Alvaro Bautista produced a determined ride to secure sixth place on a slippery wet track at Le Mans. The Spanish rider's lap times were as good as anybody on track in the early stages of the race so a better start might have seen him in the battle for the podium positions but a top six finish is still a positive base to build from in the next round at Mugello. There was disappointment for Bryan Staring, who crashed out and missed a valuable opportunity to gather experience of racing his CRT bike in the wet.
Alvaro Bautista (6th)
“That was a particularly difficult race because the conditions were so different to how they'd been for practice. I also didn't get a great start and that was a shame because looking at the lap times it cost me the chance to fight at the front. When the track started to dry the bike was cutting the power on the straight and I was losing time but sixth place is a positive result if not a great one because we've improved on last year and I don't like this track. Overall we have made progress here and I feel better with the electronics and suspension in the wet. I am satisfied with the result and I want to thank the team and the sponsors. This is a nice boost before we go to their home race at Mugello. ”
Bryan Staring (DNF)
“I made a rookie mistake and ruined the opportunity to get some valuable experience in the wet on this bike so I am really angry with myself right now. I needed to ride a steady race and instead we've ended up with nothing to show. I want to apologise to the team because their efforts this weekend deserved a better result. I will try to make it up to them at Mugello in a couple of weeks' time. ”
Fausto Gresini
“That wasn't an easy race to judge and Alvaro had to spend too much time making up for a less than perfect start. It was a shame because up until the halfway stage of the race he was running the same lap times as the guys at the front and could have been fighting for a much better position. Anyway, he finished in a decent position, better than last year, and that's positive especially when this is not one of his favourite tracks. Bryan made a naïve mistake and crashed just at the moment when he needed to stay calm and try to get through the race. It's a shame and he knows it, which is why he is so angry.”
Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release
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