Lowes: Assen qualifying shows I deserve to be in MotoGP

The British rider, whose future at Aprilia has been subject to speculation in recent weeks, made it into Q2 for the first time in his fledgling premier class career on Saturday with the second-quickest time in the opening qualifying segment, held in wet conditions.

He backed that performance up by subsequently sealing 10th on the grid, bettering his previous best effort by a full 10 places and beating teammate Aleix Espargaro by five spots.

Aprilia racing manager Romano Albesiano admitted earlier this month it had been speaking to potential replacements for Lowes, with Alvaro Bautista and Danilo Petrucci in talks with the Italian marque.

But Lowes said he felt his qualifying performance came as a timely reminder to observers of his potential, and that an upturn in form could help quell speculation about his future and allow him to see out the full term of his two-year contract.

"Honestly, as a rookie, I feel like [the year] has not been a disaster," said the 26-year-old. "The results have not been perfect, but it's all about how I finish the year.

"It's a building process, and now I think I'm starting to show signs of what I can do. MotoGP's very tough, if you can't do it you can't even show them signs. So for me, it's important.

"I've beaten some guys who have been racing competitively in MotoGP. Why can't I do it? I believe in this team, this project, so I hope everything will stay on plan and we'll have a solid two years."

Lowes' qualifying came to a premature halt when he suffered an engine failure in the closing minutes – a problem the Briton feels prevented him from potentially starting even higher up the grid.

"Obviously when you [don't] finish and you miss the last couple of laps – you always think "ah, it could've been a bit better", and I believe that I could have been," Lowes added.

"But even now I'm happy to start 10th. I think that it'll be really good for me to start in the middle of the group and try and get away."

Asked what result in particular he was targeting on Sunday, Lowes said: "Top 10. Why not? Should be good."