Sam Lowes starred in a brilliant battle at the TT Circuit Assen finishing fourth in the Dutch GP as he narrowly lost out on the Moto2 podium to his Elf Marc VDS teammate.

Lowes enjoyed his best race start of the year, rising from third on the grid to lead across the line after the opening lap. Initially losing out to Remy Gardner and Aron Canet, the Brit was back in charge on laps five and seven, this time retaining the lead until the second VDS machine of Augusto Fernandez took over seven laps later. 

A four-rider-battle ensued for the second half of the race, with Raul Fernandez breaking free at the front and the remaining trio battling for podium honours. 

The 30-year old ultimately secured his fourth top-four finish of 2021, coming home less than two-seconds behind the rookie winner, and strengthening his fourth place in the championship with 99 points, 85 behind leader Remy Gardner.

“Of course, when you’re in a battle like this it’s never nice to be fourth but it was a solid ride and I was happy to be fighting at the front,” Lowes said after the race.

“I was strong in the first laps and had good pace. Overall, it’s been a good weekend,” he continued.

“The last few weeks have not been about winning, but building up the points. I made a small mistake on the last lap, which meant I couldn’t pass into the last chicane. Raul was a step ahead but Remy, Augusto and I had a similar pace. 

“It’s nice to go into the summer break after that race because there were a lot of positives to build on. It was a nice race, good for the fans and I enjoyed it.

"It’s been a solid first part of the year. We’re missing some points, which we gave away in Mugello but overall it’s been okay. We’re looking to come out fighting after the summer break, so I’ll knuckle down now and train hard for Austria. 

“Thank you to the team and well done to Augusto. He’s had some difficult times and it’s nice to see him back on the podium.”