Motourage

Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista is targeting an amazing return to the MotoGP arena at this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, just 42 days after breaking his left femur.

Bautista has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy to make sure he is at a sufficient level of fitness to be able to take to the track on Friday – following a full medical to determine his ability to compete. If he is unable to ride at a competitive level, Rizla Suzuki will have Factory test rider Nobuatsu Aoki on stand-by to take over if he has to withdraw from the event – but Bautista’s clear target is to compete in the Grand Prix.

Rizla Suzuki’s GSV-R will feature a new logo in Estoril – “Change and Challenge” – which is used by Suzuki in the Asian regions to promote its new range of motorcycle products in these markets. Rizla Suzuki hopes to engage with the enthusiasm and passion of all MotoGP fans in these areas and it appreciates all the support of Bautista as he undertakes what is certainly a huge challenge in his comeback from serious injury.

The Estoril circuit is a track of contrasts, where some fast corners in its 13-turn configuration mix with an almost kilometer-long straight and one of the slowest sections of the year. Situated on a rocky outcrop high above the towns of Estoril and Cascais, the circuit is only six kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean and this can give rise to some very changeable weather, a fact that was emphasized in 2010 when torrential rain caused the cancellation of the qualifying session.

Bautista plans to take to the track on Friday morning for the first of two free-practice sessions. Saturday will see a final practice in the morning, followed by an hour-long qualifying session in the afternoon where he aims to be qualifying for the best grid position he can obtain. Sunday’s race is round three of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship and the 28-lap race gets underway at 13.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista:
“I have been working very hard to be back in time for Estoril and I believe I will be able to take part in the race. I know it will be difficult, but I think the sooner I can get on the bike the more it will aid my total recovery and help my way to full fitness. I have travelled over 4,500km with many journeys to the hyperbaric chamber in Madrid to assist with my healing – I have been there so many times I could close my eyes and go without problems! I have now finished the rehabilitation phase and started on the physical preparation; this involves a lot of swimming, cycling and other fitness programs to build up the strength so I can ride again. It is going to be really tough, but I am totally focused on being on the GSV-R in Portugal, it’s all I can think about at the moment and that is my first goal. After that we’ll see what happens and take everything one step at a time.”

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

Alvaro Bautista's motorcycle sat in a vacant garage during today's qualifying sessions

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 Alvaro’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 tire – 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 Alvaro 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 2am 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 Alvaro, but I know he will do a solid job for us in Jerez and we are hoping to arrange a shakedown test beforehand. Alvaro’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 Alvaro’s and the team’s well-wishers; we greatly appreciate it and we will do everything we can to recover quickly from this situation.”

The 2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R today makes its worldwide premiere in its new livery.

The machine, which Alvaro Bautista will be riding in this season’s MotoGP World Championship, is the final generation of the 800cc GSV-R four-stroke prototype, due to the change in capacity limit to 1000cc next season. The latest – and most technologically advanced version of Suzuki’s MotoGP challenger -features an engine that has improved on its horsepower, drivability and durability through many detailed development changes throughout winter and preseason testing. It also features improved acceleration characteristics – especially out of slower corners – to assist Bautista in his challenge for MotoGP glory.

To complement the upgraded engine specifications, Suzuki has also improved the chassis performance by significant developments to the stiffness balance of frame and swing-arm and has optimized the weight-balance geometries from last season’s machine: These updates to the chassis have been paired with the most-advanced ECU software ever used on a Suzuki Grand Prix machine to give Bautista more precise traction and wheelie-control without losing direct machine control or power; adding to the versatility of the GSV-R in all conditions.

The 2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R also features revised Troy Lee Designs-inspired livery; incorporating a new, contemporary and dynamic Rizla logo that will be launched by the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team.

The 2011 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R will make its official debut during this weekend’s final pre-season test at Qatar, before making its racing debut – also at Qatar – on Sunday, March 20.
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Rizla Suzuki is on the way to Losail in Qatar this week for the final MotoGP preseason test.

