Moto2: Sam Lowes fired up for 2016 title attack

It has finally been official confirmed that Sam Lowes will switch from Speed Up to Gresini in Moto2 next season, then join MotoGP with Aprilia in 2017.

The stand-out Speed Up rider with three poles and three podiums, including a debut win at Austin, the Englishman has his sights set on nothing less than the 2016 Moto2 title as he moves to the dominant Kalex chassis.

"I am really looking forward to joining Team Federal Oil Gresini in Moto2 next season," said Lowes, looking to become the first rider to win both the World Supersport and Moto2 titles.

"I believe that I have the potential to win the championship and the team's strong racing pedigree will hopefully provide the support I need to claim the title. 2016 will be my last year in Moto2 before stepping up to MotoGP and I am determined to try to leave the series as world champion.

"I know my fans were keen to see me contest the championship on a Kalex and the move to Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 enables me to do that. I'll be working hard with the new team over the winter to build strong relationships with the new team and ensure that I fully understand the bike.

"I feel that I have matured as a rider over the 2015 race season and hope to be able to use the learnings I've made to approach this fresh challenge and emerge victorious."

Lowes' Moto2 team change is all the more logical given that Gresini also runs the factory Aprilia MotoGP entry. Alongside competing in his third season of Moto2, Lowes will be an official Aprilia MotoGP test rider, in preparation for 2017.

"It's a great pleasure for me to be able to continue the important project in the Moto2 World Championship together with Federal Oil: in 2016 we will face our fifth season together in an extremely hard fought category," said team principal Fausto Gresini.

"We are preparing to do so in the best possible way, setting ourselves ambitious goals: we will count on an excellent technical package, with a brand new 2016 Kalex, and we will line up Sam Lowes, a talented rider who is proving to have all it takes to fight at the top."

Lowes will ride in place of Belgian Xavier Simeon, who claimed his first grand prix victory at the Sachsenring this season.

"Last July at Sachsenring with Sim?on we gave to Federal Oil the first win in Moto2: we will continue to do our best to close in a good way the 2015 season and we would like to thank Xavier for his hard work and for the good results obtained together. We wish him to get the satisfaction he deserves in the future," Gresini added.

Lowes is fifth in the 2015 Moto2 standings, and Simeon seventh, with five rounds remaining.