Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino make the long trip from South East Asia to South America this weekend aiming to continue an excellent start to the 2022 Moto2 World Championship campaign at the Termas de Rio Honda track in Argentina.

•  Double top 10 finishes in Qatar and Indonesia mean Lowes and Arbolino arrive in Argentina in a positive frame of mind and ready to attack for the podium again in the first visit to South America since 2019.
• The action in front of Argentina’s passionate fans kicks off with FP1 at 0955am local time on Friday morning and the 23-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 1320pm on Sunday afternoon.

/// SAM LOWES

• A podium and a fourth place in the first two races of 2022 have rocketed Lowes into third position in the overall rankings heading into round three this weekend.
• Confidence and optimism are high that Lowes can be a leading contender for podium success again this weekend after he finished third at Termas de Rio Hondo back in 2015 and he went one better with second from pole position in 2016.

“The main focus this weekend is to fight for the podium again”

“I’m really looking forward to being back in Argentina this weekend because we didn’t get the chance to race there since 2019 and it is a track that I enjoy a lot. I’ve been on pole position there and on the podium, so I always seem to go well there. It is a challenge and in particular the last sector because it is easy to make a mistake and it’s also important to get it right if you’re in a big battle in the race. It is a track that has always been tough for tyres, so you must be clever and manage the pace while thinking about tyre life. The first two races have been very positive and my focus this weekend is to keep the ball rolling and be fighting for the podium again.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Another strong ride to eighth position in the draining heat of Indonesia continued a hugely impressive start to his Elf Marc VDS Racing career for 21-year-old Arbolino.
• The Italian finished third on his last appearance in Termas de Rio Hondo in the 2019 Moto3 encounter and he’s now looking forward to tackling the fast and technical Termas layout for the first time on a Moto2 machine.

“The target is to finish in the top five and keep improving”

“I have a great feeling right now after a strong start to the season and I can’t wait to race again in Argentina. It is a big couple of weeks with Austin following immediately after and I think in both races we have the capability of fighting for something really good. My feeling with the bike is improving a lot and we were able to understand a lot during the first two races that will make us stronger moving forward. We know where we can improve but I go to Argentina very confident. I really like the track and the main target is to finish in the top five, but I also want to keep improving and building on this strong start to 2022.”