Alvaro Bautista is Suzuki's sole MotoGP rider for 2011

Alvaro Bautista has made big steps during the first two tests of the season – both held at Sepang in Malaysia – and is hoping to continue the good work at a circuit that will stage the opening round of the MotoGP season. The cooler evening temperatures at Qatar – the tests will take place between 18.00hrs and 23.00hrs local time on Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14 – will give the Suzuki engineers the chance to assess the improvements that have been made to the GSV-R to help it perform in all conditions.

Bautista will be joined at the test by former Rizla Suzuki star John Hopkins. The Anglo-American racer finished fourth in the 2007 MotoGP World Championship with Suzuki. He has recently joined the Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki team in British Superbikes in an aim to rebuild his career following surgery to his wrist to enable him to keep riding. Hopkins will assist Rizla Suzuki with some PR filming planned for the test weekend and will be watching the progress of the 2011 Suzuki GSV-R around the 5.380m Losail circuit with interest.

With Qatar being the only floodlit track on the calendar, this week’s test will give all the riders a clear indication of what to expect when they return there next weekend for the first race of the MotoGP season on Sunday, March 20 – also under floodlights.

Alvaro Bautista:
“After the two good tests at Sepang we have a better idea about the bike and a good setting to start with at Qatar. This final test will be very important for us, as it will be the last time we can make some more improvements to the GSV-R before the first race. I am really looking forward to racing again and that can’t come soon enough for me. The team has worked very well in the pre-season and we need to carry this on and into the rest of the year.”

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista started the first test of 2011 in a positive style as he posted the sixth fastest time of the day at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

Bautista (P6, 2’02.422, 65 laps) began the day by getting his feel and rhythm back on the Suzuki GSV-R, after the winter long test ban. He was soon on the pace and quickly got into the intense test schedule that the team has planned for the three-day test. The Spaniard was able to run Suzuki’s latest specification engine, as well as a new chassis and some back-to-back runs on the 2011 Ohlins front forks. The team was able to complete a full day of testing, as the usual afternoon rain that is regularly experienced at Sepang never materialized. Honda’s Casey Stoner recorded the fastest time of the day.

Rizla Suzuki will be back on track tomorrow and Thursday for the remainder of this three-day test, with a comprehensive range of new and updated parts still to be evaluated.

Álvaro Bautista:
“Well, it’s been a long time since Valencia and on my first laps I thought Suzuki made a mistake and fitted a 1000cc engine in the bike, it feels so fast after a long break! But, after some easy laps, I began to get my rhythm and to ride comfortably. We did some interesting testing, but to be honest the main thing today was just for me to get back to a normal level, and in the end the bike felt nice and we went quite quick, so I’m happy. I hope the weather stays dry, we have a big list of stuff to test and I know the guys will be working late tonight to prepare everything for tomorrow – thanks to them and I am looking forward to continuing our work.”

MotoGP Official Test Sepang Day One:
1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 2’01.574: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.403: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.450: 4. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +0.721:5. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.758: 6. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.848:

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista made a fleeting visit to the UK this week as he attended the Carole Nash Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham. Bautista was the special guest on Tuesday at the UK’s premier motorcycle show, which is being held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. During his one-day visit, Bautista visited Suzuki’s stand to sign autographs and chat with fans and staff about life in MotoGP. The Spaniard was then guest of honor at the Riders for Health booth where he announced that he would be joining MotoGP’s official charity for a fund-raising bike ride in Zambia in November 2011, to raise money to save lives in Africa. Bautista will be joined on this unique motorcycle journey by former Suzuki Grand Prix star Randy Mamola, who is a co-founder of the charity.

Bautista spent the day meeting and greeting more fans around the show, before taking part in a fun quiz on the show’s main stage. A ‘Question of Bikes’ was hosted by BBC TV’s Steve Parrish and Bautista was joined onstage by former Suzuki BSB rider Tommy Hill and British Supersport Champion Sam Lowes. The three went head-to-head in a well-fought battle against WSBK rider Sylvain Guintoli, BSB star Michael Laverty, actor Danny John Jules and speedway legend Barry Briggs, with the game finally ending in a well-deserved draw.

Bautista will next be in action at Sepang in Malaysia in early February for the first test of 2011. The start of the MotoGP season is scheduled for Sunday 20th March at Losail in Qatar.

