Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) has taken Friday honours at the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria in the Moto2™ class, his FP1 1:28.733 was untroubled in the warmer afternoon conditions as Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) set the pace in FP2. Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) finished second in both FP1 and FP2 to remain P2 on the combined times, with Austrian GP winner Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) third overall.
Chequered flag for #Moto2 FP2! ✅@Marco12_B stops his authority all over it! ????#AustrianGP ???? pic.twitter.com/JKKEvBFqpN
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) August 21, 2020
With track temperatures rising above the 50-degree mark in Spielberg for the second Moto2™ session of the weekend, the FP1 times remained largely untroubled. The riders were busy getting some vital race preparations done and it was Bezzecchi who was looking mightily impressive, the Italian sitting three tenths clear of the chasing pack for the majority of the session. Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP 40) was second behind Bezzecchi as the Spaniard looks to have found some promising pace for the Styrian GP.
There was some movement at the end of the session though, with Gardner cutting Bezzecchi’s advantage down to less than a tenth – 0.042 to be exact. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) and Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) went quicker in the latter stages to demote Garzo down to fifth, but the combined times were unchanged. Bezzecchi's fastest time was around four tenths off Lowes' FP1 time.
This means the British rider remains the man to beat heading into Saturday despite finishing 12th in FP2, with Gardner showing well in both sessions to sit ahead of third place Martin – the Spaniard claiming P8 in FP2. Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was 25th in the afternoon session but stays fourth on the combined times and sits less than a tenth of Lowes’ time. Championship leader Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) are a 0.001 apart in fifth and sixth, with Bezzecchi seventh.
Aron Canet (Openbank Aspar Team) crashed at Turn 1 late in FP2 as the rookie finishes 13th in the afternoon. Canet is the only non-Kalex rider in the top 10 on the combined standings though in P8, he leads Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) heading into Saturday.
The top 14 will undoubtedly see a shake-up if it’s dry on Saturday morning, so tune in for the final Moto2™ Free Practice session in Styria at 10:55 (GMT+2).
Top 10 combined:
1. Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) – 1:28.733
2. Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) + 0.016
3. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.060
4. Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) + 0.081
5. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.117
6. Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) + 0.118
7. Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 0.137
8. Aron Canet (Openbank Aspar Team) + 0.187
9. Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) + 0.318
10. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) + 0.476
Click here for the full results!