Sam Lowes secured his fifth Moto2 front row of the year for Elf Marc VDS at Assen this afternoon after narrowly missing being demoted by his teammate for the Dutch GP. 

Augusto Fernandez initially claimed third but with the lap being set under yellow flags - thanks to Jorge Navarro’s late session crash - it was quickly deleted, the Brit himself rolling out of his final hot-lap due to the incident. 

Lowes’ 1’36.686, set at the start of the 15-minute qualifying was enough, however, to protect his front row position - his first since Mugello - with the 30-year-old lining up alongside the KTM’s of Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner for Sunday’s 24-lap battle. 

“I’m very happy with how today has gone,”Lowes said this afternoon.

“This morning on used tyres my pace was strong, and I felt very confident going into Q2.

“It was a shame in Q2 because our strategy was to use two new soft rear tyres. It was an excellent plan by the team, and we made a brilliant pit stop but on the last lap I had to slow down because of the yellow flag. That was unfortunate because I felt I could have gone quicker. 

“I wouldn’t have fought for pole because Fernandez was going fast but I feel strong with my race pace. We made a big step compared to yesterday and the team has done a great job giving me a bike that’s capable of fighting for the podium and I’m definitely going to be in the mix. 

I’m feeling good with this track and the bike's working well, so looking forward to a nice race before the break,” he concluded.