I'm up and running with 16 world championship points following that third place and podium finish at
Jerez on Sunday. It was a great to be on a grand prix podium for only the second time in my career and a real honour for King Juan Carlos to shake my hand and congratulate me. I honestly didn't know he was the King at the time but soon realised when I saw him surrounded by bodyguards and all the top
MotoGP people.
It was great to see him at the grand prix and not just sitting in a box but mingling in with everybody and shaking hands and talking to riders both on the grid and the podium. He is obviously a massive fan and his presence just completed that amazing atmosphere you only get in Jerez and perhaps Valencia at the end of the season. The official crowd over the three days was 243,000 and they make a lot of noise and really support the home riders. Because I've ridden for a Spanish team in grands prix they certainly know me but it was second placed Nicolas Terol they were supporting in the race. However there were plenty of Union Jacks and British fans urging me on and I believe plenty more are coming to the next race in Portugal.
I knew it was always going to be a struggle in the race despite starting from pole position for the second successive grand prix. We'd had problems with the rear tyre sliding and it was OK for one quick lap for the pole but 23 laps of the track was always going to be more difficult. I'm usually ok with the rear end of the bike sliding around but we also had problems with the front tyre and although I could sit comfortably behind the two leaders I kept running the bike wide when I tried to pass them. I could stay behind them all day long but my objective right from that first Schoolboy Motocross race has been to win but in the end I had to settle for third. Also the race winner Simone Corsi did not make a single mistake throughout the race.
