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MOTOGP: Spanish GP Ticker
Team notes and quotes following today's Spanish GP from Jerez.
Honda Gresini's Alvaro Bautista (Photo: Gresini Racing)
Alvaro Bautista improved on his result from Qatar by one place today as he took sixth place in his home Grand Prix at Jerez at the end of a difficult weekend. Bizzarre weather has thrown a spanner in the works of the teams and riders ever since first practice on Friday but for Bautista this result is an important platform to build from as the series heads on to the next round at Estoril in just a week's time and a positive way to celebrate his 150th Grand Prix appearance. Michele Pirro also rode well today and was fighting for points when an electronic problem forced him to retire with seven laps remaining.
Alvaro Bautista (6th) “It has been a difficult weekend because of the weather but finally we got dry conditions for the race even though there were a few spots around. It was really important to be patient over the opening laps but maybe I was too careful over the opening laps and I wasn't able to get involved in the battle at the very front. Once I got comfortable with the track conditions I was able to pass Bradl and Hayden but Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Crutchlow were too far ahead by then and I just had to defend the position I was in. We have gone one better than Qatar and improved our confidence with this bike, which are the main things we take away from the weekend. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done especially in such challenging conditions this weekend.”
Michele Pirro (DNF) “Our dream melted like snow in the sunshine. I was on my way to my first MotoGP points when I ran out of luck and an electronic problem forced me to retire. It is another teething problem for this new project but we have taken a step forward here and if we keep working as hard as we have been doing it won't be long before we achieve our goals. My guys have a lot of work to do but they have unbelievable commitment to our cause and I have the utmost faith that they can develop a bike that will allow me to be competitive.”
Fausto Gresini “Alvaro had a good race after a very difficult weekend because of the weather. He struggled a bit at the start but after his crash yesterday it was important he stayed upright over the opening laps and managed to bring home the kind of result I was expecting. Maybe if he'd been more decisive in the opening stages he could have fought with Dovizioso but he rode well anyway and we're happy because we're on an upward curve. It is a shame about the CRT bike because Michele was denied points by an electronic problem but it was nice to see him fighting for points and it would have been even nicer to see him cross the line. We have taken steps forward from the first race though and there is margin there for further improvement next time out.”
LCR Honda
German rookie Stefan Bradl was again a strong performer today at Jerez de la Frontera circuit conquering the 7th place overall after a thrilling 27-lap race which saw the Moto2 reigning world champion strongly battling with Hayden for his final result.
In his second MotoGP race, LCR rider riding the Honda RC213V qualified 9th on the dry but the 22-yer-old demonstrated his potential even on the wet through the first three free sessions showing everybody his confidence aboard the Honda machine. Now Bradl and his Team will move to Portugal for the third round of the season at windy Estoril.
Stefan – 7th: “I am very happy with this result. First of all I think it was a difficult week end for everybody due to the weather conditions so I want to thank the whole Team for their great job. During the sighting lap I was very nervous because I thought that the last part of the track was wet so I changed my helmet visor and everything was clearer. I was capable to attack my competitors since the beginning of the race but I found it a bit risky so I waited a little bit and after some laps I was fighting with Bautista and Hayden. We were doing well but Hayden blocked me a little bit in the middle of the race and Bautista got away from us. When he was gone I started my fight with Nicky which I enjoyed very much especially in the last two laps. I got some problems with my right arm because it was sore in the middle of the race and this cost me a bit of time because I had to force the bike in a different way. Basically this was another positive week end for me and I really enjoyed the applause the Team made for me when I was back at the garage.”
Alvaro Bautista (6th) “It has been a difficult weekend because of the weather but finally we got dry conditions for the race even though there were a few spots around. It was really important to be patient over the opening laps but maybe I was too careful over the opening laps and I wasn't able to get involved in the battle at the very front. Once I got comfortable with the track conditions I was able to pass Bradl and Hayden but Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Crutchlow were too far ahead by then and I just had to defend the position I was in. We have gone one better than Qatar and improved our confidence with this bike, which are the main things we take away from the weekend. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done especially in such challenging conditions this weekend.”
Michele Pirro (DNF) “Our dream melted like snow in the sunshine. I was on my way to my first MotoGP points when I ran out of luck and an electronic problem forced me to retire. It is another teething problem for this new project but we have taken a step forward here and if we keep working as hard as we have been doing it won't be long before we achieve our goals. My guys have a lot of work to do but they have unbelievable commitment to our cause and I have the utmost faith that they can develop a bike that will allow me to be competitive.”
Fausto Gresini “Alvaro had a good race after a very difficult weekend because of the weather. He struggled a bit at the start but after his crash yesterday it was important he stayed upright over the opening laps and managed to bring home the kind of result I was expecting. Maybe if he'd been more decisive in the opening stages he could have fought with Dovizioso but he rode well anyway and we're happy because we're on an upward curve. It is a shame about the CRT bike because Michele was denied points by an electronic problem but it was nice to see him fighting for points and it would have been even nicer to see him cross the line. We have taken steps forward from the first race though and there is margin there for further improvement next time out.”
LCR Honda
German rookie Stefan Bradl was again a strong performer today at Jerez de la Frontera circuit conquering the 7th place overall after a thrilling 27-lap race which saw the Moto2 reigning world champion strongly battling with Hayden for his final result.
In his second MotoGP race, LCR rider riding the Honda RC213V qualified 9th on the dry but the 22-yer-old demonstrated his potential even on the wet through the first three free sessions showing everybody his confidence aboard the Honda machine. Now Bradl and his Team will move to Portugal for the third round of the season at windy Estoril.
Stefan – 7th: “I am very happy with this result. First of all I think it was a difficult week end for everybody due to the weather conditions so I want to thank the whole Team for their great job. During the sighting lap I was very nervous because I thought that the last part of the track was wet so I changed my helmet visor and everything was clearer. I was capable to attack my competitors since the beginning of the race but I found it a bit risky so I waited a little bit and after some laps I was fighting with Bautista and Hayden. We were doing well but Hayden blocked me a little bit in the middle of the race and Bautista got away from us. When he was gone I started my fight with Nicky which I enjoyed very much especially in the last two laps. I got some problems with my right arm because it was sore in the middle of the race and this cost me a bit of time because I had to force the bike in a different way. Basically this was another positive week end for me and I really enjoyed the applause the Team made for me when I was back at the garage.”
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