After preparing thoroughly over the last four months, Augusto Fernandez and Sam Lowes are confident and keen to return to Moto2 competition, with sights set firmly on a podium challenge when the 2020 campaign resumes in Jerez this weekend.

• The Spanish Grand Prix kicks off the revised MotoGP calendar after a long four-month break caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The remainder of the 2020 Moto2 World Championship will be contested over 13 races in Europe following the long break without action after the season opener in Qatar back in early March.
• This Sunday’s encounter will be the first of two races to be staged at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit, with the second round taking place next weekend under the name of Gran Premio de Andalucía.
• Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS returns to Jerez full of motivation at a track where last year it experienced one of the most intense and dramatic moments of a successful year. After being involved in a multi-rider incident on the opening lap, which resulted in the race being red flagged, the team produced a minor miracle to rebuild Alex Marquez’s bike in record time for the restart.
• With the aim of getting the restarted action underway with strong results, the team has prepared intensely during these four months by carrying out several private tests in Jerez, Misano, Aragon and Catalunya.

Pre-GP Test:

Due to the lengthy break and absence of any official testing prior to the resumption of the World Championship, a special testing day will be held on Wednesday 15 July for all categories to allow riders to familiarise themselves with their race machinery again. The Moto2 class will follow its normal Friday schedule on a Grand Prix weekend and complete two 40-minute sessions on track. The first will be at 11:40am and the second is scheduled for 3:40pm.

Circuit information:

. Length: 4423 metres

. Width: 11 metres

. Corners: 13 (8 to the right; 5 to the left)

. Longest straight: 607 metres

. Track direction: clockwise

. Race distance: 23 laps

. Last Moto2 winner: Lorenzo Baldassarri

Timetable (local time):

Friday:

FP1: 10h55

FP2: 15h10

Saturday:

FP3: 10h55

Q1: 15h10

Q2: 15h35

Sunday:

WU: 8h50

Race: 12h20

/// AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ:

• A good weekend in Qatar didn’t have the positive conclusion Fernandez desired after the 22-year-old suffered a crash in the opening race of the season.
• But he has incredibly happy memories of Jerez having taken his first World Championship podium at the popular venue in 2019. It was the first of five top three finishes that the Spaniard achieved last year.
• Starting from third place on the grid, Fernandez completed a consistent race and his result was all the more impressive considering injury had forced him to miss the two previous races in Argentina and America.
• Last year was the first and only time that the number 37 has competed in the MotoGP World Championship at Jerez. In both 2017 and 2018, the Mallorcan only joined the Moto2 competition midway through the season.

“If I can win, I’ll try, but if not, I must not lose my head”

“I’m impatient and very motivated. After so much waiting it’s finally time to get back on the bike and give it my all. Jerez is a circuit that I like, and I have great memories from last year. Despite not having competed in Moto2 before and coming back from injury, I had a very good weekend and achieved my first World Championship podium. We will have to be careful with the heat and the high temperatures and not to get too confident because that could prove costly in such a short season. The objective for this first race is to try and finish as close to the front as possible. If I can win, I will try, but if not, I must not lose my head. I’ll need concentrate, remain cool and score points. I’m ready and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all starts.”

/// SAM LOWES:

• Sam Lowes was unable to complete the Qatar Grand Prix due to the right shoulder injury sustained during pre-season testing. After an intense rehabilitation, the Briton tested his physical condition in Friday’s free practice and heroically delivered competitive lap times.
• However, due to severe pain he decided not to take any risks and withdrew from Sunday’s race.
• Lowes knows what it takes to win in Jerez. In 2016, he qualified on pole position and then produced a majestic performance in the race to secure his first victory in the Moto2 World Championship.
• Last year was a more complicated affair for the 29-year-old. Despite impressing during pre-season testing at Jerez, Lowes encountered some difficulties throughout the race weekend and crashed out with eight laps remaining while battling with Brad Binder.

“I feel ready to face this race with a lot of confidence”

“I’m very happy to be back racing on this circuit. I like it and I have had good results on it. It’s a track that we all know very well, but we can’t be too confident because we usually ride in temperatures that are much lower than what we will experience this weekend. I feel ready to face this race with a lot of confidence. My shoulder is almost perfect and the feeling I had on the bike during the pre-season tests gave me a lot of confidence. Everything will be very tight, and we will see how the rivals arrive. But for my part, I will give everything to fight for the front positions at all times.”