BatiFan Blog | The Alvaro Bautista Fan Blog | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Fancy testing your knowledge of MotoGP 2008?
Then go see our special 2008 MegaMoto Quiz over at BatiFans.com, where we’ve set up a nice big quiz to keep you occupied over the Christmas break – 30 questions; 10 for each class -125cc, 250cc and MotoGP.
To actually enter the quiz you need to be a member, but that also brings with it the opportunity of winning some pretty cool Valentino Rossi diecasts, an Avlaro Bautista documentary on DVD, official Bati ‘19′ stickers…
(*And of course, other exclusive downloads and competitions. And the priceless benefit of being a member of the friendliest MotoGP forum there is…)

Go on, go on….

Although a lot of the pictures and videos from the trip to Talavera de la Reina we want to keep special and exclusive to our Forum Members there’s no way I can resist posting up this picture (by stv21 – thanks!) of Alvaro taking delivery of my 2004 NGS Aprilia 125cc conversion (based on Altaya’s Hector Barbera model, re-worked with my own designed decals). He got a real kick out of it, and said how it was really special and how the actual 2004 bike was really special to him too, having taken his first podium on it.
I’m probably even more chuffed at his reaction than he was chuffed at the model, and can only say I hope he gets loads of pleasure from it

The full story and pictures covering the process of converting the model can be found here…

Quick update on the Diecasts campaign.
I’ve found a couple more contact addresses that we can all write too, and I would suggest that you also send in the image above – or the PDF version of it which you can download from here…
We think it’d be good if a company just went and made either a couple of key bikes in 1:12 scale or perhaps a whole collection (as illustrated) in 1:24 scale.

Altaya have a suggestion page on their website: Click here…
And here is the page translated into English…
(It requires a 5-figure postcode – just put 11111)
You could also try sending an email to them at: info@altaya.es

Here’s the contacts for IXO…
Trade inquiries: sales@ixomodels.com
Customer Service: cs@ixomodels.com

This is the email address for Minichamps…
info@minichamps.de

And here’s the contacts for another Spanish company called Guisval…
info@guisval.es
sales@guisval.es

There’s more about all this campaign here… if you want to find out all about it and get fully involved.
Cheers,
gb

We at BatiFans want to try and push the campaign for Alvaro Bautista diecast models further afield than Minichamps, and would appreciate your help in also filling up the Suggestion Boxes at Spanish company Altaya (who already produce some nice 1:24 MotoGP bikes) and Chinese manufactrer Ixo (who produced the 2005 Alvaro Honda in 1:24).
Obivously the 2006 and 2008 bikes are probably going to be the most important to suggest, but particularly with 1:24 scale why not push for a full “collection”…

Altaya have a suggestion page on their website: Click here…
And here is the page translated into English…
Please can you submit the suggestions to this site (pmaybe be courteous and write in Spanish if you can, using Google’s translation page) – and on this occasion make sure you remind them that as a Spanish company they could use Alvaro’s popularity in Spain to sell such a collection.
By the way – If you have problems submitting the form it is because it demands a postcode (Spanish I guess) – I just filled that field with 11111 and it worked.

As for IXO, they have a page also saying they welcome suggestions, so please don’t be shy.
As ever let’s campaign for all bikes from 2003 through to 2008 – including the red & yellow World Championship end of season 2006 livery. Here’s the contacts for IXO…
Trade inquiries: sales@ixomodels.com
Customer Service: cs@ixomodels.com

Please write, and get other fans to write, and let’s get some momentum behind this!
Thanks
gb

(*Above: Bati’s 2005 Honda by Ixo – currently the only proper diecast available)

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE BATIFAN BLOGGER

I wonder if I can ask any of you reading this to spare a few minutes to write an email to Minichamps (a German company called Pauls Model Art) to petition them to produce Alvaro’s Aspar Aprilia 125cc Championship Winning bike from 2006. And possibly more too?

This is the email address: info@minichamps.de

I have written to them asking if they would consider making Alvaro’s 2006 Championship-winning Aprilia 125. My reasoning to them is that he is not only already hugely popular in Spain, but also gaining popularity quickly around the world and that he is without doubt going to be one of the sport’s superstars, and that it would make sense to pick up on that and to start producing models of his rides.
I also asked them to consider doing his 2007 Aprilia 250, and perhaps more importantly this years Aprilia 250 – as vice champion.

Anyway – please drop them a line, as much in your own words as possible as it doesn’t want to appear to be some automated spamming!
But I’d certainly appreciate you helping me push them on this, and if you can encourage any friends to mail them too, that would be excellent.
There’s more about all this here… if you want to find out all about it.

Cheers,
gb

One thing I found out almost by accident through random bits of web searching is that there is a 1/10th scale diecast model of Alvaro’s 2006 125cc Aprilia bike (or at least that there is going to be one) – made by a manufacturer called Guiloy.
The website I found it on had it listed for a “March 2007″ release under the title “Aprilia RS 125 c.c. A Bautista 2006″, and I’ve certainly not seen it showing anywhere – nor seen any turning up on eBay either.
I got in touch with Modelenium – a UK distributor – to try and find out what’s going on with it; they say that after speaking to the importers that there’s still no revised date, so it’s kind of difficult to know when to expect it really…
Purely for info, the page covering the model is here…