The historic Bugatti track in Le Mans presents Elf Marc VDS Racing riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino with another great opportunity for podium success in round seven of the 2022 Moto2 World Championship.

• Lowes and Arbolino have been consistently two of the fastest men in the ultra-competitive Moto2 field so far this season and they are fully motivated to deliver another strong performance in Sunday’s French Grand Prix.
• Free Practice in Le Mans gets underway at 1055am local time on Friday morning and the 25-lap race is due to start at 1220pm on Sunday.

/// SAM LOWES

• A successful two-day test session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain last week sees Lowes arrive at Le Mans eager to rediscover his podium form to claim a second French Grand Prix victory.
• The British rider won at Le Mans in the 2020 season from second position on the grid and he has also recorded top six finishes at the iconic Bugatti track in 2016 and 2017.

“I’ve won at Le Mans before and I want to feel that emotion again”

“I really like Le Mans because it is a track that features a lot of hard braking, and this is an area where I feel we are always very strong. You need to be aggressive there and that suits my style. I’ve already had one victory with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team in Le Mans and that’s an experience and emotion I’d like to feel again. We need a solid finish this weekend because three DNFs in a row isn’t ideal. Two of them were out of my control but I feel like I’m riding well and I’m looking forward to being competitive and finding some momentum again with a big point scoring finish.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• The Italian has been a revelation since joining the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team and two podium finishes in the last three races has put Arbolino firmly in early World Championship contention.
• Arbolino is optimistic of delivering another top three challenge this weekend after finishing second in the 2020 Moto3 round and a fantastic fourth place one year ago was the 21-year-old’s best result in his rookie season in Moto2.

“I’m looking at finishing in the top five again”

“Le Mans is a track that I like a lot and I go there full of confidence after our recent results but also because last year I was able to take my best finish in my first season in Moto2. With more experience of this category now it would be great to be fighting at the front again. I feel we have improved my feeling with the bike in every race so far this and that will be one of the main goals again. I’m looking at finishing in the top five again and the good news is the weather looks like it will be nice and stable because that can sometimes make the Le Mans weekend quite complicated.”