WorldSBK star Jordi Torres made his MotoGP debut at the Aragon round and after only a couple of hours on the Avintia Ducati, using Michelins for the first time, trailed winner Marc Marquez by less than a minute after 23 laps of the Spanish circuit.

Torres, who has GP experience in Moto2, was just one second behind team-mate Xavier Simeon who has ridden for the team all year, using a two-year-old Ducati GP16 and is now looking forward to an outing at Buriram - a track he knows well - should Tito Rabat not be fit.

“To complete my first Grand Prix in the MotoGP class was a very emotional experience. A dream came true and I enjoyed every moment of it. It helped me to understand tyre wear, how the bike changes over the distance and how you have to adapt your riding style to the decreasing fuel load," said Torres.

"But to be honest, not a lot of this sank in and every time I saw myself getting closer to the front, I made more mistakes. I tried to stay cool during the race and to concentrate on my riding position, but I’m still too rigid on the bike. I would have liked to stay with another rider in the race, but nevertheless, I am very happy. Now we’ll have to wait and see if Tito will fly to Thailand or not. I am prepared for whatever is needed.”