Álvaro Bautista:
“I really enjoyed the show and it was great to see so many people having a good time in and around motorcycles. The quiz was fun – even if I didn’t really know what was happening all the time – and it’s always great to meet the fans. It’s been a good opportunity to spend some time having photos taken with the visitors to the show and to do some autograph sessions. It’s a fantastic event with so much to see and do, I’d like to come back as a visitor, but can it be when it’s warmer next time – I’m not too keen on snow and frost.”

Finlay McAllan – Managing Director of Event organizers, MCI Exhibitions:
“It was another brilliant day for us at Motorcycle Live and to have another one of the biggest names from the racing world come along to add their support was fantastic. Álvaro was a great sport and a brilliant ambassador for Rizla Suzuki and MotoGP; he certainly entered into the spirit of things and made many new fans in the UK. He seemed to really enjoy the ‘Question of Bikes’ quiz that we arranged on the show’s main stage and added greatly to overall feel of the event. We are very grateful to him for flying in from Madrid just for us and he is welcome back at any time.”


Rizla Suzuki still has a lot of work to do in tomorrow’s final free practice session of the year after a challenging day today left them at the wrong end of the timesheets.

Loris Capirossi (P15, 1’34.248, 40 laps) couldn’t find the grip levels for his Suzuki GSV-R at Valencia today, despite trying both compounds of tyres to get the best performance from his machine. He will certainly be looking to improve considerably tomorrow to make sure he is in the best position for Sunday’s race.

Alvaro Bautista

Álvaro Bautista (P16, 1’34.296, 45 laps) was the hardest working rider out on the 4,005m track this afternoon as he completed 25 laps trying to get the optimum performance from his bike. He made a number of changes to the set-up of his GSV-R today and now has a clearer direction in which way to go tomorrow.

Today’s air temperatures just made it up to 20°C during this afternoon’s session, with track surface temperatures only getting to 26°C. The fastest time of the day was set by World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Tomorrow will see the last practice and qualifying sessions of the season as the riders make their final preparations for Sunday’s 30-lap Grand Prix, which will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:
“It has been quite difficult for us today because the conditions have been a bit colder than we expected. Like most times this season the day before first practice has been lovely, but then on the first day the temperature has dropped. We are struggling to get a good and constant feeling from the tyres, even though we tried both compounds. We have to try and discover something for tomorrow, the whole team is working hard to find a solution, but it is not easy. When it’s not that warm we have struggled to get the grip and that is how it has been today, so hopefully it will warm up for us tomorrow.”

Álvaro Bautista:
“This morning we tested different frame settings in the two bikes and I chose just one of them to continue with this afternoon. We tried a new spec with that setting, but the feeling was a little bit worse than this morning because I just couldn’t get the exit from the corners I was looking for with the softer tyres. It was a used tyre and had done more than 30-laps, so we tried a new harder compound in the front and rear, but the feeling stayed the same. Tomorrow morning we will do the same setting from this morning, but with a few changes and we will see if we can improve – I certainly hope that we do.”

GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana Free Practice Classification:
1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’32.690
2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.207
3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.776
4. Marco Simoncelli +0.778 (Honda)
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.780
15. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.558
16. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1’34.296

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista had a hard-fought 10th position snatched from his grasp in the final few meters of yesterday’s MotoGP Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

The Spaniard got a good start from 14th on the grid and was up into 11th by the end of lap one. As the race progressed – and the field started to spread out – Bautista found himself riding a lonely race, but never gave up the pursuit of Mika Kallio, who had pulled a gap in front of him. Bautista caught the Finnish rider on lap 24, but found himself under pressure from behind by Randy de Puniet. On the final lap, de Puniet got in front of Bautista, but Suzuki’s Spanish star fought back to lead the three riders on to the final straight. As the drag for the line developed, both de Puniet and Kallio drafted past Bautista, leaving the Suzuki man in 12th position, just 0.097 seconds from a thoroughly deserved 10th place.

Bautista was Rizla Suzuki’s lone representative following the withdrawal of Loris Capirossi on medical advice. The Italian injured his left adductor muscle in a big crash during Saturday’s qualifying session and was deemed unfit to ride in Sunday’s race. Capirossi returned to Europe to receive further treatment and make sure the he has every chance of being fully fit for the next round.

