Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez head to Valencia for the Moto2 season finale this weekend determined to conclude 2021 with a double podium challenge.

• Lowes arrives at the tight and twisty Ricardo Tormo track in buoyant mood after taking back-to-back podium finishes in Misano and Portimao, while Fernandez is determined to end his two-year spell with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team with a top result.
• The final showdown is scheduled to be contested over 25 laps and commence at 1220pm local time on Sunday.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

• The Spaniard’s hard fought ninth place last weekend at the spectacular Algarve International Circuit in Portugal was an impressive ninth top 10 finish in a row and his big target this weekend in Valencia will be securing fifth position in the final standings.
• A sixth place finish in the final round of the 2019 World Championship campaign is the best result in four visits to Valencia for Fernandez, who has scored points on each occasion he’s raced at the 4km track.

“I’m excited to finish with a strong performance”

“This last race of 2021 means a lot to me. Not only is it the last race of the season but it’s also my last race with the team and I really want our relationship that I have enjoyed so much to finish on a high note. The last race was quite difficult for me and although we got a top 10 in Portimao it was not the result we expected. I’m excited to get back on the bike now and finish the season with a good result and strong performance. I think the team and myself deserve it because in the second half of this year we have been so strong.”

/// SAM LOWES

• A rousing recovery from eighth on the grid to third place in Portimao to follow up a stunning Misano victory continued the Briton’s fantastic run of form in the closing stages of the 2021 campaign.
• The 31-year-old has good reason to be confident of more success this weekend having scored four top 10 finishes previously at Valencia with a best of fourth in 2016.

“I feel ready to be at the front again”

“I feel great going to Valencia this weekend off the back of two nice races and two podiums. My most recent memory of Valencia isn’t the best because it was there last year where I got the hand injury, so I feel like I’ve got a bit of a score to settle with the track. We’ve got a lot of data and information at this track, and I feel ready to be at the front again. The atmosphere is always fantastic with a stadium feel to it and I’m hoping a lot of fans will be coming to support us. I feel very confident that I can have a good race and finish in the best way possible before we focus on a strong winter and coming back to fight for the title in 2022.”