Marc VDS following the founder’s death: Sam Lowes on the uncertain future

The death of Marc van der Straten has left a void within the Marc VDS team that extends far beyond motor racing. The Belgian founder and owner died on 5 July. Since then, Sam Lowes has been missing the person for whom he and the team wanted to achieve success. At the same time, it must be determined how the life’s work of this passionate motorsport supporter can be carried on.

“It’s been a difficult year for the team for many reasons, including on a personal level away from the racetrack. That’s why I’m quite pleased with how things have gone so far,” Lowes explained in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com.

When asked what had changed within the team following van der Straten’s death, the Ducati rider spoke above all about the importance of their shared goal. “Of course, it has changed in the sense that we’ve been doing this work and achieving these results for him. You lose some of that sense of purpose. As for the team’s future, we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out.”

In his day-to-day life, Lowes misses the chance to share his success with the team owner. “The boss isn’t here anymore. When you do your job and take pride in achieving results for him, you naturally miss that. Now we’re trying to carry on in his name.” For Lowes and those around him, the bond with van der Straten was more than just a working relationship. This also applies to his wife, Marina Rossi, who works at Marc VDS as team manager for the Superbike and Moto2 projects. The loss therefore affects them both directly.

“A lot is happening behind the scenes to work out how we can carry on. But of course it’s just sad what’s happened. For my wife and everyone else, too, the connection with him was more than just a job. Losing someone is never easy. Trying to carry on with everything afterwards is, of course, not easy.”

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What does the future hold for the Superbike team?

The consequences for the team are already becoming apparent. The Moto2 programme will come to an end after the 2026 season. This means that a team which, for many years, was one of the defining teams in the middle category will disappear from the Grand Prix paddock.

For the Superbike project with Lowes, the outlook looks more favourable for the time being. However, a long-term plan has not yet been finalised. The Briton also avoided making a firm statement when asked about securing the coming season.

Sam Lowes hofft, dass das Superbike-Projekt eine Zukunft hat

Foto: Gold & Goose

“I don’t know yet. I don’t know anything specific about Moto2. Here with us, things are looking pretty good in my opinion. But nothing has been finalised yet; it’s still up in the air.”

Lowes made it clear why such questions cannot be answered at short notice following the death of a team owner. “When money is involved in situations like this – and a great deal of money at that – it’s not easy to have an immediate answer as to what will happen.”

The team therefore has two tasks running in parallel: on the track, they want to continue achieving good results and honour van der Straten’s memory. Behind the scenes, the groundwork must be laid to ensure his name remains represented in the World Superbike Championship in future.