MotoGP Mugello: Lowes ‘determined to come out fighting’

A somewhat battered and bruised Sam Lowes arrives at Mugello ready to take on his Elf Marc VDS’ teammate’s home race.

With Tony Arbolino aiming for the podium on home turf and a second home of sorts for the Brit himself, due to family connections, Italy’s Tuscan hills will be full of fan support once again this weekend after the quiet of the past two years, a fact Lowes is relishing.

“I love that track,” Lowes said of the Mugello venue. “It is incredible and it will be great to have fans back again because they create a fantastic atmosphere. It’s the home race for Tony as well, so I’m looking forward to a real positive weekend, and racing in Italy now is like a second home for me given my family connections.”

Le Mans proved painful for the 31-year-old after a nasty qualifying highside ruled him out of contention for Sunday’s race despite a second row start. Neck pain and dizziness forced Lowes to withdraw from the French Grand Prix, but he is eager to get his season back on form especially having climbed the Tuscan rostrum on a previous visit.

Sunday’s 21-lap battle is the first of a demanding four in five week schedule ahead of the summer break, with Lowes aiming to showcase his aggressive riding style around the high-speed and undulating Mugello track and return to podium contention after bad luck and injury prevented him from scoring in the last four races.

“I’m getting better each day after the big crash in Le Mans that meant unfortunately, I couldn’t compete in France,” he confirmed. “I took a few days off to rest and recover and I’m not going to say it wasn’t difficult because the crash was a big one, but I’m feeling a lot better now and I’ll be ready for Mugello.

“After an unfortunate run of races recently I’m