Rookie Alvaro Bautista will make his home country MotoGP debut for the Rizla Suzuki team at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez.

Bautista hails from Talavera de la Reina, near Madrid, which is over 500 kilometres away from the Andalucian circuit, but he will certainly be guaranteed plenty of home support from the huge partisan crowd.

“I am still disappointed from Qatar, it was not the best way to start in MotoGP, but this is another race and I must learn from what happened last time,” Bautista said.

“I like the Jerez circuit and got on the podium there last year so that is a good sign. It will be a big weekend for me because it will be the first time I have raced in Spain for Suzuki, so I hope to put on a good show for all the Spanish fans.”

Bautista has a good record at the 4.4-kilometre Jerez Circuit, with a victory in the 125cc class in 2006, as well as two second places and a pole position in the 250cc series in the last three seasons.

Veteran teammate Loris Capirossi is eager to get racing again following the unfortunate postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend.

The Italian is keen to add to his 300 Grand Prix starts as he goes in search of yet another milestone to add to his already impressive racing CV – that of 100 Grand Prix podiums.

“It was unfortunate that we didn’t go to Motegi, it is one of my best tracks and I was really looking forward to the race,” Capirossi said. “We made a lot of steps through the winter and during the first race of 2010 in Qatar and although the result was not what we wanted we are still in a good position for this time of the year, so it would have been nice to see how well we could have gone in Japan.

“I can’t wait to get to Jerez to start working again; we have gone quite well there in the last couple of years so hopefully things will be good. I have used the free weekend well and I have made sure I have kept fit, rather than rest and sit on the beach, so I am ready for the weekend ahead!”