Sam Lowes (4th) on Lecuona and Bulega: “They’re way ahead of everyone else”

Even during the practice sessions, Marc-VDS rider Sam Lowes made it clear that he would be a force to be reckoned with at the Superbike round in Donington, his home country. In qualifying on Saturday afternoon, he secured fourth place on the grid with his Ducati Panigale V4R.

In Race 1, the experienced rider got off to a very good start. He was able to overtake Yari Montella (Barni Ducati) right at the start. However, his Italian team-mate gradually found his rhythm and overtook Lowes again towards the end of the first third of the race. After that, the 35-year-old rode a consistent race. He crossed the finish line five seconds behind Montella and a good two-and-a-half seconds ahead of Thomas Bridewell (Ducati).

“It wasn’t bad. When Montella overtook me, I knew his bike was working a bit better. I then wanted to keep Bridewell and the other lads behind me,” said Sam Lowes in the post-race press conference. “It was as I’d expected. I had two good opening laps, I was happy with my pace, and I managed to see it through to the finish. Not finishing the Saturday races at Most and Misano made the Sundays there all the more difficult. Today, though, I had a very solid day. Of course, I’d love to be on the podium in a race like this, but the other lads simply did better. The factory riders have that extra something – they’ve been showing it all year with the package they’ve got at their disposal. They’re way ahead of everyone else.”

What chances does Lowes reckon he has for Sunday’s races? “If the track is a bit cooler tomorrow, we might be able to try and keep up with Montella. It’s my home race and I can still improve, especially in the first sector – I’m currently losing a lot of time there. That’s not down to the bike; I can do a bit better myself in that area.”

Was Lowes surprised that Thomas Bridewell was able to keep up with him so well over the entire race distance? “Not really. The Ducati is incredible at the moment and there’s a massive difference compared to the other bikes. On top of that, he’s a rider with a great deal of experience on these tracks. We’ve done a video analysis of it – the way he rides through the corners is very impressive,” said Lowes, praising his compatriot. “It’s a physically very demanding track, and he’s right up there. But I’m clever enough to know that everyone on the grid is a good rider. If one of them gets it all right, he’ll be up there.”

Sam Lowes was the best British rider at Donington on Saturday. How important is that status to him? “To be honest, it’s not that important to me. For me, it’s more about improving after Misano,” he said, waving the question aside. “It was important to finish the race today to have another chance on Sunday and to be closer to the front. But I’ve always received fantastic support at home races in the past. I’ve never managed to win a race, but I’ve achieved good results and have fond memories of my time in the Supersport World Championship. It’s always a privilege to race here. Hopefully I can do even better on Sunday.”