A strong Friday performance saw Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes firmly in the top-three in both CatalanGP practice sessions at Barcelona today.
With his Elf-sponsored team celebrating its 200th Grand Prix this weekend, there was extra pressure on the Brit to showcase the best of his abilities, which he did in style alongside teammate Augusto Fernandez, as the pair executed a dream one-two at the end of FP1.
One of only three riders to post times inside the 1’43 bracket in both 40-minute sessions, Lowes booked his provisional entry into Saturday’s Q2 shootout by concluding the opening day third overall thanks to his 1’43.853 time from this morning, with the 30-year-old confident he can challenge for his fifth front row in seven races, tomorrow.
“I always enjoy riding at this track and last year I had a very strong race, so it’s always a positive feeling to return to a circuit where you know you can be strong,” said Lowes this afternoon.
"I’m happy with today and while some other guys have shown they have good pace, I believe I do too. I improved a bit this afternoon even though the track conditions weren’t ideal.
“We had a look at two different directions with the set-up today and we can now look at the data tonight to check which one gives me the best chance of being right up there again.”
