Nieto relieved to finish first MotoGP race

The World Superbike rider had been drafted into the Kawasaki team for the weekend after Olivier Jacque suffered arm injuries in China.

"Conditions couldn't really have been worse for my MotoGP debut than they were today; it was possibly the most difficult race of my life, but as an experience it was definitely worth it," said Nieto.

"The rain started while we were sat on the grid, and it was at this point that I decided to take it steady to make sure I finished the race, and hopefully in the points. This is what the team asked me to do, and I did it.

"I made sure I kept a safety margin from the start of the race as my first target was to learn as much as I could, by completing as many laps as possible and bringing the bike home. We achieved this objective.

"The welcome I received from everyone in the team has been amazing, and they have made me feel at home from the start. I would like to thank them for all they have done for me this weekend."

Kawasaki's competition manager Michael Bartholomy said the team was satisfied with Nieto even though he spent most of the weekend at the tail of the field.

"He came here completely cold, never having ridden a MotoGP machine and with no experience on Bridgestone tyres," Bartholomy said.

"His approach and attitude have been fantastic all weekend, even in today's extremely difficult race conditions.

"It was his first time on wet tyres, on a bike that he only rode for the first time on Friday, and yet he showed his maturity as a rider by keeping his head and finishing just outside the top ten. You can't fault his performance this weekend."