Lowes limited by foot injury, Arbolino makes Marc VDS debut in Jerez Moto2 test
Potential title favourite for 2022, Sam Lowes kicked off his Moto2 preparations for next season during an official two-day test at Jerez, while 2021 rookie Tony Arbolino made his debut for the Marc VDS outfit.
Lowes, who finished fourth this past season behind world champion Remy Gardner, Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi - all MotoGP riders for 2022 - was limited during the two-day test following a right foot injury he suffered in this month’s season finale in Valencia.
The British rider will see 2022 as one of, if not his biggest chance at claiming the Moto2 championship due to most of his close rivals going to the premier class, which is why being fully fit for next year is Lowes’ priority.
"We weren’t able to complete as many laps as I’d hoped coming into this test, but my foot was more painful than I expected," said Lowes.
"On a race weekend there’s not much time to think about an injury and the adrenaline always helps block out the pain. But at a test there’s more time to think and my foot felt quite sore."
Day-one also saw Lowes and most other riders miss out on important track time due to damp and cool conditions, which left Lowes unable to push ‘at my limit’.
Lowes said: "Track conditions weren’t fantastic, and I didn’t feel like I was able to push at my limit to give Dunlop the correct information and feedback required, so it was the right decision to stop and begin the recovery in the winter.
"It’s still been a positive test from the perspective of meeting some new members in the team and sharing some time with Tony [Arbolino].
"The atmosphere is really good between everybody and that’s a great way to go into the winter break so I can focus on being strong when we get going again in 2022."
Lowes’s new team-mate Arbolino completed close to 100 laps during the test - 96 to be exact - after a solid rookie season.
The Italian started the year demonstrating considerable potential, however, as the season went on fellow rookies Ai Ogura and Celestino Vietti were able to sustain more consistent top ten results, while star rookie Raul Fernandez was fighting for the title. Arbolino finished 14th in the standings.
But after making the switch to Elf Marc VDS, a team that’s a perennial winner in Moto2, chances are Arbolino will become a consistent top five runner in 2022.
Speaking after his Moto2 debut, Arbolino added: "Honestly, I’m feeling a bit tired at the end of the day because I did 96 laps, but it feels fantastic to begin working with my crew and this team and we did a lot of good work.
"I instantly felt at home and comfortable with my crew and I felt very good on the bike, and we made some positive improvements throughout the day.
"The important thing now is to enjoy the winter break and have a good rest because already I feel like in this Team we can achieve great results in 2022."
