Ben Spies was just as surprised as he was pleased to have finished in the top ten of the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

The American had struggled to qualify 13th on Saturday, having suffered a heavy crash in final practice less than an hour before. In the race, the Ignite Pramac Racing rider made up three positions to finish behind teammate Andrea Iannone.


"It was the best tenth place I’ve ever had in my life," he said, still suffering with the right shoulder injury he picked up in last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

"The race was good. We got off to a good start, but I knew I couldn’t run with a good pace for a long time. I was actually worried before the race, because after (Saturday’s) crash and straining my shoulder in practice, I didn’t think we’d be able to finish.

"Once I saw that the top ten wasn’t impossible, I just pushed as hard as I could and I was able to make it. I just want to thank the guys for doing everything they could to make the bike easier to ride - and I was happy. We finished the first race and that’s the most important thing."

Spies has switched to Pramac Racing from Yamaha Factory Racing, with whom any luck appeared to completely desert him in 2012.

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