Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino go into the longest season in Grand Prix history with optimism and expectations high when the action commences at Portugal’s spectacular Algarve International Circuit this weekend.

• After an intense but successful five days on track in winter testing in Jerez and Portimao, Lowes and Arbolino now turn their attention to fighting for glory in the 21-round Moto2 World Championship.
• Practice action for the Moto2 class gets underway at 950am local time on Friday morning, with the much anticipated new season kicking off at 1215pm on Sunday afternoon over 21 laps.

/// SAM LOWES

• Back to full fitness again after a serious left shoulder injury sidelined him for much of the second half of last season, Lowes is determined to showcase his proven race winning potential again in his ninth campaign in the ultra-competitive Moto2 class.
• With nine victories and 25 podiums in his Moto2 career, Lowes is confident he’ll be adding to that tally throughout 2023 after gelling quickly with the new higher-revving Triumph 765cc three-cylinder engine and updated Kalex chassis during the pre-season.
• The 32-year-old is a big admirer of the challenging and undulating Portimao track and in four previous visits he has impressed with two podium finishes and one pole position.

“I’m enjoying showing my potential again”

“I think everybody is now ready to get going and the most important thing for me in this first race is to have a solid weekend and pick up some important points. It’s been a good winter and I feel strong physically. The package for 2023 with the new Triumph engine and Kalex chassis I feel is very strong and it gives me some margin to feel less on the limit. After the test last weekend I’m sure we are going to be in the mix and battling at the front and that will be the perfect way to get the ball rolling. It wasn’t an easy 2022 for me but I’m enjoying riding again and enjoying being able to show my potential in this great team.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Arbolino starts his second season in the famous Elf Marc VDS Racing Team livery looking to build on the momentum gained during a sensational conclusion to last season.
• Victories in Thailand and Malaysia and a podium to end 2022 in style in Valencia showed why the highly-rated Italian goes into the new campaign as one of the leading title contenders.
• The 22-year-old was locked in an intense podium battle in Portimao last season when he was one of several to fall in chaotic scenes as rain fell in the opening sector on lap nine.

“I feel ready and we have high expectations”

“It has been a very long winter break but the wait is over and now is the time to go racing. I feel ready and am confident all the good work we did in winter testing puts me in a great position to start the season off with a strong result. We collected a lot of information during last weekend’s test in Portimao and I still think we can make our package even more competitive. We need to focus on ourselves and have confidence in what we can achieve. This season is going to very long so being at the maximum concentration is going to be so important. We have high expectations after ending last season with some fantastic results but with the support of my crew I am sure that 2023 can be even better.”