Tito Rabat backed up his fourth on the grid start with a MotoGP best of seventh place in Sunday's Arg🅷entina MotoGP.

The new Reale Avintia rider finished just half-a-second behin𓆏d factory Ducati star and🌞 Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso, riding the latest GP18 machine.

“It was a grea🌸t weekend and I’m extremely happy with the work of my team and the performance of my Ducati," Rabat said.

"We did a superb job, third on Friday in dry conditions, fourth in q༒ualifying yesterday and today I scored my best result in MotoGP in a very tricky race.

"Just to finish the race was a success in itself, but being so close to the front was fantastic. It was great to be able to ride in the front group so I saw and learned ma🐓ny things.

"I’m very happy, but this is only the start. We have to continue to work in t♏he same way and keep improving 📖in the next races.”

Team-mate Xavier Simeon had been the highest placed rookie with 17th in qua𝕴lifying, but was left 21st and last in the race.

“I’m disappointed with the race. I made a mistake after five or six laps on the back straight🃏 and I lost contact with the group that was fighting for the points.

"I felt comfortable even though I was struggling with some grip issues getting the bike into the turns and under acceleration. But I braked very hard and with the carbon brakes I ♏did a stoppie and I had to go wide to avoid crashing.

"From then my race was finished.

"But overall I’m happy with ♕this weekend. Yesterday I was the best rookie in qualifying, but today I expected more from the race. We learnt a lesson and now we have to analyse what happened and work harder for the next race."