Álvaro Bautista

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Álvaro Bautista
Álvaro Bautista 2008
Nationality	Spanish
Date of birth	November 21, 1984
Place of birth	Talavera de la Reina, Castile-La Mancha

250cc World Championship Record
Current team	Master Mapfre Aspar
Bike number	19
World Championships	1 (2006)
Race starts	91
Race Wins	11
Podium finishes	27
Pole positions	12
Fastest laps	12
Championship Points	787
2008 Championship position	8th (61 pts)

Álvaro Bautista (born 21 November 1984 in Talavera de la Reina, Castile-La Mancha) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who currently competes in the 250cc class of the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship for the Master Mapfre Aspar Aprilia team.

He made his international debut in the 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, also finishing as runner-up in that year's Spanish 125cc championship, and winner of it in 2003. Bautista scored his first podium position and fastest lap at Donington Park in his second full season in 2004. In 2006 he won the 125cc World Championship with eight wins, on the MVA Aspar Aprilia

For the 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season he raced for Aspar in the 250cc class. He took his first 250cc victory at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on June 3rd, also claiming his maiden 250cc pole position that weekend [1]. A second 250cc victory came at the Estoril on September 16th, in the Portuguese Grand Prix, where - having started from sixth on the grid he dropped to twelfth during the first lap to carve his way through the field and eventually take an easy win. He finally ended the 2007 season fourth overall in the Championship, and was subsequently awarded the MotoGP / FIM "Rookie of the Year" Award for the 250cc class.

Expected to be the 250cc title favorite in 2008 he only finished 6th in the first race at Qatar and at Jerez he looked set to win before Marco Simoncelli hit his bike on the final lap [2], subsequently handing championship leader Mika Kallio the win. However, Bautista took his first win of the season at Estoril before he crashed out of the lead in China [3] and Italy, only finishing 14th in Le Mans. In Bautista's home race at the Catalunya circuit he dominated the qualifying sessions, took his third pole position of the season and lead the race from the start, but an error while switching gears in the last lap gave Marco Simoncelli the chance to pass him and left him unable to fight back before the finish line. This second place still leaves Bautista on 8th position in the championship with 61 points, 45 points behind leader Mika Kallio.

[edit] Grand Prix motorcycle racing career

(Last update: 8th June 2008)

Season	Class	Moto	Races	Win	Podiums	Pole	Pts	Position
2002	125cc	Aprilia	3	0	0	0	0	-
2003	125cc	Aprilia	16	0	0	0	31	20th
2004	125cc	Aprilia	16	0	4	0	129	7th
2005	125cc	Honda	16	0	0	0	47	15th
2006	125cc	Aprilia	16	8	14	8	338	1st
2007	250cc	Aprilia	17	2	7	1	181	4th
2008	250cc	Aprilia	7	1	2	3	61	(8th)
Total			91	11	27	12	787