Marc VDS rider Sam Lowes completed the CatalanGP Moto2 race in seventh after front-running pace aided his fight back from 12th.
The Englishman endured a tough start to the 22-lap race from eighth on the grid, dropping four positions in the first turns to sit outside the top-10 at the end of lap one. Never one to give up, however, Lowes began his fight back immediately and by lap eight, was lapping faster than the leaders. His determined recovery saw him cross the line just 4.8s behind race victor, Remy Gardner, missing out on a sixth place finish by a mere three-tenths at the flag.
“Yesterday, I felt like I lost a bit of feeling and speed and in this class where everything is so tight, if you are down in 12th at the first corner, it makes it difficult” Lowes explained after the race.
“I’m happy with how we recovered and managed the rest of the race because I had similar pace to the top guys and if I had started on the front row, I might have had a chance of the podium. My ideal lap in Q2 would have been the front row and if you start there it is a big help.”
The nine points gained for seventh sees Lowes retain fourth in the championship standings with a tally of 75, after seven rounds. The gap now 64 points to leader Gardner and 26 from Marco Bezzecchi in third.
“Nine points is nothing special but certainly better than some of our recent races,” admitted Lowes.
“We know we’ve thrown away a lot of points, but my speed is there and I’m happy to turn round a difficult weekend with a decent race. It was very important to get some points on the board today and now I’m looking forward to the next double header in Sachsenring and Assen.”
