De Puniet to race more conservatively

The Kawasaki rider was battling for 10th with world champion Nicky Hayden when he fell on lap seven at Losail.

The team supported him after the race, with team manager Michael Bartholemy saying that de Puniet "has to push so hard to put himself in contention that, sometimes, a crash is unavoidable," but de Puniet says he will still be more conservative at Jerez.

"If we can get a good grid slot and make a good start, I hope I can fight for a top six or seven finish," he said.

"But I won't take unnecessary risks this time, as my main concern is to finish the race, though I will try to do it in the best position possible."

Kawasaki racing director Ichiro Yoda welcomed de Puniet's change of approach.

"Randy didn't achieve his target in Qatar, but I'm sure this time he will," Yoda said.

"We had a talk and I asked him to be calmer this time and finish the race. We would be happy if he could qualify on second or first row and finish the race among the first eight."