Both Augusto Fernandez and Sam Lowes starred in a brilliant fight at the front at the TT Circuit Assen with Augusto taking his first podium in Elf Marc VDS Racing Team colours while Lowes finished a strong fourth.

• Despite the threat of rain across the weekend, the 24-lap Moto2 race at the TT Circuit Assen took place in fully dry conditions with ambient temperatures of 23 degrees.
• It was a sterling performance by both Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders, with Augusto Fernandez and Sam Lowes challenging for the victory along with Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez throughout an exciting four-rider battle.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ, 3^rd

• After qualifying eighth, Augusto started brilliantly, climbing three positions in the first two laps. By lap five, he was leading a Moto2 race for the first time this year.
• While the 23-year old had no answer for Raul Fernanedz in the closing laps, he posted his personal best lap of the race on the penultimate lap to finish a well-deserved third.
• Augusto’s first podium finish since September, 2019 (Misano GP) lifts him four places to eighth in the world championship, with 50 points to his name.

“It was a very good race”

“Very happy! It was a very good race. It was a good comeback starting from the third row. I quickly recovered positions. I was leading early on and was really consistent with my lap times. We didn’t have the perfect gearing and I made some mistakes. I hit a neutral in turn five, which cost me a lot of time, maybe not the race, but for sure some distance there. Anyway, finishing the first part of the season with a podium is great. We were so strong all weekend and also in the last races. We’ve been coming and today it paid off a little bit! Now we’ll focus on the second half of the season, to be consistent and go for the win because that’s why we’re here. Happy with the podium and we’ll keep working!”

/// SAM LOWES, 4^th

• The Briton enjoyed his best race start of the year, rising from third on the grid to lead across the line for the first time.
• The 30-year old led from laps seven to 13, and looked comfortable behind his team-mate, when demoted to second on lap 14. But Sam just missed out on a podium, coming home fourth, 1.8s back of the winner.
• Sam’s fourth top-4 finish of 2021 strengthens his fourth place in the championship with 99 points, 85 behind leader Remy Gardner.

“Overall, it’s been a good weekend”

“Of course, when you’re in a battle like this it’s never nice to be fourth. But it was a solid ride and I was happy to be fighting at the front. I was strong in the first laps, and had good pace. Overall, it’s been a good weekend. The last few weeks have not been about winning, but building up the points. I made a small mistake on the last lap, which meant I couldn’t pass into the last chicane. Raul was a step ahead but Raul and Augusto and I had a similar pace. It’s a nice to go into the summer break after that race because there were a lot of positives to build on. It was a nice race, good for the fans and I enjoyed it. I’ll knuckle down now and train hard for Austria. It’s been a solid first part of the year. We’re missing some points, which we gave away in Mugello. But overall, it’s been OK and we’re looking to come out fighting after the summer break. Thank you to the team and well done to Augusto. He’s had some difficult times and it’s nice to see him back on the podium.”