Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez make a welcome return to the spectacular Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend for round 15 of the 2021 Moto2 World Championship.

• The 5.513km track in the vibrant city of Austin is one of the most demanding on the schedule and is famous for its steep climb into turn one, heavy braking into turn 12 and a series of challenging high-speed changes of direction in its 20-corner layout.
• Lowes and Fernandez have finished together inside the top six in four of the last six races in 2021 and both are looking to launch another strong challenge this weekend when the action gets underway in FP1 on Friday morning at 1055am local time.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

• A first front row start for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team and a determined ride to sixth place maintained the excellent run of form for Fernandez last time out at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
• Fernandez, who recently celebrated his 24^th birthday, is excited to make his debut at COTA this weekend after missing the race in 2019 with a left arm injury suffered in a practice crash in Argentina.

“Top five would be a great result”

“I’m really looking forward to starting the weekend in Austin because it’s a track that I’ve never raced at before. It’s always an exciting prospect to go and learn a new track that looks beautiful but also tricky. It’s going to be important to work in a fast and precise way to understand how to be competitive and how to adapt myself and the bike to the track. I hope to be strong and if I can be in the top five on Sunday on a new track for me then that would be a great result.”

/// SAM LOWES

• The Briton contended for the top three throughout an intense Misano battle earlier this month and he arrives in Austin with confidence high that he’ll be one of the favourites to top the podium in Sunday’s 18-lap race.
• COTA holds special memories for Lowes as the undulating track was the scene of his first Moto2 victory in 2015 and a year later he finished second from the front row.

“I’m looking forward to fighting for the win”

“Austin is a track that I enjoy a lot and it’s where I got my first Grand Prix victory. It has nice memories for me and it’s great to be going to America and racing at a track I love. COTA is a very long and complicated track and it is a big test for a rider because there are so many parts to it where you need to be fast. It makes it interesting for the rider and the team in terms of trying to find the best set-up, but I’m looking forward to being back on the podium and fighting for the win after some strong recent races.”