Alvaro Bautista is chasing a top-six finish at this weekend's German Grand Prix after a fruitful weekend for the Rizla Suzuki team at Mugello two weeks ago.
Despite finishing down in 13th, the Spaniard was involved in a fierce battle with a pack or riders before a front end slide cost him dearly. Bautista also stayed in Italy following the Grand Prix for the test day and completed almost 90 laps, making significant advances with the set-up, handling and electronics on the Suzuki GSV-R.
As a result, Bautista heads to the historic Sachsenring circuit in high spirits, and is confident that the progress being made will finally reap rewards.
“I cannot wait for the race to come – it will not be soon enough for me! I made some really big steps at Mugello in both the race and the test. We now have all that info to use at Sachsenring and the rest of the tracks this season. I think we are capable of running with the top-six or seven at most tracks now and just need a little bit of something to get us there – I don't know if it's luck or what it is, but we will keep trying until we find it!”
The 3.671km circuit has been kind to Bautista in the past, having won there in the 250cc class, but the 26 year old admits it is a tricky track to master.
“I like the Sachsenring circuit and I've been on the podium there three times. It is not an easy track to get the bike set-up right for, but when you do it's great fun to ride at. It's about a lot of edge grip, so we will have to work on that and get the bike set-up as quickly as we can.”
