Alvaro Bautista Column, Mugello: Happy and frustrated
As is custom every Tuesday after a race weekend, Alvaro Bautista again wrote his column for AS, this time about the Italian Grand Prix. This is the complete translation of his latest column.
Very tired after the post-race test, I write about the race in Mugello. I started well and I did my best laps in MotoGP, but the front tyre gave me trouble. A pity! Heroes Lorenzo, Marquez, Terol and Maverick. A little rest… and Germany.
Greetings Azzurri. Ciao belli! Hi everyone, I am writing from Tuscany in Italy, because we had a test after the Grand Prix. I tried a lot of things and I think we have something positive for the following races, but now I’m dead. Before I start, I have to say how much the Mugello circuit improved, they re-paved it and now there are no bumps, before it looked like a motocross track.
Rain Subscription. Do you know of a place with a drought? Because once you do a MotoGP race there it’ll be solved. Again we had rain during the weekend and it slowed down the setup work. Even in the qualifying the fastest laps were done in the first few minutes because it started raining. This has caught me out, as you say, and I was far behind for the race although I was always in the top ten during the free practice sessions. And that was my goal for the race.
Starting well. I did ​​a good start and first laps, I think they were the best since I’m in this category. When I was sixth I wanted to push to see if I could fight for fifth, but as I forced things I realized that I lost the front tyre in the corners and could not go fast there. So I tried to maintain my position and make sure that no one passed me and my goal was to finish, but Valentino came and got in front of the group to push, I followed him as I could, we even opened a gap to the rest of the group. I was on the limit of the tyre, in fact I made marks on my leathers because I put my elbows on the tarmac a couple of times to support me when I almost crashed. Until in one corner, saving another crash, I had to go straight and lost contact with the group.
Contrasting feelings. What a pity! Because if that hadn’t happened I could have finished between sixth and eighth. I’m happy on the one hand because I fought where we should always be, but on the other hand frustrated because again we couldn’t find the best setting for the race and because of that I went off track. I hope to be able to fight more often further up front.
Front tyre. Other riders also had problems with the front tyre. Cal Crutchlow had to retire because he could not ride and I think also to Stoner something similar happened. This was great for Lorenzo though, because he could catch him and win the race. It gets more interesting the championship.
The other categories. Moto2 saw a great race, very exciting and with a lot of fighting, in which again Marquez showed his talent and won the race in a head-to-head battle with the championship leader Bradl. The German has enough of a lead to afford a second place in the race, but he certainly wanted to win. In fact, on the last lap he did the fastest lap of the race and the lap record. In 125cc it’s clear who’s the boss this year. An impressive Terol after missing Assen with injury. He returns a week later and wins, every time he gets closer to the title, but he must still think from race to race. Maverick was also great, again on the podium. And a lot of Spanish riders at the front.
Little rest. And now a mini vacation for a week, although it’s not much of a vacation as I’ll keep up my physical training to be in perfect condition at Sachsenring. Of course a day off won’t hurt, after doing 87 laps in the test I deserve it… And I’m more motivated for the next race, I hope that what we tested in Mugello will help us in Germany, a very slow circuit which I’d compare to a kart track and where most of the curves are left. Have a nice week and I’ll see you shortly. Greetings.
Source: AS.com
