Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino kick off a busy and important period in the 2022 Moto2 World Championship battle at Italy’s stunning Mugello track this weekend, which is the first of four races in the next five weeks.

• The focus heading to Italy’s spectacular Tuscany mountains is to bounce back quickly from the recent Le Mans round in France where Lowes and Arbolino left empty handed from a weekend full of potential and promise.
• Lowes and Arbolino kick off the intermediate World Championship category action in FP1 at 1055am local time on Friday, with the 21-lap race scheduled to start at 1220pm on Sunday afternoon.

/// SAM LOWES

• Lowes can’t wait to showcase his aggressive riding style around the high-speed and undulating Mugello track, as the Briton looks to return to podium contention after bad luck and injury prevented him from scoring in the last four races.
• Neck pain and dizziness from a heavy qualifying crash saw Lowes withdraw from the French Grand Prix, but he is eager to get his season back on track at Mugello where he scored a third place back in 2016.

“I’m feeling much better and I’m ready for Mugello”

“I’m getting better each day after the big crash in Le Mans that meant unfortunately, I couldn’t compete in France. I took a few days off to rest and recover and I’m not going to say it wasn’t difficult because the crash was a big one. But I’m feeling a lot better now and I’ll be ready for Mugello. I love that track. It is incredible and it will be great to have fans back again because they create a fantastic atmosphere. It’s the home race for Tony as well, so I’m looking forward to a real positive weekend, and racing in Italy now is like a second home for me given my family connections. After an unfortunate run of races recently I’m more determined than ever to come out fighting and being at the front.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Arbolino comes into his crucial home Grand Prix just 38-points off the lead in the title chase and he is excited and motivated to impress in front of the Italian fans this weekend, who are back on the famous Mugello hillsides for the first time since 2019.
• The Italian knows how special it is to taste success in his home round at Mugello after he won a thrilling Moto3 battle there from pole position in 2019.

“A podium in my home Grand Prix would be amazing”

“I can’t wait to get to Mugello. It is an exciting weekend for me and all the Italian fans. The circuit is amazing and one of the best on the calendar. And the support we get from the home crowd can really inspire you and I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for the Italian fans. Coming off the back of the DNF in Le Mans gives me extra motivation to do well. We’ve had some great races this year and I really want to have another one this weekend to build back up some momentum. My goal is to be on the podium and to do that in my home Grand Prix would be amazing.”