Sunday’s race was held in bright sunshine as the conditions finally improved after some awful weather at the Australian circuit this year. A crowd of 41,537 fans at trackside witnessed a commanding victory by home favorite Casey Stoner, as he took his fourth successive MotoGP win at the Phillip Island circuit, with a flag-to-flag victory from pole position.

Rizla Suzuki will now return to Europe for the final two races of the season in Portugal and Spain respectively. The first of this double-header will take place at Estoril on Sunday, October 31, with the final race of the season at Valencia the following weekend.

Álvaro Bautista:
“I knew that today would be a difficult race and I would really have to ride at my maximum to get anything from it. I got a good start and felt good into the first corner, I was able to overtake other riders but I didn’t really have a good enough rhythm straight away and lost some positions and time. At the end of the race I was in a great battle with de Puniet and Kallio and we fought hard with each other in the last laps. On the last lap I passed de Puniet on the outside of turn seven and I got into 10th. On the last corner I tried to close the inside line so they couldn’t get past me and as I was about 40 meters from the finish line I felt the bike lose a bit of power and speed and I lost two places. I don’t know if the bike had a problem or not, but today I felt like I finished 10th, but the bike was 12th. It is not a good result compared to the last races, but here we knew that it would be a difficult weekend. I would liked to have finished in the top 10 because that result for Suzuki here would have been a very good one, but at the end – because of the bike – I could not finish there. We now have to work very hard in the next two races and I can’t wait to get to Portugal and get riding again to forget the result here.”

Tom O’Kane, Crew Chief:
“In my opinion, Álvaro rode to a top-10 finish today at a racetrack that we really struggle at. The fact that he got passed on the line wasn’t his fault and he’s done an incredible job over the weekend – in really difficult circumstances and conditions. I think my opinion of him has gone up more this weekend than it did after his fifth place in Malaysia and I’m sure he’ll bounce right back from today and be pushing hard when we get to Portugal.”

Rizla Suzuki heads over the equator for the single MotoGP event held in the southern hemisphere, as the team travels to Phillip Island in Australia this weekend.

Alvaro Bautista has had his share of top-10 finishes this season

This Grand Prix will bring to an end a grueling run of three back-to-back races around the Pacific Ocean, which has seen Álvaro Bautista record fifth and seventh place finishes in Malaysia and Japan respectively. He is high on confidence after last weekend’s fine ride in Sepang and is looking to continue from where he left off when he takes to the track in Australia on Friday. Bautista has good form at Phillip Island after winning there in 2006 on his way to the 125cc world title and also taking two second places in the 250cc category.

Loris Capirossi will go to Phillip Island still in some discomfort from the right foot that he injured in Malaysia during a huge crash on Saturday. He is still receiving treatment for the injury and will continue to do so right up until race day. He is in a determined mood to put the disappointments of the last two Grands Prix behind him and finish the trip on a positive note.

The Phillip Island circuit is located about 130km (82miles) SE of Melbourne, and the track is so far south that the cold winds that blow over the exposed venue from the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean often bring heavy rain and even wintry showers. Track temperatures are also quite low at Phillip Island, and due to the long corners that are entered at speed, it is regarded as the track on the calendar which is hardest on tires. This doesn’t give the whole story of the circuit though, because it’s position right beside the Pacific Ocean and its mix of fast corners, changes of elevation and a 900m straight that gives the riders the perception they are heading out to sea, makes this one of the most spectacular and beautiful circuits on the MotoGP calendar.

Rizla Suzuki takes to the 4,448m track on Friday afternoon for the first of its two free practice sessions, the second being held on Saturday morning. Qualifying will take place on Saturday afternoon with all riders battling for the best grid position to start Sunday’s 27-lap race, which gets underway at 4pm local time (5am GMT).

Álvaro Bautista:
“I’m looking forward to going to Australia, it is a track I like a lot and after the last few races we are going there with a lot of confidence. I have never ridden a MotoGP bike at Phillip Island so that will be a whole new experience for me and it has some very fast corners so I will need to learn my braking points and get my references very quickly. I think that we can do well there, because the bike is going well and we have some good developments that should make the Suzuki GSV-R work a lot better around the track.”

