Randy de Puniet finished in an impressive seventh place after completing only 35 minutes of qualifying at Sachsenring on Saturday, following a crash which ended his participation in the hour-long session.
Losing grip on his LCR Honda RC212V machine due to spilt oil from Jorge Lorenzo’s bike, the Frenchman hit Ben Spies’ bike after the American had also gone down on the greasy track surface.
De Puniet admitted that he initially feared he had broken his right ankle, but after X-rays at the Clinica Mobile it was confirmed there were no fractures or breaks and he was given the all-clear to race tomorrow.
“I didn’t know Jorge’s engine had gone and I was about two seconds behind Spies and he fell at the braking point, just before the first corner. Just after that I crashed too. I arrived so fast in the gravel and the problem was Spies’ bike in the middle of the run-off… I hit the bike with my right ankle,” explained De Puniet.
“It was extremely painful. After that I went to the Clinica Mobile and I thought my ankle was broken, but in the end it’s not. It was a big impact and I’m lucky. That’s racing, and I’m seventh on the grid after only half an hour of the session, so I can be satisfied even if I think the front row could have been possible today.”
Asked about the prospect of a gruelling 30-lap contest tomorrow De Puniet replied: “It will be hard but I think I will be able to get through the race. I have already ridden in difficult conditions, especially last year. But I will do my best and we will see where I finish. I will try to take as many points as possible tomorrow.”
Currently fifth in the Championship standings – level on 69 points with fourth-placed Nicky Hayden – De Puniet is determined not to concede ground and wants to maintain his consistency in results.
“We will see tomorrow in the warm-up but I think my target will be to finish in the top six,” he concluded.
Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/
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