A solid race at the Phillip Island circuit allowed Andrea Iannone to finish in 6th place after a hard fight for the podium.
With temperatures rising and the sun drying the track for the afternoon, the improvements made recently in the setup paid off and allowed Iannone to perform more effectively.
Very fast at the start, Iannone immediately positioned himself well in the leading group, with a solid pace and strong riding.
He fought fiercely in the top six positions for the entirety of the race and he was also able to come within reach of a podium position nearing the end. However he was not able to convert the opportunity into reality and get the podium at the chequered flag.
He was forced to drop back a few places in the very last two laps.
โThe race for sure has been a positive one for us,โ he said. โIt's been a while since we fought in the leading group for the whole race. I'm happy for how we've worked during this weekend; the whole team and Suzuki did a great job in the last two races.โ
โWe all know that we still have to improve, following this direction we've found, and I'm confident for the future. I'm disappointed that I couldn't finish in a better position, but I couldn't feel enough grip to make use of our acceleration and keep up with the others.โ
โAnyway I gave it all I had. In the very last laps I also found myself in third and second place, but I had to let up because I couldn't really control the bike. I want to thank the whole team and the Company and I hope I will be able to reward them with a positive 2018.โ
