Monster Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow did today what he more than likely never thought possible and rode around the outside of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi to bag ninth place in a thrilling MotoGP race at Motorland Aragon.

Rossi had made his way through the field and went past the bike he was racing last year but as his tyres fell away, Crutchlow was able to fight back and re-pass The Doctor on the exit of the last corner with five laps left.

“I'm really pleased with how the race went today because I was back inside the top and having a really good and enjoyable fight with two of the best riders on the grid, who have had a lot of success in Grand Prix racing. It is a shame that I lost a couple of places at the first corner because I'm sure with a better start I could have been battling with Bautista and Hayden," said Crutchlow.

"I got on the inside on the dirty part of the track and when I braked I locked the front wheel and nearly crashed. What pleases me the most is that I could make up for the lack of speed on the straight in the corners because the Yamaha handles brilliantly and my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team gave me a really good bike today. But to hold off Valentino and Hiroshi at the end took a massive effort. I think if they'd started the final lap in front of me on the straight it would have been hard for me to slipstream.

"There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend because I've got back in the top 10 on a track I'd never seen before and beaten two guys with a lot more experience than me. I gained a lot of experience today riding with Valentino and that has given me a lot of confidence for the next few races.”