GP of China: Hector Faubel continues 250cc adaptation with fantastic tenth

Spectacular comeback for twelfth from Álvaro Bautista, after an early crash whilst leading the race.
 
Up second in the schedule, the 250cc race was a drier affair than the 125cc Grand Prix in China, but still wet to some degree. Numerous crashes took place as a result of the team's unfamiliarity with the conditions.
 
Mapfre Aspar Team rookie Héctor Faubel as predicted yesterday had a fantastic start from the fourth row. Little by little, lap by lap, the Lliria rider grew more comfortable on his Aprilis, although the wet tyre chosen began to degrade and lose him places. Despite this, Faubel finished tenth, with 6 more points to his name and twelfth place in the championship.
 
Álvaro Bautista had an incredible race, again hit by misfortune. The Spaniard started from pole and fought for first place on the opening laps, but lost the front end on the opening corner complex. After hitting the ground, he rejoined the race and took an unbelievable twelfth place.

10º Héctor Faubel: "This morning the weather changed, making it a wet race, so we decided to use a softer setting. The first ten laps saw me move up to seventh with Pasini and Aoyama, but when the track began to dry then my tyre started going off as expected. Overall it has been a good weekend, because we finished in the top ten. It could have gone better, but I'm thinking of France and the next step."

12º Álvaro Bautista: "This wasn't what we were expecting from this race. We dominated the practice sessions and were the stronger team over the weekend. This morning in the wet warmup I was comfortable, and in the race I put myself in the lead, but the wet is a lottery and this time it was my turn to lose out I suppose. It's a pity, because I was sure that we could have done well, it was just a case of losing the front and being unable to avoid the crash. I was able to get four points. My team and Aprilia are doing a great job, and I feel strong on the bike. I just have to hope that we are a bit luckier in the future."