Moto2: Successful Sam Lowes wins in Jerez

Sam Lowes dominates at Jerez and wins his first Grand Prix since 2021.

Sam Lowes started the race from pole position after a magnificent lap in qualifying, ending the session over half a second from Acosta. Fellow British rider, Jake Dixon qualified in third position for the Grand Prix.

As the lights went out at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto circuit, it was Pedro Acosta who took the holeshot. Lowes dropped down to third position at turn one, allowing Alonso Lopez through.

Jake Dixon dropped down the order on the first lap of the race, after a poor start from the front row. Dixon ran slightly wide at turn three, allowing multiple riders through, including Tony Arbolino.

Celestino Vietti had a fast crash, ending his race prematurely, onboard his Fantic Racing Kalex Moto2 bike. Vietti continues to struggle in the Moto2 class, after a lack of results in the latter half of 2022.

Sam Lowes quickly found his way through Lopez, before passing the championship lead, Pedro Acosta. Lowes began to bridge a gap between himself and the 2020 Moto3 World Champion, setting the fastest lap of the race in a process. 

The British rider continued his incredible pace, setting a new fastest lap of the race for three consecutive laps. Lowes continued to chase the race lap record, set by himself in the 2021 season.

Jake Dixon continued to struggle on the opening laps of the race, dropping down to eighth position. Dixon is racing in his fifth season in the Moto2 World Championship and his second with the GASGAS team. 

Canet made his way through the field

Aron Canet made his way into the top five, after starting the race in 12th due to a disappointing qualifying. He began to battle with Tony Arbolino, who is fighting for the Championship. Canet was pushing hard and lost the front in the stadium section, as he pushed his tyres to the limit.

Ai Ogura began to show his true talent once again, making his way into fourth position after a great start. His race came to a sudden end, after making contact with Arbolino’s rear tyre at turn one.

Rory Skinner was disappointed with his qualifying result, starting the race in 27^th position on the American Racing machine. Skinner made his way into 24th position and battled with Dalla Porta and Zonta Van Der Goorbergh.

 At the front, Sam Lowes extended his gap to almost a second after passing Pedro Acosta and began to push. Lowes continued to extend his lead every single lap until it was almost three seconds.

At the line, Sam Lowes became a Grand Prix winner for the first time since 2021 after a dominant ride. He won by 2.841 seconds from Pedro Acosta, who tried everything to beat the Brit.

Alonso Lopez rounded out the podium positions, at his home race on the Boscoscuro machine. Tony Arbolino came home in fourth position and ended the race as joint Championship leaders.

Aron Canet finished in fifth position, with Jake Dixon ending the race in sixth position after making up positions and Chantra. Fermin Aldeguer rounded out the top 10, after a long alp penalty due to track limits. 

Sam Lowes jumps to fifth position in the standings, with the next rounding taking place at the historic Le Mans. Riders will head to France for round five, on the 12^th-14^th of May.

Image credit: motogp.com