Sam Lowes claims second win in seven days in #AragonGP thriller, Augusto Fernandez finishes eleventh

In a dramatic Moto2 encounter at Motorland Aragon, Sam Lowes wins his second Moto2 race in succession, while Augusto Fernández grits his teeth to finish eleventh.

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Sam Lowes tasted the victory champagne twice in seven days, with a brilliant win at Motorland Aragon for the 11th round of the 2020 season, a result that puts him within 2 points of the championship lead.

There were many positives to take for team-mate Augusto Fernández, who battled a lack of rear grip and arm-pump issues through the 21-lap race to claim five important points for 11th.

It was a complicated weekend for Augusto, whose arm-pump issues in his right forearm persisted through Friday and Saturday’s track time.

Still, the 23-year old had hopes of finishing in the top five. But, starting from 9th on the grid, he struggled with a lack of rear grip from the early laps.

Despite feeling some issues with the arm in the later laps, August fought all the way until the checkered flag, leading a five-rider fight across the line for 11th place.

The five points scored means Fernandez sits 13th in the championship with 54 points.

Augusto Fernández

“It was a tough one and a long one! I struggled with rear grip from the beginning. I don’t know why. I didn’t expect to be slow like I was. We didn’t have the pace to win the race but with the pace over the weekend we could have finished in the top five. With the crashes of Bezzecchi, Marini and Di Giannantonio the chance was there. At the end I was losing time from the start and couldn’t make my pace, and I was pushing the front. I didn’t ride comfortably. The last laps I was also struggling with the arm but by then I was already 11th. We have to analyse everything well because we have another race here next week. We will go for it!”

Initially in a three-rider fight for victory with two Italians, pole-sitter Lowes was left to chase Marco Bezzecchi down after Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed out of the lead on lap 11.

The Briton then applied relentless pressure to Bezzecchi in a tense battle before he also fell on the penultimate lap, leaving Sam to take his second win of 2020 by 4.1 seconds.

It was a fourth successive podium for the 30-year old, the first time a British rider has achieved this in grand prix racing’s intermediate class since Rodney Gould did so in 1972! It was also the first time a Brit has scored successive race wins in Moto2 since 2013.

This result, along with Luca Marini’s crash, sees Sam climbs two places to second in the championship with 153 points, just two back of leader Enea Bastianini.

Sam Lowes

“I’m happy. I didn’t quite feel as good as the rest of the weekend. But I’m happy with the pace, I was constant and maybe a bit faster than I expected. I think I can improve for next weekend. It’s nice to be in the fight for the championship. After missing the first race in Qatar, I’ve come back strong and I’m in the mix. It’s the first time in my career I’ve had four podiums in a row and had back-to-back wins. It’s a really good moment for me. I just need to keep this momentum. The team are doing a fantastic job. Now we just need to be smart race-by-race and take the good points. I’m really happy with how it’s going and I’m looking forward to Aragon 2!”