Moto2’s title-deciding final round got off to an exceptional start in Portugal today as Sam Lowes fought through the pain to battle at the top of both extended Friday practice sessions despite the hand injury picked up in Valencia last weekend.
Gorgeous late-autumn sunshine and pleasant 21℃ temperatures created ideal conditions at the rollercoaster Algarve International Circuit as the first Portuguese Grand Prix in eight years got underway, with both sessions extended to 55 minutes allowing Lowes the perfect opportunity to reacquaint himself with the spectacular 4.5km track.
Having undergone round-the-clock treatment on the right-hand injury suffered in the aftermath of a heavy FP3 crash six days ago, Lowes defied constant discomfort to focus on finding the optimum gearbox and suspension set-up for the unique challenge of the Portimão circuit this morning.
Fast from the off, the Brit sat at the top of the times during the opening 10 minutes, repeatedly returning to the front group throughout FP1 before concluding the first session 11th, just six-tenths shy of Marcos Ramirez’ benchmark.
Demonstrating pure grit and excellent progress throughout the afternoon’s action, Lowes again dominated the final session until the dying moments, having made a massive improvement of 1.2s on his earlier best. Luca Marini, however, outpaced the Marc VDS rider on his final lap to take the combined times by less than two-tenths.
“Honestly, I’m surprised to be this fast” explained Lowes this evening “but I love this track and it’s great that MotoGP has come here for the first time,” said Lowes.
“It’s so much fun to ride but I have to admit that I’m struggling a little with the hand injury. It’s tough in the changes of direction and stopping the bike isn’t easy as well, so the team have helped me a lot today with the setting to try and make me as comfortable as possible.
“I think we can improve a bit in both areas tomorrow but it’s positive to be so fast and competitive in my current condition. We can definitely find some more performance from myself and the bike, but I feel a lot better than I expected after a very difficult few laps at the start of this morning.”
