Alvaro Bautista was expecting a tough race in Barcelona today but nobody expected it to be over so quickly, the Spanish rider crashing out for the second round in succession. Starting from fourth on the grid Bautista and Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini had high hopes for the race but these things happen in the race and the team will stay united as they target better fortunes in the next race. Bryan Staring, meanwhile, improved his pace from practice and was rewarded with the first points of his MotoGP career.
Alvaro Bautista (DNF)
“It is such a shame. We have had a great weekend and this was the last thing we needed. After the start I felt like the guys in front of me were holding me up and in an effort to stay with the lead group I tried to get past them and I crashed. Maybe with a hard tyre on the front I could have been a bit more careful but I was worried about losing touch and I went for it. In hindsight it would have been better to wait but in racing these things happen. I feel sorry for the team because they have done a great job here and I want to apologise to all the guys, who are giving 100% and deserve a different result. Now we just have to look forward to the next race and try to stay calm.”
Bryan Staring (14th)
“I have scored my first World Championship points today but I am still not particularly happy because I would have liked to do it more on the front foot. It wasn't an easy race because of the conditions and I was able to improve my pace from qualifying so that's good but I'm still not happy to be honest. Anyway, we have to take the positives and try to learn from this experience in the future.”
Fausto Gresini
“After a bad result in Mugello this wasn't what Alvaro needed! Unfortunately the conditions in the race were difficult to judge but to crash out so early is disappointing, especially for the rider who was devastated. Now it is up to us to rally around him and help him put this behind him as soon as possible. We are improving and we have shown that this weekend so we need to stay positive. Obviously today wasn't much fun but this is racing and I am sure there will be better times ahead that help us forget it quickly. Bryan did well to pick up his first couple of points and even though he is not happy he is moving in the right direction and we need to keep this going.”
Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release
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