Confident Bautista hoping to turn better front end feel into another positive result at Silverstone

After a positive weekend last time out in Barcelona, Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders Alvaro Bautista and Michele Pirro are looking forward to another successful outing at Silverstone this weekend. After an encouraging test at the Circuit de Catalunya on the day after the race the Spaniard is hoping to take another step closer to the podium positions, especially having found better front feel with his Honda RC213V – something he had been lacking in previous weeks.

With the weather being forecast as cool and wet again for this weekend, Bautista can still build on the wet weather skills he showed by coming home fifth in last year’s British GP, his best finish of the season. Now in his first year on the San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V, Silverstone is yet another circuit he will have to re-learn. The 27-year-old has been in the top ten in every race this season, with a trio of sixth place finishes, including the last time out in Catalunya from a difficult starting position.

Alvaro Bautista “Catalunya was a good race for us, but it was a difficult one because of where we started from on the grid. I managed to pass some of the guys in front of us and set the same pace as the podium finishers, but we lost too much ground at the start and you can’t afford to do that in this championship. It was a positive Grand Prix though, because we proved that if we can qualify and start better then we have the pace to run at the front. Now we take that confidence to Silverstone, especially after such a good test. My feeling with the bike has improved a lot and I am able to tackle the corners with much more conviction. This is a nice, long, fast and wide track and I really like it. Obviously everything will depend on the weather, which tends to be cold and wet in England. Anyway, I’m hoping to have a good race on a very different bike to the one I rode here last year. I am sure I can have fun on the Honda RC213V here and enjoy another positive weekend.”

Fausto Gresini “The Grand Prix of Catalunya was a pleasing one for us, with Alvaro having without doubt his best race since joining the team and finishing close behind the guys at the front. We have had two important days of testing since then in Catalunya and Aragon which were particularly satisfactory. Now we go to Silverstone in good spirits and confident we can do well.”

Sources: Gresini Racing / Honda Pro Racing