Britain’s Sam Lowes concluded official Moto2 testing in Qatar as the fastest rider overall after fending off challenges from Marco Bezzecchi and Remy Gardner.

Countryman Jake Dixon completed an impressive and pain-defying three days to take fourth ahead of Petronas teammate Xavi Vierge - the Spaniard’s Saturday time, however, puts him fractionally ahead in the combined standings - with the top-five split by just two-tenths of a second from Lowes’ 1’58.655 best.

It was all out action as the third and final session of the Moto2 test got underway under the Doha floodlights. Gardner took up the challenge as he topped the standings with an impressive 1’59.075 on just his third lap of the closing 70-minutes, closely followed by Marc VDS man, Lowes. Nicolò Bulega, Marcel Schrotter and Raul Fernandez staked their early claims on the top-five but with just half a second separating the fist nine riders, it was very much all to play for.

10 minutes in and Bezzecchi was the next to push, sliding into second with his fifth lap 0.94 behind the Australian, before repeating the effort to take the lead, this time by just 0.53. Always up for the fight, Lowes was next to challenge, becoming the first rider to enter the 1’58’s - with a ’58.805 - Bezzecchi and Gardner a tenth each behind, before the Italian took his turn at the front. A game of cat and mouse ensued as Lowes again advanced the times on his 13th lap, just 0.013 now separating the duelling pair after half-an-hour on track.

It was another tantalisingly close battle for third as Fernandez improved again to sit narrowly behind teammate Gardner - the KTM duo now split by just 0.021 - and ahead of American Joe Roberts. Bulega, Schrotter, Tony Arbolino, Hector Garzo and Bo Bendsneyder currently holding fast inside the top-10. Further back, Dixon sat 11th, just nine-tenths shy of Lowes best so far, with Ai Ogura and Albert Arenas for company, while Cameron Beaubier got to grips with his new Kalex steed in 25th.

After a mid-session lull, the action warmed up once again as the final 10 minutes approached. Vierge was the first on the move, and up to sixth, before Moto3 Champion Arenas claimed fifth moments later, the Petronas rider hit back with ’59.3 pace to leapfrog Roberts and maintain his hold on the position with Aron Canet following suit behind.

Bendsneyder and Bulega advanced into the ’58’s as the clock counted down, securing third and fourth respectively and demoting the KTM duo in the process with just five minutes remaining before Dixon too hit his mark. Setting a 1’58.837 on his 15th lap, the Brit claimed third - as he had in the day’s second session - with just a minute left on track.

A final flurry of activity as the chequered flag waved saw Dixon’s teammate Vierge join him in the top-four, 0.034 separating the Petronas pair, before a last-ditch effort from Gardner stole third. Bendsneyder saved sixth from Bulega and Fernandez, with Arenas and Canet concluding the top-10. Stefano Manzi finished 11th from Ogura while a dramatically improved Beaubier claimed the American honours, beating out Roberts by just one-hundredth of a second. Schrotter sat 15th from Arbolino and Jorge Navarro with Fabio Di Giannantonio, Garzo and Tom Luthi completing the top-20.