The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team embarks on its 12^th season in the ultra-competitive Moto2 World Championship in 2021 with confidence and expectations high for Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez.

• Lowes and Fernandez head into round one this weekend in Doha full of motivation and self-belief after completing a productive seven-day winter testing schedule in Valencia, Jerez and Qatar.
• Sunday’s Qatar curtain-raiser is the first of two races to take place under the spectacular Losail International Circuit floodlights before a long sequence of European races gets underway at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal on April 18.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ:

• Three positive tests gave Fernandez the perfect opportunity to form an immediate understanding with new crew chief Lucio Nicastro and going into the Spaniard’s third full season in Moto2 he ended the final winter outing close to the top 10 last weekend.
• The first time Fernandez competed in Qatar in 2019 he narrowly missed the podium by less than 0.2s after a memorable battle with Marcel Schrotter and Remy Gardner.
• The 23-year-old was fighting inside the points again last year but unfortunately crashed out on lap three.

“I’m really excited to get the season started”

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend and the first race of the season. It has been a busy month with all the testing but now we’re starting racing and I can’t wait. We still have to try a few things on the bike during the weekend because a crash on the final night of the test prevented me from completing my full schedule. But I can’t wait to get back on the bike on Friday and I’m really excited to get the season started.”

/// SAM LOWES:

• Fast and consistent in the Valencia and Jerez tests, Lowes continued his excellent form in the final pre-season showdown in Qatar to set the fastest time overall last weekend.
• The discomfort from a serious right shoulder injury suffered during the 2020 pre-season forced Lowes to withdraw from last year’s Qatar encounter after he bravely rode through the pain barrier in FP1 and FP2.
• The 30-year-old has twice finished inside the top six in Qatar, including an eye-catching Moto2 World Championship debut back in 2014. He was also sixth in 2019 and only 1.2s away from a rostrum finish.

“I need to get the season started in the best possible way”

“I’m really excited to get the season started and I can’t wait to see what’s possible in the two races in Qatar. I’m expecting it to be a close and hard fight because all of us have done a lot of laps on the same track, so I think there’s going to be a lot of riders with very strong pace. I need to get the season kicked off in the best possible way and I know myself and the team are ready to go. The team have done a brilliant job all winter and I’m excited and ready and looking forward to making a strong start under the lights.”