Having qualified in 19th place on the grid at the Octo British Grand Prix Alvaro Bautista delivered the goods on race day at Silverstone to finish in the top ten.
The Spanish Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider got off to a good start when the lights went out in the shortened restarted race, vying for position with a consistent pace.
Bautista continued his progress as the race went on, battling at length with Yonny Hernandez and managing to build up a comfortable gap after overtaking him.
Managing his tyre wear well and taking advantage of crashes higher up the order he had moved up into tenth place by the time he saw the chequered flag.
Alvaro Bautista: “There was quite a bit of confusion at the first start. Fortunately, both Pol (Espargaro) and Loris (Baz) are fine. At the second start, I tried to find my pace. We struggled throughout the weekend, but I know that in duels with the other riders I would be able to improve.
“That is the way it was. I recovered a few positions, battling for a long time then with Hernandez. When I overtook him, I changed an electronics setting on the RS-GP to gain a few tenths and increase the gap. I was successful, thanks to the team and the mechanics who worked hard to give me the best possible bike. I am looking forward to Misano optimistically. Aprilia is on their home pitch, so I hope to give the fans a good performance.”