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Lowes: Moto2 return likely if I can't stay in MotoGP

Aprilia outcast Sam Lowes says he is likely to return to Moto2 next year if he can't stay in MotoGP.

Sam Lowes, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2

Sam Lowes, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Sam Lowes, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2
Sam Lowes, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Sam Lowes, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Sam Lowes, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Jonas Folger, Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Sam Lowes, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

The Brit, who joined the premier class from Moto2 this year, will be a free agent at the conclusion of the season, after Aprilia opted to terminate his two-year contract early and hire Scott Redding instead.

Lowes' options to remain on the MotoGP grid next year are limited, with a Marc VDS Honda ride understood to be the only possibility.

But should Lowes not have an opportunity to stay in MotoGP, he says he will probably return to the intermediate class – where he finished 13th, fourth and fifth overall between 2014 and 2016.

“If it's not possible [to stay in MotoGP] - only last year I was in Moto2, so I'd probably look to try and go to Moto2 and fight to win races and become world champion, because that's still something great,” Lowes said.

“But right now I'm really focusing on trying to stay in this class. I want to stay here because otherwise it will have been a lot of work for nothing. Because, in all fairness, if you leave, it's hard to come back.

“We're working to stay here, if not, I'll try and go to Moto2 on a good package and try to fight for a world championship. Because arguably, if you look at my results last year, I'm capable of doing so.”

Yamaha more rookie-friendly bike

The four riders to join MotoGP this year had finished first (Johann Zarco), third (Alex Rins), fifth (Lowes) and seventh (Jonas Folger) in the 2016 Moto2 campaign.

But while Zarco and Folger have excelled with the Tech 3 Yamaha so far, Lowes and Suzuki rider Rins have had a more difficult transition, with the latter also plagued by injuries.

“I think the situation is that every rider's different, every bike is different,” Lowes reckoned. “You know, Rins is a great rider, won many Moto2 races in a very easy way - now he's just starting to find his way in MotoGP.

“He's on the Suzuki, I'm on the Aprilia, there's two other guys on a different bikes that are finding it even different again.

"Zarco, great, two-time world champion, Jonas, great rider - but I beat him last year, in a lot more races than he beat me. I think he's a great rider, but it's different situations.

“I think, with the bikes that you can ride more like a Moto2, maybe like the Yamaha, carry the corner speed - the Honda, the Suzuki, the Aprilia [are] maybe a bit more finicky, the area of working is a bit smaller.

“And you probably have to stop-start it a little bit more, so you need to have a little bit more time.”

Additional reporting by David Gruz

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