Lowes happy with more time on 2017 bike

Aprilia rider retired through a mechanical – but got good time on the new RS-GP

Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) didn’t make it to the end of the Gran Premio Motul de la Repubicla Argentina after a problem selecting gears, but the British rookie did at least get some more practice sessions and time on the new RS-GP – after Qatar tracktime was more severely interrupted by the weather.

Lowes, who only got the new bike at the Qatar Test, changed some things in Argentina and was satisfied with good pace before the retirement - now looking to put it all together in Texas; a track he won at in Moto2™.

Sam Lowes, DNF: "At the start I lost a few meters, but I was catching up. I managed to lap with a good pace and I was about to reach the zone where they were battling for points. I had a problem with gear selection and I had to go into pit lane, but this was a good weekend for me. In Qatar I had not had the chance to work a lot on the 2017 bike before the race, in any case finding a good setup base. Here we changed a few details and in the race I felt at ease. Our bike is very competitive at the end of the race, so I know that I would have been able to make up a few positions."