The first promise of a strong 2018 season came true within just four races of the year for Pata Ymaha’s Alex Lowes as he scored third place, behind his own team-mate Michael van der Mark in second and race two winner Chaz Davies.
It could have been even better had he been able to get away quickly and keep a strong early pace.
“To be honest I was just too slow at the start again, like yesterday,” said Lowes, who was eighth on lap two. “I do not know why but the first half of the race I really struggled. Michael passed me and just pulled away. He was going faster than me to be fair, and I could not stay with him.
“I was determined not to make any mistakes. If the guys behind me were going to pass me then I wanted to make sure they were going to have to pass me, rather than run a little bit wide and allow someone past. In the last five or six laps I was coming back into a comfortable position but when the times are as close as this you cannot give anything away. I need to understand if it is my riding, or the bike or a combination of both.
“In the early parts of the race when the fuel tank is full, I am struggling to stop the bike. If I try to brake where I know I can I struggle to make the apex and my lap time is a bit slower.”
Lowes did not have to wait long for a first podium, and he was particularly pleased to have done it is such an exciting, combative race. “It is a fantastic podium for Yamaha,” said Lowes. “Whatever way you look at it, the first two rounds have been the most exciting for quite a few years.
“Hopefully it continues to be quite close and the racing continues to be good. I have gone sixth, fifth, fifth and third, which is pretty consistent for me.”
Lowes felt it took him two days to get started properly at Thailand, and that told for him in race one, when he could not get away and into the fastest pace quickly. And this year, being so close, all positions and tenths of a second will count.
“If you start two seconds further up the road it is some advantage a lot more than last year when some guys could start on the third fourth fifth rows and - when you had 15 seconds difference between the podium finishers - it didn’t matter.
“It is not like that any more. For me it is quite interesting. All I know is the racing was fun for me and more importantly I hope it was fun for the people watching back at home. Let’s be honest, what we need is more people to enjoy WorldSBK racing.
“I do not know the reason why it is so close now, but on Friday near the end of a session I did not use a new tyre when I was fifth. At the end of the session I was tenth. I think there was half a second between 12 riders. I cannot remember that happening in the past.
“I am presuming it is the rules because it has not happened since I have been in WorldSBK. Some people won’t like them some people will like them but let’s hope there continues to be good racing.”