Randy de Puniet equalled his best performance in MotoGP today at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The 22-lap race saw the French Kawasaki rider bring home his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR in eighth position, on a par with his previous best at Istanbul two weeks ago, and well ahead of last year’s 12th place.
After a good start from seventh position on the grid, the Frenchman narrowly avoided a collision at turn one which forced three riders off the track, keeping his composure and riding with the leading group for much of the opening part of the race. However, a minor error caused him to lose the tow from the front five riders and he rode much of the rest of the race alone.
In a battle which saw numerous riders crash out on the demanding circuit, de Puniet put in consistent lap times to comfortably secure his top ten finish, just losing out on sixth position in the final laps. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen overtook and de Puniet was unable to get back past them in the closing stages.
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