Top 10 for Tito Rabat in dramatic Argentina battle

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat scored his first MotoGP World Championship top 10 at the conclusion of a dramatic two-part race at the Termas de Rio Hondo track in Argentina this afternoon.

The race was cut from 25 to 20 laps and turned into a flag-to-flag encounter, with riders given a three-lap window between laps nine and 11 to complete a mandatory pit stop to switch machinery in response to tyre endurance concerns.

Rabat brilliantly kept his composure in an incident-packed race to finish in ninth place after just failing to overcome Bradley Smith in a close battle on the final lap. The Spaniard spent much of the second half of the race dicing with Smith and Cal Crutchlow, and he is looking forward to putting the experience gained into good use at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin next weekend.

Tito Rabat: 9th
“It has been a very complicated weekend with the changing weather and track conditions and I think it was very positive outcome for us. In every session we improved the bike and I have gained experience of riding a MotoGP bike in the wet for the first time and the two-part race also gave me the opportunity to understand the flag-to-flag scenario. It was good in the race to make a lap behind Marquez to see how he is riding and where he is strong. In the last laps I really learned a lot when I was with Crutchlow and Smith and it gave me a great chance to understand where I can improve. It is more gaining more experience with my riding technique, so hopefully I can build on this first top 10 in Austin next weekend. Finally I want to say a big thanks to my team. They are giving me great support and we are making progress, which is the most important thing.”

Source – Team Estrella Galicia