Álvaro Bautista starts strong at Misano

Spaniard Álvaro Bautista finished seventh on the first day of practice at Misano. Despite blowing an engine, he was pleased with the improvements that Suzuki has made to his bike.

By David Gómez3 September 2011 · 2 min read

The Rizla Suzuki rider completed 40 laps in the two free practice sessions held today at the Misano circuit, setting a best time of 1:35.023, which placed him seventh in the combined standings.

The Spaniard spent his time testing his Suzuki GSV-R, which included a new swingarm that gives him better cornering maneuverability on his bike. Tomorrow they will keep developing the setup to find the optimal configuration for Sunday’s race.

Furthermore, ahead of Sunday’s race, we have learned that both the rider and the bike will sport a special livery called “Rizla Micron”, which for now remains a mystery.

After the free practice, Álvaro Bautista declared the following:

I think we did a good job. In the morning we already had the pace of last year’s qualifying, and that is a good foundation for the weekend. The bike feels pretty good, although yesterday I was a bit unwell with my stomach from something I ate, and I haven’t been able to fully enjoy it. Thanks to the guys from Clinica Mobile, who helped me hold up better during the afternoon session.

This afternoon we wanted to try a new swingarm. I started with the standard setup, but after three laps the engine broke and I couldn’t continue with that unit, so I went straight out on the bike with the new swingarm. It gave me good feelings, cornering is easier, and that is precisely what I wanted to improve. I think it’s a step forward and from here we can lower our lap times and set a faster pace.

We’re not far from the front runners, and I’m very happy. Thanks to the team for today’s work, especially for the long journey they endured from Indianapolis.

Team director Paul Denning said:

We can be satisfied with Álvaro’s work and the response of the Suzuki GSV-R. We’ve managed to fine-tune things compared to the Indianapolis weekend; everything we tried has worked.

It’s a pity we lost our first engine of the year, we can’t hide that, and besides, that engine had a lot of kilometers on it, so it wasn’t a big surprise either. We keep working hard to improve tomorrow and above all in qualifying.

Source and photos | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP