Sam Lowes says he will come away from his much anticipated WorldSBK debut at Phillip Island feeling ‘extremely happy’ with his pair of top eight results as the ex-Moto2 rider showed strong competitiveness straight out of the box.
The 2013 WorldSSP Champion and his Marc VDS Racing team officially made its bow over the weekend as a fourth satellite Ducati entry and subsequently made a strong impression by running well inside the top ten during all three races.
Though a bungled pit-stop in Race 1 consigned Lowes to a disappointing 13th on his debut having run as high as sixth, he consolidated his evidently strong pace with a run to eighth in Sunday morning’s Superpole Race and seventh in Race 2.
The result in the latter might have been even better had Race 2 run to its original term of 20 laps after the 11-time Moto2 race winner capitalised on a blow-out for Toprak Razgatlioglu ahead - which subsequently sent those immediately following him out wide - to at one stage run third.
However, an imminent red flag would put paid to that, leaving Lowes to get mired in the busy top ten pack before eventually crossing the line for what remained a strong haul of points for a first weekend.
Indeed, Lowes was full of praise for his Belgian team and feels it is a strong platform from which to build on.
“Normally I wouldn’t be saying a seventh and an eighth place is an amazing result,” he said.
“But we must remember this is my first race weekend in WorldSBK and I have to be extremely happy with how things have gone.
“I enjoyed both races a lot and importantly we have been able to gain a lot of experience to help us in the future.
“How to manage the rear tyre is something I can improve because I genuinely think I could have fought for the podium today with a bit more experience.
“But I can only be happy with how I rode. I felt good on the bike and I think this weekend is a good base to build on. We finished all three races and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team did an amazing job this weekend.
“This was our first weekend in WorldSBK and it was a new experience, but they all did an awesome job and we can head home happy.”
Lowes also took the time to lavish praise on his twin brother after Alex Lowes ended a four-year victory drought by claiming a stunning two wins on Sunday, earning him the early lead in the standings. It was the first time the siblings have raced on the same track since British Supersport some 15 years ago.
“I also want to congratulate my brother Alex on his incredible weekend. I’m so happy for him and our family and now we’ve got to hunt him down at the next one!”
