I was really excited heading into the first race weekend of the season at Phillip Island. We had a solid preseason test here, and the pace in free practice was promising—indeed we set off with the right foot.

Unfortunately, Superpole didn’t go as planned. I crashed out right at the beginning of the session, which meant I had to start from the back of the grid for both races. It was a tough blow, especially after the strong start to the weekend, but we kept our heads down and focused on doing the best we could from that position.

Saturday’s race was a bit of a mixed bag. I managed to make up some positions early on, but during the mandatory pit stop, we had to spend a little extra time in the pitlane to fix an issue with the bike. That cost us valuable seconds, and in a race as tight as this one, it made a big difference in the final result.

Sunday, on the other hand, went much better. I had a strong start and stayed calm, moving up in the classification. I found a good rhythm, managed the tyres well, and in the end, we finished in the top 10. It was a solid way to wrap up the weekend and a positive sign for the rest of the season. We’ll keep working to build on this and be ready for the first European round.