Brave ride secures Alvaro Bautista two points
Still considerably suffering from his collarbone and shoulder fracture and bruised ribs Alvaro Bautista gritted his teeth for 23 painful laps in very hot conditions at the Mugello Circuit and was rewarded with two points as he finished the race in 14th position.
He was battling against the injuries he sustained recently – as well as the other riders on-track – and although the discomfort from riding a MotoGP bike in race conditions was immense, he wrestled his machine to the line to give Rizla Suzuki its first double points score of the season.
Álvaro Bautista: “My left arm feels like it is destroyed, but we managed to do what our target was today and that was to finish the race, so that is a small victory for us. On the first lap I tried to ride and change direction quickly, but the first time I felt so much pain I couldn’t keep in touch with any other riders or manage to follow them. I tried to get a good rhythm that I was comfortable with and finish the race. Towards the end I got a feeling that was ok and although I felt much pain all over, I was able to get to the line and get more experience and complete more kilometres. I will now make sure I get close to full recovery for the next GP, it is the Team’s home race and I want to do very well there!”
Paul Denning – Team Manager: “Álvaro’s two points are likely to be the hardest he’ll ever score. It was a fairly heroic effort to complete the 23-laps and the medical team all believe that putting the shoulder through that process will help the recovery. It will put him in a much stronger position for the busy schedule in June and July and he certainly has a better base to begin with at Silverstone in two weeks’ time.”
Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP