Sam Lowes recovered from a morning crash at Misano to secure his provisional place in Moto2’s Q2 by Friday’s close of play.

The Elf Marc VDS rider was one of multiple riders to succumb to the Emilia Romagna circuit’s final corner in the sodden session, the Brit losing the front on only his fourth lap of Friday’s FP1 before returning to action, albeit from the back of the grid, in 24th.

The afternoon brought brighter conditions, with Lowes waiting patiently until the surface was dry enough to attack on slick tyres. Instantly challenging for the top three, alongside teammate Augusto Fernandez and fellow countryman Jake Dixon, before his best lap of 1’42.326 comfortably secured him sixth overall and the all-important provisional spot in Q2 heading into Saturday.

“It was quite a good day,” Lowes said. "This morning in the rain I had a crash when I didn’t do much wrong. I had a fall and lost some track time, which wasn’t the best situation but I felt quite good after, even if I didn’t push to set a lap time.

“For me if it’s wet for qualifying or the race, we can be strong, I’m quite happy with the bike. In the afternoon I felt good. When the track was drying, everyone was improving. Of course, you don’t really know or get to see the pace because it’s a different style of session but I feel good.

"I’m happy with the first day. The afternoon was really solid and let’s see what the weather is like tomorrow.”