Finally rain proved to be beneficial for Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone at the Japanese GP with a strong fourth place finish, his and the team's best result of the season to date.
The performance was seen a gift to Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki โ CEO and COO of Suzuki Motor Corporation โ who joined the Team in the garage to experience the race from the inside.
Despite the warm-up session being shortened to only 15 minutes, Iannone immediately felt positive in the wet conditions which he had already encountered in the previous sessions.
With heavy rain falling, the Italian set himself in 8th place with 1'57.554.
With the track still drenched, the configuration of the GSX-RR proved to be effective again, with Iannone confident during the race and able to set a consistent pace.
In the early stages of the race Iannone maintained his pace, keeping up with the leading group, which allowed him to be at the right place at the right time in the end of the race to make his move, overtaking to reach 4th place.
โFinally this was a race that I enjoyed. It has been a positive one for us,โ he said. โI had a good start and was able to keep a consistent pace. I'm happy for the improvements we made from the time of the warm-up to the race which allowed us to find that consistency.โ
โIt's also positive that we could have a good race right here in Japan. It's a good sign after the struggles we have faced this year. We still have much work to do and to improve, but compared to the beginning of the season, we are now more aware of where we can improve.โ
โI want to thank the whole Suzuki Company for all the effort they are putting into the project, and also my crew, and the whole Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. They have never given up and they continue to believe in me.โ
