Repsol Honda Team’s Jonathan Rea, taking part in his first MotoGP race, took eighth place in what was a chaotic race for many of the other riders.

He managed to avoid the crashes at the start and was gradually closing in on Ducati’s Nicky Hayden in the latter stages, but was unable to catch him. His finish in eighth resulted in his maiden points in the premier class.


Jonathan Rea

"It was a tough race and I just wanted to get into a rhythm and maintain it. I'm still nowhere near the limit, I'm not really having any moments, just a few mistakes running wide, it's a matter of trust and I'm still acclimatising to the machine. I'm really happy with the progress I made throughout the race and I learnt so much that you simply can't pick up in testing about race distance, how the tyre wear goes down, the fuel load and how the bike behaves differently. In the beginning Nicky pulled a gap and I was catching him but in the end it wasn't enough. To finish 8th is ok, but the gap to the front is a little frustrating. In general I'm really happy and I'm looking forward to the next challenge in Aragon. I want to thank all the Rep sol Honda team for their hard work and support they've given me and to all the fans back home."

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