The MotoGP paddock heads to the Montmeló circuit in Catalunya, where Bautista is determined to put the rigours of this season thus far firmly behind him in front of his home Catalan crowd.

The last two races that have seen him make an incredible, but under-strength, return to action following a broken femur earlier in the year. He was involved in a five-man battle last time out at Le Mans that saw the Spaniard fight hard all race long, before eventually finishing in 12th place.

For the Catalunya race, however, Bautista will be back in full fitness and is convinced that he can now make the step up and compete inside the top-10 as he aims to get Rizla Suzuki’s season firmly back on track.

The Montmelo circuit is a track that Bautista enjoys and after a finishing a strong fifth there last season - his best result of 2010 – he will be hoping that the mix of his ‘home’ Grand Prix and the added incentive of many fans and friends at trackside will spur him on to a strong performance in this year’s race.

Alvaro Bautista:
“I have a good memory from last year at Barcelona and I hope to be able to make a good race there because it is a track I like very much. I have been training very hard and I’ll be 100% fit when we start the weekend. We have all had a tough time so far this year and we need to forget about that and focus on the rest of the season, we still have many races to go and I’m sure we can be competitive and start pushing nearer the front very soon. I really like racing at Montmelo and I’m sure that my ‘home’ race will give me the confidence that I had there last year - and also during the winter tests - to be able to produce a good performance to really get our season underway.”