Factory Yamaha's Ben Spies has said he couldn't shake off Andrea Dovizioso in yesterday's Barcelona MotoGP race, adding that the Italian was like a mosquito at a barbecue that wouldn't go away.
The Repsol Honda man was out to deny Spies his first podium of the year and kept to within 0.8s of the Texan as soon as he had made his way past nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi. It wasn't to be but Spies said it was far from a lonely race.
"Dovizioso was like a mosquito at a barbecue that wouldn't go away. It didn't matter what time I did, he did the exact same time and there was always the same pressure," said Spies.
"The first couple of laps were a little bit lairy. We made a front fork change to something we hadn't used all weekend which was a bit of a risk but we made it better. I was a bit uncomfortable for the first four laps but then we found some pace.
"It was great for my confidence, and that of the team after Estoril. They stayed behind me and we need to continue this momentum through the next few races and into Silverstone, where I got my first podium last year."
