This weekend’s Moto2 clash at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya marks a special milestone in the proud history of the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team, with Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez set to star in the team’s 200^th Grand Prix.

• The special anniversary makes Lowes and Fernandez even more determined to get their season back on track after strong performances in practice and qualifying in Mugello last weekend couldn’t be converted into positive results.
• Motivation and confidence remain high heading to Catalunya, with Lowes and Fernandez ready for battle to commence when Moto2 completes Sunday’s race schedule after MotoGP at 1430pm local time.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

• A run of three successive DNFs certainly doesn’t reflect the speed and potential of Fernandez of late and he is fully focused on making a return to the points scoring places this weekend.
• The fast and technical Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the perfect venue for Fernandez to rediscover his best form again after he finished fourth from pole position there in 2019 and was less than a second off the podium.

“I hope to turn our fortunes around this weekend”

“I can’t wait to be back on the bike on Friday in Barcelona after a recent run where I’ve not managed to finish the last three races. Crashing in three races in a row and scoring no points, when it is clear we have good pace to be fighting at the front is not positive for us, and I hope to turn our fortunes around this weekend. I’m still feeling confident and the very good test we had in Barcelona recently makes me motivated to start riding on Friday. The main goal of this weekend is to finish and score some points. I know this is a very significant weekend for the team with it being their 200^th Grand Prix, and nobody will be trying harder than me to make it a successful one.”

/// SAM LOWES

• A productive one-day test session recently at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya makes Briton Lowes optimistic that he can bounce back quickly from the disappointment of crashing out of victory contention in Mugello last weekend.
• The high speed and flowing nature of the Catalunya venue is well suited to the aggressive riding style of Lowes and last season he finished less than a second behind race winner Luca Marini after starting from the front row.

“I’m looking to get some big points on Sunday”

“After the last two races, I’m happy we are already getting to race again this weekend. Finishing second last year at Catalunya, and after a good test, I’m feeling positive for the weekend. We have a nice base to start Friday with and I am looking for a solid weekend and to get some big points on the board on Sunday in what is a very special moment in the history of this great team.”