Elf Marc VDS’s Sam Lowes returns to Portimao fresh from a Misano Moto2 victory and with last year’s podium spurring him on for more.
Lowes had a rollercoaster weekend for 2021’s first visit to the Algarve, after his pole position promise was denied in the opening corner come race day. The April action a fitting summary of his season as a whole, as the pendulum swung between success and disaster, ruling the 31-year-old out of the title fight.
“Yeah, honestly, this year has obviously not quite gone how I wanted,” Lowes said from the Portimao paddock on Thursday afternoon. “I've been close a lot of weekends to having a good result and it's not panned out, but my speeds been not too bad.
“Misano was a great race. Great feeling on the bike, nice to feel confident, feel fast, I felt real competitive in the race. This is a great circuit. I really enjoyed the race last year, obviously missing out on the world title but at least fighting for it and getting on the podium,” he continued.
“Start of this year we had an unfortunate crash at turn one so I didn't really get a race at all - I did a few 100 metres - so this is my first one of the year. So that's nice, it’s not a race two, is a new one for me, but I feel good. I think this class, when it's so tight, is a lot about momentum and when you're riding good and you're confident, you got to get that momentum. But it goes both ways, like I've seen this year, when you get some bad results it can go in a negative way.
“When the results start coming you got to try and use that momentum and keep them coming, so I'm gonna try my best to win this weekend. It's a track that I love. I've won here in Supersport. I've been strong here, I had a pole position already this season here. So just enjoy it, fight for it, there's not much else - obviously I can't get top three in the championship. So just enjoy it, go for the win and have a nice weekend. The weather looks quite consistent, sunny, so there's not much to complain about honestly!”
“Last year, I was coming off difficult seasons, not expected to really fight for the championship. Augusto was obviously the number one rider in the team, so there was less pressure. This year, obviously winning the first two races, we should have fought for the championship. So I've learned on my bad days to accept certain things a lot more. I've had a few fourth places this year, which in the past I would have pushed harder to probably get a podium because it was sort of a ‘podium or nothing’ attitude, which is obviously wrong. Thinking back to say Mugello, Aragon, races like that where I could have finished on the podium - easily actually, from the position I put myself in at that point of the race I was never going to do worse than a podium - so to throw those races away I've learned that's just for nothing.
“Next year if I want to fight for the championship that's something I have to improve but it's all about mindset. An outlook, an attitude and that's what I'm working a lot with my mental coach on, just to accept the situation. How I think now is definitely different to what I thought maybe six years ago and maybe in six more years, I'll think different again. You've got to change all the time, use the lessons/experience and try and take the most out of it. This class is so tight, there's a few guys that could potentially have won a lot more races this year, but I just think it's a lot about momentum. When you get that momentum you've got to keep hold of it and use it in a good way. This year I had glimmers of good results, but then the momentum of a bad race or a crash just took me out of it and then the momentum goes the opposite way and you're sort of fighting against that all the time. Hopefully next year I’ll get the momentum running the other way.”
Lowes’ familiarity with the Portimao layout has proved fruitful in the past, however his starting record in the early part of the season annulled his pole advantage. It’s something the Brit has been working on in recent races.
“Assen, just before the summer break and then after the summer break, my starts have been a lot better and my first laps have been better,” he confirmed. “I think 50% technique, we improved a bit, improved the RPM we were using, I stopped using the launch control so I was doing a lot more manually on my own - because the launch control we have in Moto2 is quite basic. So that's been a positive thing and then it's like anything, you get a few good starts, you're more confident and you get other good ones. In the start of the year I was getting bad ones, and then you keep getting bad ones. So there's a little bit of confidence as well as a bit of technique and altogether this is a good thing, because when you're starting at the front, front row or front two rows, you need to capitalise on that in a class that's so tight.”
The end of 2021 sees Red Bull KTM Ajo riders Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez going head to head in the title fight, a position Lowes knows all too well after his own battles this time last year. Too far adrift in the standings for this season, he currently sits at the head of a five-rider fight for fourth. While still mathematically in touch of third, 41 points adrift of Marco Bezzecchi with 50 still in play is quite the ask, so how does the championship impact his own race strategy?
“I'm a respectful rider, also in the past year, or hopefully in the future, if I'm fighting for the championship, I think you have to be a little bit respectful around them riders but you still do completely nothing different,” he explained. "Obviously I will go there to win the race. I will pass whoever it is however I can on the last lap to try and win, that's a given but obviously you have to respect that they're in a position fighting for the world championship. So if it's a 50/50 move or something that's a little bit more on the limit, then obviously you just think a bit more about it. I think that's just a respectful thing between top riders fighting at the front. But then when the visor comes down, obviously I'm going to go for me.
“They're going to be riding a bit tighter,” he continued. “Is probably something that can play into my hands. At the end of the race I can be more relaxed, just go and get the result whereas they need to obviously make sure, Raul especially needs to get a lot of points back on Remy, needs to finish at least first or second to have a chance. Doesn't change too much but just a bit of respect, I think goes a long way.”
Lowes’ training has also seen an added element in recent weeks after the announcement of his charity marathon set for the end of the season. The proceeds of which will assist the winner and runner up of this season’s British Talent Cup - Casey O’Gorman and Carter Brown - in their future careers.
“Yeah, not too bad,” Lowes said on his preparation for the 26.2 mile challenge. “I did a couple laps here last night. I wouldn't like to do the marathon around here though! It's a little bit hilly for 42k!” he laughed.
“I feel good. I really enjoy my running anyway. Just having a little bit of another target to do with your training is nice. It's for a good cause. It's a difficult time in the world and in sport, to get the budgets together to compete. So if I can give a bit of money to two people and it can help them then that's obviously nice motivation, but I'm looking forward to it. It'll be in a few weeks, I don't exactly know the date yet, I might have bought it forward a bit, maybe the end of November and get it done.”
