Xaus wondering where it went wrong.

New for 2005 Fortuna Yamaha rider Ruben Xaus was left wondering where it all went wrong after a disastrous M1 race debut at Jerez on Sunday.

The former WSBK runner-up fell on the very first lap - was forced to pit for repairs as a result - but broke the pit lane speed limit and was served with a stop-go penalty as a result. He finished the race in eighteenth and last, three laps down on race winner Valentino Rossi.

"This was not an easy weekend! I wanted to start my first race with Yamaha in a steady way but I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong," he sighed. "I don't know what happened in the last corner but clearly I made a mistake.

"I feel so bad for my team and my fans, that's why I attempted to get back out there to do my best despite being so far back. I hope this won't be repeated next weekend," he added.

By contrast, Xaus' team-mate Toni Elias enjoyed a much more positive race, on what was his MotoGP debut, the former 250cc race winner crossing the line in 12th position - 7secs ahead of Loris Capirossi.

"First of all I'm really happy because I finished my first MotoGP, and I finished it in the points," he smiled. "It all went as we had hoped and I even had a chance to have a good battle with a few quality riders at one stage.

"Right now I need to keep progressing in this way; keep learning and developing as I have until now. I believe it was a really positive day and I'm even surprised that my physical condition at the end of the race was so good, because it wasn't as physically demanding as I had expected," he declared.