The Dutch World Superbike Round was a memorable weekend for Sam Lowes as he claimed his first pole and podium.
Sam Lowes's promising start to the 2025 World Superbike Championship hit a new high at the Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen.
The British rider had featured on the podium at the circuit in the past in World Supersport and Moto2, but in his rookie World Superbike season, he was limited to top-ten finishes.
However, Lowes was a man on a mission across the weekend as he secured pole position on Saturday before being denied a podium fight in Race One after being taken out.
But Sunday was a different day for the 34-year-old as he secured his maiden podium in the wet Superpole Race on Sunday morning. Lowes crossed the line in second place, with only the reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu ahead of him.
The full distance race in the afternoon had a similar result for the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team rider as he finished in fourth and ended his best weekend in the series.
"That was a great day for me and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team," Lowes said after the Dutch WorldSBK Round.
"It feels fantastic to get my first WorldSBK podium after the disappointment of yesterday when we had the pace to be on the podium but missed out.
"It just felt great in the Superpole race to be battling again at the front. I made a mistake in the first corner and dropped back but I got my confidence back quickly and to fight through to get my first podium just feels mega. It’s a great reward for everybody in the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team and I think we deserved the podium after all the hard work we’ve put in.
"Race 2 wasn’t easy because I chose the hard front tyre and I expected that to help me towards the end. But when I tried to push I was missing the speed and that caused quite a drop in front grip in the middle of the race. I was holding a consistent pace and we were very close to the podium again which is very positive. I finished top Independent Team rider again so we have to be happy and now I can’t wait for Cremona."
