Former MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis overcame Scott Redding and Andrea Iannone to earn his first Moto2 victory in a close race at Phillip Island.
De Angelis (JiR Motobi) had taken his first pole in the series yesterday, but could not hold that advantage at the start, as Aspar's Mike di Meglio, Speed Up rider Iannone and Marc VDS Suter man Redding swept past.
It was Redding who emerged in front by the end of lap one, blasting around the outside of both di Meglio and Iannone as they diced into Turn 3. The Italian and the British riders then started a long battle that saw Iannone repeatedly blast past Redding on the pits straight, while Redding kept re-taking the lead in the sweeping corners further around the lap.
This became a three-way fight with de Angelis by lap seven, with the polesitter finally getting back to the front at half-distance. He briefly lost the lead to Iannone again, but after a mistake at Siberia on lap 15 dropped the Speed Up rider to third, de Angelis was able to make a break and inch away.
Redding held on to second, his maiden win remaining elusive, while Iannone had to settle for third.
Di Meglio stayed with the leaders at first, before fading to sixth, behind his team-mate Julian Simon and Kiefer Suter's Stefan Bradl.
Champion Toni Elias spent the whole race embroiled in the massive battle for seventh - which at one stage featured 11 riders covered by just two seconds. Elias eventually worked his way to the front of this pack, ahead of Simone Corsi, Alex Debon and Karel Abraham.