Repsol Honda's Jonathan Rea says he was cautious in his debut MotoGP outing at Misano and was trying to make sure he finished the race instead of performing any heroics to beat Nicky Hayden for seventh place.

The World Superbike star, who finished in eighth, admitted he wasn't trying anything risky in Italy as he had been told to get to the end and added he was learning all the time, even picking up tricks from Hayden as he closed in on the 2006 world champion.

"The target today was to finish the race. I was asked to finish and try to make a consistent race, which we did and I had this in my mind the whole time so I was riding maybe too smooth but I enjoyed it. I had a moment in the last turn, when you first get on the brakes with one or two per cent more on the lever, it makes a big reaction, so I picked up the rear, it got unsettled but it's all part of learning I guess," said Rea, speaking to bikesportnews.com.

"I set Nicky as my target. In the beginning he just dropped me but I could pick up some things from him on the track and applied them to my riding. I closed the gap to one second but I think he had a little bit in reserve but the whole race I was just concentrating on my riding, so when the pit-boars said five to go, I thought I had better get my act together but in two laps he pulled the gap again.

"I was asked to enjoy the race so in the back of my mind there was, 'Just do that, don't try to be a hero' so I was a bit cautious and not carrying the same lean angle as yesterday. I know I have more to give in the next race. We needed a starting point this weekend and now we have one."