Loris Capirossi:
“I am still in some pain from my foot, but most of the bruising has come out now and I feel like I can move about a bit easier, so when we get to Australia it should be a lot better. It is good we have a race so quickly after what happened in Malaysia because we need to get over that disappointment straight away. I want to go back from this trip with a good result to help us towards the last races of the year. Australia is always tough for us, but I am sure we can do something there this year.”

Rizla Suzuki riders Alvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi had very different ends to yesterday’s MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi as one took a fine seventh position, while the other was forced to retire.

Bautista was boxed in on the first corner and relegated to 12th place at the end of the first lap, from ninth on the grid. He then set about making his way through the field and just after half distance he had caught and passed Marco Melandri for eighth. The next rider in Bautista’s sight was team mate Capirossi and as he chased him down for what was looking to be an exciting intra-team battle in the closing stages, Capirossi visibly slowed and went into the gravel on lap 22. As Bautista benefited from Capirossi’s misfortune and moved into seventh, he tried to make up the distance to the top six, and although he ended the race with top-five-position lap times, he was unable to close down on Marco Simoncelli with the few laps that were remaining.

Capirossi had had an impressive race and was still in with a strong chance of a top-five position, until his forced retirement. He made an impressive start and settled into a good rhythm in seventh place, fighting with Colin Edwards and Simoncelli for fifth. Capirossi looked in with a good chance of attacking the pair in the last few laps, but an electrical issue caused him to lose power and slow dramatically, before his bike finally stopped altogether due to a fail-safe measure as he went into a corner, causing him to run into the gravel. Capirossi was unable to re-start his machine and forced to retire. He was very disappointed to leave Motegi empty handed after what had been a very positive weekend for him.

Today’s race was held in warm, but overcast conditions and was watched at trackside by just over 40,000 very colorful and exuberant fans. Ducati’s Casey Stoner took his second consecutive win, with World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo in fourth.

Rizla Suzuki now travels immediately to Malaysia for the next round of the season, which will be held next Sunday at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur.

Alvaro Bautista:
“It was not a good, but also not a bad result. We improved on our position from the last few races, but I had a problem in the first few laps with the rear tire because it was just not getting enough temperature in it and this made it difficult to follow the others riders. After three or four laps I got back into my rhythm and saw that I could keep a similar distance and time to the front group, but the gap was too big and I wasn’t able to catch them. I am happy with the result and the whole team has worked very hard all weekend, but we need to improve on what happened in the first few laps, because in this category those laps are very important. I hope that in Malaysia we can make steps with this and we’ll try to be in the position that I think we should be – which at the moment is in the top six.”

Loris Capirossi:
“Overall the weekend has been quite positive and we have been in a good position all the time – apart from right at the end of today! I started well and got into a good rhythm behind Marco and Colin, at some points on the track I would lose time on them, but in other places I would make a lot of time on them. Then five or six laps from the end the bike started to slow down a bit. I don’t know what happened, but then it started to go OK again and then with a couple of laps to go it completely stopped. I am very sorry for the whole team, but it seems the luck is just not with me this season – we will still try to finish the season in the best way that we can.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“The whole team is very disappointed for Loris. He rode with a lot of pain all weekend, he showed a consistently-good pace and without the failure then sixth position was very possible. He can take some positives from this weekend, the bike package worked well and he loves Sepang, so hopefully next weekend he can go for his best result of the season.
“It was nice to see Alvaro go one better than the last three Grands Prix, again it involved a big fight after being a long way back after the first couple of laps and we could make his life a lot easier with better initial performance from the GSV-R in the early stages. He’s been riding well and consistently, his level is increasing step by step and we’re excited about his potential for the remainder of the season.”

Grand Prix of Japan Race Classification:
1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 42’12.266: 2. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +3.868: 3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +5.707: 4. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +6.221: 5. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +27.092. 7. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +31.826. DNF. Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP).

World Championship Classification:
1. Lorenzo 297: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 228: 3. Stoner 180: 4. Dovizioso 159: 5. Rossi 159. 13. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 58. 15. Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 41.