It has been a blended 2024 marketing campaign for Superbike World Championship rookie Sam Lowes. A former Moto2 challenger, Lowes made a calculated low season transfer to the 2024 WorldSBK Championship with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Group. In a season punctuated by highs and lows, an enormous excessive facet within the Czach Republic left the 33 year-old with a fractured left collarbone. Compelled to sit down out the seventh spherical in Portugal, the Ducati Panigale V4 R rider will now look subsequent weekend’s go to to Magny-Cours.
“The shoulder is nice and it’s getting higher,” he stated. “It has been a tricky couple of weeks. It’s the identical shoulder that I injured in 2022 once I was combating for a championship in Moto2. They suggested me to skip Portimao and let it heal naturally. I had one other X-ray yesterday, and I’ve much more motion now and I really feel good. As a rider, 4 weeks off is at all times a very long time. I’m feeling higher, although. I’m again coaching and I’m driving subsequent week and preparing for Magny-Cours. There’s gentle on the finish of the tunnel. We all know all of that is a part of the job, however it’s by no means good.
“I’ve been trying right now off we’ve had as a summer time break interval. We’ve had fairly a little bit of day off. As soon as we get to France, then we’ve acquired 5 races in possibly seven or eight weeks. It’s a reasonably busy schedule. I’m a bit luck that my harm wasn’t later.”
After spending a decade in Moto2 from 2014 by 2023 (plus a single 2017 season in MotoGP), Lowes wished a change and made the transfer, together with Marc VDS, to WorldSBK.
“Aside from the primary 4 races, we’ve been fairly first rate,” he stated. “We weren’t fairly at podium tempo, however we had some sixth and seventh place finishes and have been in that space. That’s not too unhealthy, as a result of I’m nonetheless studying and figuring issues out, as a result of the Superbike driving model is a bit bit totally different. I additionally had an issue with my arm and I had an operation on that.
“Then we had the crash at Most, so the final two races have been a little bit of a backstep. However issues have been good. There’s a lot to be taught. At age 33, it’s a privilege to have the ability to change championships. I’ve so much to be taught and one thing to go at. And I’ve come at a very good time. The championship goes from energy to energy.”
From a equipment standpoint, a very totally different expertise coming from Moto2?
“It’s so much totally different,” he says. “The Ducati is softer with a bit extra motion. The tires are the large factor. They’re rather a lot totally different to what we had in Moto2. Racecraft is a bit bit totally different as a result of the tires drop off extra with the extra energy and the extra weight and it’s important to be a bit extra affected person.
“Additionally, we’ve the Superpole Race. It’s a 10-lap dash on Sunday morning and it’s an eye-opener. In Grand Prix the races are fairly lengthy. It’s a bit extra regular. I shouldn’t say ‘regular’ as a result of there may be nothing regular about it. No person makes loopy strikes as a result of the race is so lengthy. Within the 10-lap Superpole Race, each nook is a battle, truthfully. You are available and also you by no means take a look at your pit board as soon as throughout that race. You’re smiling the entire time. It’s nice to be part of.”
At the moment 15th within the factors and with 5 high 10 race finishes, Lowes is cognizant that the leads to his freshman WorldSBK season have been powerful to return by.
“Qualifying, we’ve been okay,” stated Lowes. “Each race other than the Czech Republic, we’ve been within the high 10 in qualifying and beginning on the second or third row, For me, it’s like a bit step. I feel till I make that psychological step in simply driving the bike precisely proper then we’ll be there. The category is so tight now. You’re by no means distant and I’m not fairly driving the bike proper. As quickly as I make that step, which I’m engaged on, I’ll be there. It has been 9 or 10 years of driving a sure method, so clearly it takes a little bit of time. Then we’ll be there. I’m fortunate to have an important group and an important bike.”
5 rounds stay, which to Lowes’ method of seeing issues, is loads of time to search out his method onto the field in 2024.
“The rostrum is the aim,” he stated. “After all each rider on the grid desires to win. Over the yr I’ve wished to win and have carried out so, however hitting the rostrum is step one. We’ve acquired Jerez and Aragon coming and people have been probably the most profitable tracks for me in Grand Prix, so I’m actually these races. Happily for me, these races are proper close to the top of the season. They’re two of the final three rounds they usually’re most likely my finest two tracks. Being a rookie within the collection this yr, myself and the group ought to clearly evolve over the season. We’re trying to leap on the rostrum at them races and struggle on the entrance after which be prepared for 2025.”
His twin brother Alex, competing for the Kawasaki Racing Group WorldSBK upon a Ninja ZX-10RR, is at the moment fourth in standings. A two-time winner so far in ’24, Alex works intently collectively together with his brother.
“Alex and me discuss so much,” says Sam. “He’s been nice. We share the monitor collectively. He’s having a very good season, which is mega. He helps me to grasp issues a bit faster than possibly some folks coming into a brand new collection. We’re so shut off the monitor and it has been good to trip collectively on the monitor, and we’ll be doing extra of that in these subsequent 5 rounds. Within the apply classes and stuff, I can be taught so much from him, given his expertise within the class. He’s additionally studying a bit from me and a few of the issues I do, coming from GP. I feel it’s a very good asset for us each to have one another and that we get alongside so good. It’s a very good state of affairs.”
Whereas studying World Superbike is a course of, Lowes believes there shall be loads of racetrack coming at him over the following few years.
“I’ve acquired a couple of extra years left in me,” he stated. “The great factor is that I’m undoubtedly again subsequent yr with a two-year deal. There’s additionally a brand new Ducati out, which appears to be like superb. They’ve type of carried out a bit bit with it already. I’d love to have an actual good season subsequent yr after which get on the brand new bike after which consider issues after that. I’m totally into it. I’m totally loving it.
“I’m not interested by something aside from the following races. I’m 33 and that’s previous in a number of methods, however Alvaro Bautista is popping 40 subsequent yr and he’s nonetheless profitable. I feel that if you’ll find the proper feeling and confidence, you may hold going. If you’re profitable, you may hold going. For those who’re not profitable, it’s important to cease. If I can get to the stage the place I’m I the highest three and high 5 and profitable races, I’ll hold doing it and hold loving it.”
