Britain’s Sam Lowes has targeted his first points finish in tomorrow’s Jerez MotoGP clash after making good progress with race runs in free practice today.

Lowes ended the fourth session only 1.3s off the pace of leader Marc Marquez, setting a 1’40.802 compared to the reigning champion’s 1’39.467, and believes he can run a competitive enough race-distance to get to the top 15.

Qualifying didn’t go well for the Aprilia man when his fuel pump broke at the end of pitlane but the Isle of Man resident still got in some track time. He also used Aprilia’s aero-package fairing and will race with it tomorrow.

“At the beginning of Q1 we were hindered by a small problem with the fuel pump. That kept me from making a second run, where I could have improved. In fact, this weekend I am feeling at ease with the bike and I am taking some good steps forward,” said Lowes.

“I am optimistic about the race, partially because in FP4 I maintained a very consistent pace - enough to be able to battle with the riders ahead of me - so the goal is to try to earn my first points. Today I used the new downforce fairing and I will also use it in the race. It helps me to have more stability coming out of corners.”