Tony Arbolino and Sam Lowes are hoping to replicate their great comebacks a week ago after they qualified 8^th and 14^th respectively for the Argentinean GP.

• There were mixed conditions for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino to deal with on Saturday at the 4.8km Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit, with the morning P3 starting in the wet before drying and Q2 taking place on a dry track with damp patches.

/// SAM LOWES, 14^th – 1’43.135

• Still not feeling 100% while suffering from the flu, Sam only took to the track at the end of P3 as the track was sufficiently dry to fit slick tyres. His six-lap run resulted in the 7^th fastest time.
• A few changes to the Briton’s set-up didn’t result in Sam feeling more comfortable in qualifying, meaning he couldn’t place higher than 14^th, 0.663s off pole position. But the 32-year is confident his race pace will help him climb through the field tomorrow.

“I’m confident we can come forward”

“We didn’t do a great qualifying. I think we went in the wrong direction with set-up. Also, I didn’t manage to do the best lap. We feel like we’ve got good pace like last week and can come forward in the race. Now we have to use all the information we got from the different sessions this weekend, put it all together and pick the best direction for race day. We have a good plan and I’m confident we can come forward, use our strong points toward the end of the race and get some solid points for the championship.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 8^th – 1’42.965

• Like his team-mate, Tony opted for the track to dry in P3 before posting 5 laps at the end of the session, with his final time good enough for 5^th.
• The 22-year old didn’t have the feeling he wanted in the first half of Q2 however and had to pit midway through the session to fit a new rear tyre. Unfortunately, he couldn’t improve on his final exit and ended Q2 0.493s off pole. Still, Tony’s consistency on Friday suggests he can rise through the field on Sunday.

“We have the pace and the control to be at the front”

“The result wasn’t the best but I’m happy with my feeling with the bike. In Q2 we just weren’t able to put together all the sectors in the lap in a good way and that’s what we missed. But we’ll keep going. Tomorrow is race day. I think we have the pace and the control to be there, at the front. Then we need to be aggressive and strong toward the end in the final laps, but we’re ready to do it.”