Tito Rabat backed up his fourth on t🍎he 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 behind factory Ducat🌳i ܫstar and Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso, riding the latest GP18 machine.

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

"We did a superb job, third on Fr🏅iday in dry conditions, fourth iღn qualifying 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 great꧑ to be able to ride in the front group so I saw and learned many things.

"I’m very happy, but this is only the start.♑ We have to continue to work in the same way and keep improving in the next races.”

Team-maꦇte Xavier Sime🌊on had been the highest placed rookie with 17th in qualifying, but was left 21st and last in the race.

“I’m disap♌pointed with the rac🥃e. 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 evenꦅ though I was struggling wit♚h 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🀅."