself as a potential beach bum. You’ve lived and traveled all over – what’s your favorite beach area?

Melissa: Sadly, I haven’t gotten to see too many different beaches… But even so, I think I love my beach right here in Oceanside pretty well. My favorite frozen yogurt place, Red Cup, is right here, there’s a cool pier, and lots of really cool, laid back people.

Motourage: Being of a competitive nature as you are, I imagine one of the worst things for you is not being able to finish a race. What thoughts go through your head in those situation?

Melissa: I probably shouldn’t repeat what goes through my head… I can’t deny that I’m very emotional. I put everything I have into racing, so when I have a mechanical or crash or whatever, it just burns me up inside. It’s indescribable.

Xray on left, recovery riding on right!

Motourage: One of those situations happened recently in Virginia, when you rolled away with a broken leg. Everyone wants to know how you’ve been getting along since that pile up at VIR and when you expect to be back in the saddle?

Melissa: Yeah, that wasn’t too fun. I broke my tibia and fibula. I flew straight back to CA and Dr. Ting put a rod in it. The first week was no fun at all, but its starting to get better bit by bit. I’m trying to do my PT and work really hard, because I am in the 250 championship still. I need to be able to ride in 13 days if I’m going to try to make it  happen… It’s a long shot, but I have to try!

Motourage: You’re a beautiful young woman in a traditionally boys’ sport. I’m sure occasionally people who don’t know who you make a few wrong assumptions and underestimate your ability. Do you have any good stories?

Melissa: You know, for the most part, people are really cool. Within the sport I think people understand that girls aren’t at any disadvantage really. I think when I was just doing track days and stuff.. especially when I would take my 125 to track days I’d have more funny experiences. One time this guy was asking me about my bike and actually called it “cute.” Passing him was enjoyable.

Motourage: Many people might say number 13 is unlucky. How did you decide on your number and why?

Melissa: Even when I was playing other sports when I was little I used 13… If its unlucky for everyone else, its lucky for me!

Motourage: You rode in this year’s Daytona 200 to raise money for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, an organization working extensively on breast cancer research. Is there a personal story or motivation behind your support of the Love Foundation?

Melissa: When I was putting my program together at the beginning of the year, my Dad suggested that I should pick a charity to raise money for. Our sport can be really selfish, the way you have to dedicate yourself to it. That way I can try to contribute too! A girlfriend of mine hooked me up with the Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation who were already involved with the Dr. Susan Love foundation. It just seemed like the perfect fit!

The team at Motourage would like to thank Melissa for taking the time to speak with us.  We wish her a quick recovery and the best of luck throughout her racing career and in life in general.

Didn’t get enough of Melissa? You can find more information online:

• Melissa’s Official Racing Site
• Melissa’s page on AMA Road Racing

We here at Motourage are proud to introduce our new interview series. Here’s where we give riders and fans the chance to sound off and tell us their thoughts about the sport they love.  Since the purpose for creating Motourage is to help foster that love for racing, we’re also asking for advice on how to best spread the word.

Our first Motourage interview is with Sacramento, California’s 11-year-old superfan Riley Hagen.  He hangs out with Valentino Rossi, has his own umbrella girl, and – rumor has it – Yamaha headquarters has his phone number on speed dial.  He’s living the life the rest of us can only dream about.

Vale & Riley

Motourage: OK, so you’re 11 years old, and you’ve probably been to more races than most racing fans. How old where you when you went to your first race?  What race was it?
Riley: I was 8yrs old. It was the AMA race at Sears Point (Infineon).

Motourage: What’s your favorite race out of the ones you’ve attended?
Riley: My favorite was in 2008 I got to go with my parents to the USGP at Laguna Seca. I was invited by Bob Starr (Yamaha US) personally to attend the Yamaha Aquarium party and got to meet Valentino Rossi in two private meetings courtesy of Bob Starr and was able to give Valentino a stuffed turtle that I made at Build-A-Bear for him and then he won the race. I also learned to ride at the Yamaha Learn To Ride event at Laguna and mom and dad bought me my first bike when we got home. TTR-50!! It was Sweet!

Motourage: Other than the actual racing, what’s your favorite part about being at the track?
Riley: Being able to see my friends that are racers like Ben Bostrom, Tommy Aquino, Josh Hayes, Josh Herrin and seeing all my friends that I only get to see once a year at the races.

Motourage: If you could see a race at any track in the world, which one would it be?
Riley: Sachsenring in Germany. I am part German so I would love to see that.

Motourage: Other than you, who’s the biggest race fan in your family?
Riley: My mom is with my dad being a close second even though he has been watching racing longer than my mom (from Wayne Rainey days) my mom is rabid.

Motourage: You’ll always be able to say you were watching when Valentino Rossi took his 100th win, and he has since added one  more.   Only Giacomo Agostini has more wins, with 122. Do you think Valentino will end his career with more wins than Ago?
Riley: Since Valentino is very fast and very slick, he might be able to. I hope so.

Motourage: Nicky Hayden moved to Ducati this year, and he’s shown some serious improvement in his last two races. Do you think he, or anyone else, can tame the Ducati the way Casey Stoner has?
Riley: Maybe not because that thing is a very wild beast. I hope Nicky can tame it soon!

Motourage: We’ve watched Ben Spies race AMA, and now he’s fighting for the World Superbike championship. Do you think he has what it takes to beat Noriyuki Haga this year?
Riley: I think he might be able to because the Yamaha is a great bike and Ben is a talented rider.
Motourage: If he wins the World Superbike title, do you think he’ll move to MotoGP next year?
Riley: Maybe they might bump him up to MotoGP if he continues to do very well.
Motourage: If that were to happen, will you be able to cheer for Ben to beat Valentino Rossi?
Riley: Ummm, Why would you even ask that question? You know Vale is my most favorite racer out there. [Laughs]

Motourage: Motorcycle racing is not as popular in the US as it is in Europe and the rest of the world. What do you think it would take for Americans to get as excited about racing as they do in, say, Spain or Italy?
Riley: I think that more coverage and better TV schedules so we know when it is on.
Motourage: Do you think that will ever happen?
Riley: Probably not because they won’t take advice from a child like me.

Motourage: From what your mom says, you’re a pretty smart kid and you’re very well behaved. Are you planning on becoming a doctor, astronaut or some other respectable profession, or do you think there’s some knee-dragging, throttle-twisting racing in your future?
Riley: I think I might start a band like James Toseland or be one of the guys in the pits.

Motourage: You can’t spend all your time occupied with racing. What else takes up your time?
Riley: Usually I just like to kick back and relax and play computer games or my Wii.

Motourage: Final question: Do you think everyone should have his own umbrella girl?
Riley: Well since I do have an Umbrella Girl (Hi Morgan!), I think that other nice kids should have one too. But only if they are nice and have good manners.

We’d like to thank Riley and his mom, Darlene, for taking some time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about racing. Stay tuned to Motourage.net for our next interview with AMA Pro racer Scott “Scooter” Jenson.