Determined Lowes wraps up 2016 at Valencia with a good fourth place
Sam Lowes claimed a good fourth place finish in today’s Grand Prix of Valencia at the Ricardo Tormo circuit: on his final race with the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 before moving up to MotoGP, the 26-year-old British rider produced a solid performance, grabbing the fourth position with a nice pass on Alex Rins on the final lap.
Started from the third row with the seventh fastest time, Lowes took fifth place on lap 12 passing Julian Simon, then he pushed hard to close the gap on Alex Rins, overtaking him just a few corners from the finish.
Thanks to this result, Lowes maintained the fifth position in the World Championship with 175 points.
SAM LOWES (4th)
“After three bad races it was important to finish, and we did it. I knew I could keep a similar pace to the fastest riders, and we did it; the problem is that I was not so fast in the first 3 or 4 laps. I was a bit nervous at the start considering that all the crashes in the previous Grands Prix took place in the early stages of the race. Later, however, I could relax and I dug deep: it was not the best ride of the year, but it was a positive one and it’s important to end the Championship in the top five, although we deserved much more. This year I had a great time, the team is fantastic and I want to thank everyone”.
FAUSTO GRESINI
“I’m very happy with today’s result: it was important to finish the race and we hit our target of maintaining the fifth position in the Championship. Sam rode a good race, grabbing the fourth place in the final lap, and crossing the finish line very close to the riders in front of him. The Championship didn’t go as we hoped because of some mistakes, although actually we have been strong and competitive throughout the whole season, so we can be satisfied. I thank the whole team, Sam, and our sponsors and partners for the support they have always shown”.
