Talmacsi sure he will swiftly adapt

The 2007 125cc champion dramatically split with his 250cc team Aspar just three races into the season - and rumours quickly spread that he would reappear on a MotoGP bike.

That came to pass today when he was entered into the Catalunya Grand Prix on Scot rider Yuki Takahashi's spare bike.

Having never ridden MotoGP machinery before, Talmacsi was unsurprisingly slowest in today's practice session, but said for now he was just delighted to be racing at the top level.

"It is an exciting possibility for me," the 28-year-old Hungarian told the official MotoGP website.

"I'm really happy to be back on the track with this kind of opportunity. This was my dream - to be in MotoGP.

"I raced for the team owner Cirano Mularoni in 2006 with the Humangest team in 125cc and he is a friend. We spoke all the time, and this is a great team.

"The bike is amazing. It's so difficult to explain. I've never felt this kind of power, this kind of braking feeling, the grip from the Bridgestone tyres is out of this world.

"But of course I need more laps to improve and be faster. I think I can do it."

Mularoni believes Talmacsi has the potential to quickly get to grips with the Scot Honda.

"I'm sure that for Gabor it's possible to do the best results in MotoGP," he said. "I don't know how much time he needs - I hope it's in a short time."