Bautista set for landmark 250th start at Silverstone

Bengaluru, August 23: Come Sunday at the British Grand Prix, Valentino Rossi is not the only man who is set to create history.

While MotoGP legend Rossi will make his 300th appearnce in MotoGP, Alvaro Bautista too will be part of history as is he is all set to make his 250th start in Grand Prix racing.

History beckons Rossi at British MotoGP

Some fifteen years on from his debut as a 125cc wildcard at the Spanish GP in 2002, the Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider is set to reach a major milestone in his career at the Silverstone circuit as MotoGP revealed on their Twitter handle.

Bautista set for 250th start at Silverstone 🏁#BritishGP https://t.co/e1RwBfOlcz pic.twitter.com/nPd2SaoLk1

— MotoGP™🏁🇬🇧 (@MotoGP) August 23, 2017

Bautista, who recently renewed his contract with the team for the 2018 season has come a long way since that first foray onto the world stage.

He has achieved a world title in the 125cc class in 2006 and taken sixteen wins and 49 podiums across all classes.

In addition, 42 of those 49 podiums were taken with the Aspar outfit - and it is a tally the Spaniard would love to add to this weekend at Silverstone.

With a strong record at the track making for good reading ahead of the event, Bautista's 2017 campaign also has some great highlight, including top fives and front-running pace. At the British GP, the Spaniard has his sights set on giving himself less work to do on race day - with practice pace a particular point of focus.

"I'm determined to be competitive this weekend and to run with the front guys from the start. We are showing that we have good potential but we need to be faster in practice to make sure we are in the best possible shape for the race. The team and I are very motivated and excited about going to Silverstone," said Bautista.