De Puniet shrugs off pain for fifth

The Frenchman was already nursing collarbone damage from his crash at Le Mans when an accident in last weekend's Italian Grand Prix left him with a knee injury as well.

The latter then worsened considerably during the build-up to Barcelona, leading to concerns over whether de Puniet would be able to complete the race distance.

But he proceeded to produce the best performance of his MotoGP career - qualifying second and finishing fifth, holding off Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen at the end of the race.

"I'm very happy in this condition to do second on the grid and finish in fifth position in the race," de Puniet told BBC television.

"It's good because I have a big pain and a big problem with my collarbone since Le Mans, and also my knee is completely destroyed since Mugello. That's why I'm happy, because I kept a good level during the 25 laps."

De Puniet said that although the condition of his knee had improved during the Barcelona weekend, he was still a long way from full fitness.

"On Monday after the race it was double the size," he said.

"Now it's better, but for sure it's not so good. I hope to improve during the ten day rest, and to arrive at Donington at 100 percent."