Friday – Lowes fifth fastest at Misano

Sam Lowes used Friday’s two practice sessions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to evaluate Dunlop’s two rear tyre options, and ended the day in 5th, while Tony Arbolino was 18th.

• Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino used Friday to prepare for the penultimate European race of the season – the San Marino GP – and round 12 of the 2023 season.
• Both riders enjoyed perfect conditions throughout Friday with both sessions taking place under sunny skies. Track temperatures rose from 30 degrees in P1 to 44 degrees in P2.

SAM LOWES, 5th – 1’36.658

• Sam had a clear strategy for Friday: P1 was used to assess Dunlop’s harder rear tyre, while the afternoon was for the softer option. The Briton started the day well, finishing P1 in 10th place.
• The 32-year old posted two solid runs in P2 either side of stopping for a small set-up adjustment. Sam’s second run was impressive, with all 5 laps coming in the 1’36s.

“Tomorrow we will fight for the front row2

“In P1 we focussed on the hard rear tyre all session. Then in P2 we focussed on the softer rear tyre for the full session to try and understand which one will be best for the race. The day was quite positive. Obviously when you have the new rear tyre and the full tank of fuel, it’s not great for the time attack, but our rhythm was quite good. We’re missing in a few areas but I stopped mid-way through P2 and made a change to the bike. So, tomorrow morning with a new tyre we can do a nice step for the lap time. Overall, I’m happy. We’ve evaluated both tyres, and it’s been a good day. We’ll have a good sleep tonight, do a nice lap tomorrow and fight for the front row.”

TONY ARBOLINO, 18th – 1’37.134

• Keen to react after a disappointing Catalan GP, Tony started Friday well, enjoying the improved grip offered up by the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in P1 and finished 9th.
• In the afternoon, Tony encountered some issues when trying to hold his line in the middle of the corner, and will use Saturday morning’s session to improve on his 17th fastest time.

“We can’t be faster in certain points in the middle of the corner”

“This morning we started with the base setting we know. The pace was not so bad. We worked a bit and did some fine-tuning to improve my feeling. But, like in recent weeks, it looks like we can’t be faster in certain points in the middle of the corner. We need to keep going and keep working on that. We have tomorrow morning, which will be a faster session. That’s what we can do: keep believing we can do this and we’ll have another possibility to feel better tomorrow morning.”

Saturday – Third row starts for Marc VDS duo after Misano qualifying

Sam Lowes placed 8^th and Tony Arbolino 9^th in an ultra-competitive Q2 session at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Saturday.

• Like Friday, conditions were perfect for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino, who rode under clear, sunny skies all day. Track temperatures peaked at 43 degrees during Q2.
• As is usually the case at the short 4.23km Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, times were exceptionally tight in Moto2 qualifying as half a second covered the first 11 riders in Q2.

SAM LOWES, 8^th – 1’36.541

• Sam showcased podium level rhythm through P3. At the end of the session his quickest time, which would have been good enough for 3^rd, was cancelled due to a yellow flag, meaning he ended the session 14^th.
• The Briton had hopes of securing a front row start but didn’t feel as comfortable in the hotter temperatures and struggled to post a clean lap over a 9-lap run. Still, Sam was just 0.34s off Celestino Vietti’s pole position time.

“I didn’t put the perfect lap in”

“It was OK. I didn’t feel so good in the hotter conditions this afternoon. I didn’t put the perfect lap in. Of course, we wanted to be in a stronger starting position than P8. But my pace seems good. I’m looking forward to the race. When it gets into the second half, my rhythm will be quite strong. I expected a bit more today so we’re disappointed with this position. As always at Misano it’s really tight, really close. Let’s see for tomorrow. We’ll try to get a good start and do a nice job.”

TONY ARBOLINO, 9^th – 1’36.559

• At first glance, P3 didn’t appear to go so well for Tony as he finished 19^th. But the Italian felt he made a breakthrough with set-up, and posted his fastest time – a 1’36.790 – with 16 laps on his rear tyre, a good indicator for Sunday’s race.
• The 23-year old then came through Q1 by setting the 2^nd fastest time, just 0.001s from 1^st. And his speed in Q2 was much-improved, as he placed 9^th, just 0.358s back of pole.

“I’m feeling great for tomorrow’s race2

“Yesterday I said we needed to keep working and believing as always. It’s a long season and you get many different feelings across the year. Also, here it wasn’t the best weekend after the Practice sessions. But now it looks better as I have good pace. I tried to extract the best lap time in Q2 but I wasn’t quite able to do it. We lost a few tenths somewhere on track. But I’m feeling great for tomorrow’s race. Like I always do, I’ll give my everything.”

Sunday – Fourth place for Arbolino at home in Misano

Tony Arbolino recovered five positions in the San Marino GP to claim a crucial 4^th place for his championship challenge while Sam Lowes suffered an unfortunate crash when 6^th.

• For the third straight day on the Italian Riviera, conditions were perfect for the San Marino GP, with Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino riding in track temperatures of 39 degrees.
• Sunday was comfortably the biggest attendance of the weekend, with 79,424 fans present at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the 12^th Moto2 race of the year.

SAM LOWES, DNF

• Starting from 8^th on the grid, Sam enjoyed a strong start and gained one place on the first lap before settling in behind team-mate Tony on the second, and finding his rhythm.
• The Briton passed Filip Salac for 6^th on lap 11 before closing in on a 4-rider fight for 3^rd. But a Turn 1 crash on lap 16, when he lost the front, ended his race prematurely.
• Sam now sits 12^th in the World Championship, with 74 points.

“I crashed when I had good pace and was coming forward”

“The race was OK. I didn’t make a bad start and the first laps were what I expected. The pace was quite good, but I was struggling in a couple of areas on the track, where I didn’t expect to. In the last sector in the two left handers and on the straight I was losing a bit of time compared to the other guys. That made it difficult to pass. It was an unfortunate end to the race as we obviously didn’t finish. I crashed when I had good pace and was coming forward. It’s disappointing and I have to apologise to the team for that. But we have to improve because there are some areas where we’re giving too much away to be able to fight well in the races. We’ll keep working and looking forward to India. It’s a new circuit for everyone and a new place. Well done to Tony to come back and get a top four finish after a tough weekend.”

TONY ARBOLINO, 4^th

• Launching from 9th on the grid, Tony gained one place on lap one, before passing team-mate Sam for 7^th at the start of lap 2.
• By the 16^th lap, Tony had continued his excellent progress, passing Manuel Gonzalez for 4^th before pushing to close the 1.5s gap to Alonso Lopez in 3^rd. In the end the 23-year old missed out on a home podium by just 1.3s.
• Tony’s 8^th top 4 finish of the year keeps him 2^nd in the World Championship with 177 points, 34 behind leader Pedro Acosta.

“We have our good feeling back”

“I enjoyed this race a lot! Honestly, it wasn’t the best weekend for us, especially when we tried to push on the first two days. So, what we tried to do was do our absolute maximum today. The guys gave me a lot of feeling in the box which helped me believe in myself. We still have a lot of races to go and we have our good feeling back before the first flyaway race. This is what my target was coming here. I feel good about myself. We weren’t able to polish the bike setting so much on Friday. So, we were a bit behind when we got to the race. But anyway, I can be really happy and proud of myself today. I showed once again what my level is.”