An improbable third placing for Randy de Puniet saw the French star carrying LCR Honda their second stage finish at the British Grand Prix. De Puniet has constantly been a dangerous competitor which has sometimes concluded in extra DNFs than win results, however on Sunday his more traditional methods following the race saw him gain the benefits of a great start.

“It’s like a dream for me and the team! It was a very stressful race and I was very nervous on the grid as the conditions were pretty bad. I took a good start on slick tyres and was very aggressive in the first laps,” he states.

“I got sixth place, but the gap to the front riders was too wide and I thought it best to keep my pace without taking any risks. (Toni) Elías crashed in front of me and (Dani) Pedrosa did not seem very confident on his machine. When he started to lose time I took my chance to pass him and we battled for several laps. I could overtake him as my machine was a bit faster and suddenly realized that I was holding the third position.”

Drops for the leaders left De Puniet in an excellent position, but he also had a competitive Colin Edwards to challenge with on the concluding laps. Eventually he came off course to finish second to the American, but was still elated with a first platform since the Japanese Grand Prix in 2007.

“After (Valentino) Rossi’s crash I took second, remaining focused as the surface was very slippery. Then Edwards came up quickly giving me the chance to reduce the gap on (Andrea) Dovizioso, but it was too late and too dangerous so I kept my position and we battled for second place until the last corner. I am so happy for this result and want to thank everybody, especially Lucio (Cecchinello, LCR Team Manager). We are sharing an amazing moment together!”