The historic Le Mans track is the next stop for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez as they get set to tackle this weekend’s French Grand Prix.

• Three podiums in the opening four races mean Lowes arrives in France just three-points behind World Championship leader Remy Gardner, while Fernandez has started to show his undoubted potential of late with top six challenges in Doha, Portimao and Jerez.
• Lowes and Fernandez are keen to return to action this weekend to put to good use a wealth of information collected during the private two-day test session at the Motorland Aragon track last week.

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ

• Fernandez quickly put the disappointment of a crash out of podium contention in Jerez to complete 152 important laps during the Aragon test that helped him fine-tune the race set-up of his Triumph-powered Kalex machine.
• The iconic Bugatti Circuit is a particular favourite for Fernandez after he finished third there in 2019 and a fourth position last October was a season best result in his first campaign for the Marc VDS Racing Team.

“Le Mans is a track where I’ve always had a good result”

“I’m really excited going into this weekend. Le Mans is a track where I’ve always had a good result. In my first year I finished on the podium and last year I was fourth at the end of strong race. After the successful test in Aragon I am really looking forward to enjoying another good weekend.”

/// SAM LOWES :

• A return to the podium in Jerez last time out and a productive test in Motorland Aragon has made Lowes optimistic that he’ll be a leading contender for the podium in round five on Sunday.
• Lowes had a fantastic French Grand Prix experience last October when he won for the first time in 2020 to mark his 100^th Moto2 appearance in perfect style.

“I am very motivated to make a great weekend”

 “I am really looking forward to this race after our podium in Jerez and I have fantastic memories of winning here in 2020. I am very motivated to make a great weekend, as many of the guys in my side of the garage are French or speaking French! Le Mans is a technical track with lots of hard braking, but I always enjoy riding there. We have some areas to improve on and will start working hard on Friday.”