Bautista's fifth in the rain at Silverstone marks best result of the season for Suzuki
Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista sealed the manufacturer’s best MotoGP result of the season by taking fifth at a rain-soaked Silverstone in England on Sunday.
Bautista got a good start and was up with the front runners in the first few corners, but the amount of spray coming from the track – due to all the standing water – hampered his vision and by the end of the first lap he had consolidated his ninth place starting position.
As the race developed the Spaniard got into a smooth and consistent rhythm in the treacherous conditions and produced personal best laps that were comparable to a podium position.
Bautista moved through the field with a couple of neat passes and benefitted from other riders crashing on the slippery surface. He managed to keep his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R upright to bring it safely home for a well-deserved fifth place.
“For sure I am very happy today, because we have been able to finish the weekend with a great result,” the Spaniard said. “This has been the first race that I have been able to feel competitive since the injury and I was nearer my limit than I have been all season.
“In the race it was important make a good start, I did that and I think I was maybe fifth or sixth, but it was difficult to see because I was splashed a lot by other riders and I couldn’t see too much and had to drop back a bit.
“Fifth is a good result and now I’m looking forward to getting to the next race and have the same level of confidence and feeling – if not even better!”
Rizla Suzuki now has a weekend off before heading to Assen in the Netherlands for the Dutch TT on Saturda, 25 June.