Sam Lowes returned to the points at the Italian Moto2 Grand Prix, with a ninth-place finish onboard his Gresini Racing machine.
Sam Lowes has had a good record around Mugello, taking pole position and lap records around the 3.26mile long circuit, and has also stood on the podium in 2016.
Lowes’ opening lap saw the Brit climb from eighth on the grid up to fifth, but his charge was soon halted when the Brit ran into rear grip troubles linked to the higher track temperatures on Sunday.
Speaking after the Italian Grand Prix, Lowes said: “I’m very happy with my first lap. I got a good start and I was running with the front group. Then, unfortunately, my pace was not good enough: I didn’t have enough grip at the rear and then, in order to stay with the guys ahead, I ended up riding a bit too aggressive. It was important to finish the race and get to Barcelona with a bit more confidence, given all the data we have from last week. We suffered from the high temperatures because we didn’t have this grip issue in the morning but again, it was important to finish in the points.”
Lowes has recently completed a test at Monteblanco, joined by Mugello race winner Alex Marquez and a few other Moto2 competitors, and will be aiming for another points finish in Barcelona.
Sam Lowes will return to action in Barcelona, with track action over the weekend, 14th-16th June.
