Catalunya GP – Post-Race Quotes: 250cc

1st Álvaro Bautista:
“During the race it was very hard to ride, because the heat was very intense. I couldn’t make any mistakes. On the first lap I lost a few places, but I kept calm because I knew that things were under control. After three laps I saw that I could impose my pace on the others, and maybe escape from Hector, so in the end things worked out fine. This win is important for my morale, because at the moment we are the only ones to have repeated a victory in 2009. It is a big blow to our rivals. Despite Simoncelli falling, we can’t rule anyone out for the championship, and in any case we have to focus on our own work and do what we’ve been doing. I would like to thank the fans for their tremendous support over the home races, and I’m glad to have been able to give them a win.”

14th Mike Di Meglio:
“This morning during the warmup the bike was working to perfection, but the temperature rose drastically for the race and it really made a difference. I had a bad start and had to make up positions from the beginning, and I did feel better as the race went on. I saw that I could keep moving up, but then I got a strange feeling on the front end. That could have been because of the heat on the tyre, but it definitely made braking hard. I lost complete control of the bike at one point, and was lucky not to crash, and the loss of confidence ended my challenge. The RSA has given me some good sensations this weekend, so we will be working patiently with it this week in Valencia to learn more.”

18th Balázs Németh:
“This is my first ever 250cc race in dry conditions, and to tell the truth I am very happy with the result. I started better than at Mugello, and was able to follow some other riders. The opening laps were pretty difficult, because I was unable to find a good feeling on the bike. I just hoped that I would feel better as the laps went on, and that is what happened, but the heat made the race feel like an eternity. Added to that, I was also fighting with some tough riders. My goal was to finish the race, and to continue developing my skills for the World Championship stage, so I had to keep my concentration. I am happy to have gone progressively forward, and I am picking up experience that I am sure will be useful at Assen, a circuit at which I have ridden before.”