The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team is excited and ready to go racing in 2024, with the Moto2 World Championship commencing under the spectacular night lights in Qatar this weekend.

• The 15^th season of competition for the Moto2 category starts with huge expectation and anticipation for Elf Marc VDS Racing, who head into the new campaign with ambitious and talented duo Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac.
• The Lusail International Circuit clash in Qatar is the first of a record-breaking 21 rounds to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of Grand Prix racing, and 2024 comes with a fascinating new technical challenge now the Moto2 field will race on Pirelli tyres for the first time.
• A landmark season starts with Free Practice at 1450pm local time on Friday with Arbolino and Salac racing over 18 laps at 1815pm on Sunday evening.

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Three victories and a further five podiums saw Arbolino finish second overall in last year’s title race and his full focus and main target is to go one better this season to become a fourth Moto2 World Champion for Elf Marc VDS Racing.
• The Italian ended pre-season testing in Jerez last week fourth fastest and it was in Doha back in 2021 that Arbolino scored his first points in the Moto2 World Championship with 11^th in just his second outing.
• Arbolino had to show all his fighting qualities on his most recent visit to Qatar last November when he held off Joe Roberts and former Elf Marc VDS Racing teammate Sam Lowes to finish 10^th in the penultimate round of 2023.

“We have to make sure we’re competitive in every round”

“It has felt like quite a long winter, so I am super excited to go racing again. It’s time to find out who has prepared in the best way, but I believe we have a wonderful opportunity to achieve great things in 2024. I’m confident we have the potential to have a very good start to the season. But this is going to be a long year and we have to make sure we are competitive in every round. Right now, all I am thinking about is Qatar and getting the season off to a strong start.”

/// FILIP SALAC

• Salac is determined to get his first year for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team off to a strong start in what is his third season racing in the ultra-competitive Moto2 category.
• The Czech rider enjoyed an instant rapport with his crew in a positive winter testing campaign and is optimistic he can improve on his previous best result in Qatar, which was an eighth place in Moto3 to kick off 2020.
• Salac is certainly looking for a big weekend to forget the disappointment of his last trip to Qatar when he encountered a technical issue on the sighting lap and was unable to start the race four months ago.

“A strong result always gives you an early boost”

“I can’t wait to get the new season started. Qatar is a track I like and it’s always a great feeling to be starting with the race under lights. I’m so excited and proud to be racing in the Elf Marc VDS Racing livery for the first time and I think we can go into round one with a lot of confidence. Testing was not easy at times with a couple of crashes, but we learned a lot together and I feel great in this team. The goal this weekend is to enjoy the first race but also to come away with a strong result because that always give you an early boost.”