An emotional final round of this year’s Moto2 World Championship lies ahead for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team as Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino look to end 2023 with a victory challenge in Valencia.

• This weekend marks the end of a special five-year journey between Lowes and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team before they embark on an exciting new chapter together in WSBK in 2024.
• Lowes and Arbolino begin preparations for the final round at 950am local time on Friday morning, with the final race of the season due for lights out at 1315pm on Sunday afternoon over 22 laps.

/// SAM LOWES

• The Briton’s 10 season Grand Prix career comes to an end this weekend, with the 33-year-old hoping it can be a fairytale farewell as he looks to add to an impressive tally of 10 wins and 26 podiums.
• Lowes has five previous top 10 finishes at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, which includes a best of fourth in 2016 when he finished less than one second off the podium.
• Lowes was seventh on his most recent appearance in Valencia in 2021, as injury ruled him out of competing in the traditional season finale just over 12 months ago.

“I want to do myself and the Team proud in our last Grand Prix”

“It feels like a different build up to this last round for me knowing it will be my last Grand Prix. I’ve got some mixed emotions heading to Valencia because I’m going to feel quite sad that this is my last race with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team in Moto2. We’ve had some amazing times together, some of the best times of my career and this Team is like my extended family. My only aim is to finish in the best way possible and to do myself and the Team proud. I’m certainly excited about this weekend and looking forward to trying out the new surface, which always make it interesting. The weather doesn’t look too bad either considering how late in the year we are racing, so I feel ready to end this part of my career in positive fashion. In the last few races, the results haven’t been what we’ve wanted but my speed has been there, as I showed in Qatar with a new record lap in the race. Hopefully we can be fast again this weekend with a better result, but I just want to enjoy every moment and finish my last Grand Prix in the best possible way.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• With a hard earned and deserved second place in the World Championship rankings already guaranteed, Arbolino is determined to end a successful 2023 campaign on a high.
• The Italian wants the taste of victory again at the tight and twisty 4km Valencia track after taking the last of his three wins in Moto3 back in 2020.
• Arbolino ended the 2022 Moto2 season on top form with a top three finish and the 23-year-old is hoping history will repeat itself this weekend as he looks to close 2023 on the podium.

“I really want to finish the season strongly”

“I can’t believe we are already at the final race of the season, but Valencia is a race I always look forward to. It’s the last round of a year that has certainly had a few ups and downs. The first half of the season was perfect. I was super strong, we were fighting for the podium in every race, and we were always very competitive. But in the second part it was a little more complicated than we expected, and the results weren’t coming as easy as they had been. But it is in these moments where you can learn a lot that will help make you stronger for the future. I really want to finish the season strongly and then we immediately begin our preparations for 2024 on Monday after Valencia with an important test for the new tyres we will race with next year. But for now, my only goal is to finish 2023 with a result that will give everybody a big boost going into the winter.”