Eighth place for Rea

The Co Antrim man was given the chance to race in the last two rounds of the season after Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner sustained an injury ruling him out of the rest of the series.

"It was a tough race and I just wanted to get into a rhythm and maintain it. I'm still nowhere near the limit, I'm not really having any moments, just a few mistakes running wide, it's a matter of trust and I'm still acclimatising to the machine," Rea said on his website.

"I'm really happy with the progress I made throughout the race and I learnt so much that you simply can't pick up in testing about race distance, how the tyre wear goes down, the fuel load and how the bike behaves differently.

"To finish eighth is okay, but the gap to the front is a little frustrating though in general I'm really happy and I'm looking forward to the next challenge in Aragon.

"I want to thank all the Repsol Honda team for their hard work and support they've given me and to all the fans back home."