After a strong run of form saw Sam Lowes battling championship leader Luca Marini for the win in Barcelona last-time-out, the Marc VDS rider arrives in France currently level with Scott Redding as the most successful British podium finisher in Moto2 history, and eyeing a third consecutive rostrum this weekend as his championship hopes intensify.

Having scored points in five of his six previous visits to Le Mans, with top-six results in 2015 and 2016, a debut podium at the French circuit is certainly the target for the 30-year-old.

"I'm looking forward to Le Mans because it’s a circuit I like. I’ve had quite good results in the past, although in 2019 it didn't go very well. I've never been on the podium, so it would be nice to be able to make it.

“The track is very different compared to those we've visited in the last few races. It is quite stop-and-go with strong braking. I hope to do a good job on this circuit because this year I have improved a lot in the braking area. The goal will be to prepare well for the race and try to add as many points as possible on Sunday.

“The big question will be the weather and it is possible that we will have some rain. We haven't ridden in the wet this year so it will be a great challenge for the team and for me to be competitive in those conditions"

Cold temperatures and potentially wet conditions look set to ensure Le Mans’ legendary Bugatti circuit provides some of the most testing conditions of the season so far as the Moto2 World Championship get set for round 10 this weekend but the Brit, who currently lies fourth in the rankings, 47-points behind Marini, has no qualms about the weather.

“It’s actually been a while since I’ve rode in the rain. It’s looking like Friday will be wet as well, the worst thing is when you have to go into a wet race with no practice before but it looks like we’re going to get some.

“I like riding in the rain, obviously being from England I’ve had quite a lot of practice of the cold, damp and wet weather so I’m not nervous about it. The bike, I don’t know how it’s going to hold up in the rain but obviously a lot of us are on the same bike so it’s the same for everybody.

“I’m just thinking quite positive, the way I’m riding the bike now, I’m a bit smoother, also the way I can manage with the engine brake and my rear brake means I can probably get away with running a bit less engine brake than the past which will always be a bit better in the rain because you slide less, so there’s some positives and I’m eager to get out there to see where it’s at.”

Le Mans kicks off another three successive race weekends on the bounce, with a final trio set for November but has the condensed schedule and multiple triple-headers forced Lowes to adjust his mid-season routine in regards to both preparation and the all-important recovery?

“Regarding the triple headers, yeah, a little bit. My shoulder after Catalunya, we went home for a few days and my shoulder was quite sore. Obviously it’s given me no issues on the bike but I’m still recovering a bit from that injury so I’m just trying to manage that quite well and not overwork it, training-wise, but it’s not really too much more physically demanding having three races in a row - I’d race every weekend if I could!

“It’s more of a mental thing, if you have a good start to the trio, then a good second race, you feel like you can carry that momentum, that’s quite nice. Obviously the opposite side of that is if you have a bad start to the trio, and the races come thick and fast when it’s going bad, it can be more difficult.

I’m just keeping the same approach. Switch off a little bit on the Monday/Tuesday, don’t think about it too much and then from Wednesday/Thursday refocus, I try and keep it the same every weekend so even if it’s the second Aragon, or the second Misano, still just do the same thing, rather than, I felt you could get into the stage where you don’t analyse it as much because it’s the same track but I’ve tried to just keep all of it individual. It’s the next race, go on the Wednesday, do the track walk on the Thursday, do all the things I always do. For me it’s been nice, I enjoy it, especially after the time off at the start of the year, it’s been good to get as many races as it looks like we’re going to get in so it’s no problem.”

With his momentum on the rise, after two podiums and a battle for the win in recent races, talk of Lowes’ championship hopes has also increased but does he think there is enough time left to challenge?

“I think three races ago I would have said definitely not, now, I’m feeling quite good, I’m building the confidence and I feel quick in a lot of situations.

“I think it’s realistic to say we can fight for the top-three in the championship, we’re not that far off that now. Marini’s been quite solid at a lot of different tracks and he seems to be in a really good way but it’s always difficult to get it across the line, so now with the way the races are, with two blocks of three, if I can have really good weekends with Le Mans, Aragon, Aragon - which is two good tracks for me, then who knows!

“My attitude has changed, just naturally, and when I’m home training the past couple of weeks, I know I can think about going to the next race and fight to win and see where it goes in the championship. To win the championship? I think I’m a little bit too far behind. Definitely to get in the top-three but the top-two is what I’m working towards, 100 per cent.”